In accepting the SSE Airtricity/SWAI player of the month award for May yesterday, Daryl Horgan now wants to crown Dundalk’s season with the title.

Sligo Rovers 0 Shamrock Rovers 1

With just three points separating the top four, another night of intrigue beckons in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division.

SSE AIRTRICITY PREMIER DIVISION:

Trying to predict what way a domestic season will unfold is a fool’s errand so let’s buckle up and simply enjoy what the SSE Airtricity League throws at us.

The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport confirmed €2 million of the monies cut from the sports budget earlier this year has been returned to the sector for use at grass roots and elite levels.

Sligo Rovers 3 Drogheda United 0

Anthony Elding said he couldn’t have written the script better as his dream ending to the season saw him win the FAI Ford Cup for Sligo Rovers.

Ian Baraclough yesterday insisted he’s had no contact with struggling English League One side Notts County after reports in a Nottingham newspaper linked the 42-year-old Sligo Rovers boss with the managerial vacancy.

Cork City face into their penultimate game of the Airtricity League season when they take on Dundalk in Oriel Park tonight but, already, the search for a permanent new manager at Turner’s Cross is well under way.

St Patrick’s Athletic 2 Sligo Rovers 0

Sligo Rovers 3 Shamrock Rovers 0

Goals early and late in the second half from Declan O'Brien and David Cassidy booked Drogheda United's passage through to a Louth derby semi-final clash with neighbours Dundalk in the FAI Ford Cup after they beat First Division Finn Harps 2-0 in their quarter-final replay at Hunky Dorys Park.

Martin O’Neill remains the clear leader in the Irish managerial succession stakes as the field narrowed yesterday with two predicted runners and riders eliminating themselves from the race while the favourite announced that he was ready for a return to management.

Sligo Rovers 2 Limerick FC 0

Dundalk 2 Sligo Rovers 0

Goals from Raffaele Cretaro and Kieran Djilali gave Sligo Rovers a 2-0 win over Bray Wanderers at the Showgrounds to move the champions back up to third place in the Premier Division table.

Richard Brush saved a penalty and made several other top stops to help earn Shamrock Rovers a scarcely deserved point from a 0-0 draw to utterly frustrate Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds.

Molde 2 Sligo Rovers 0 (Molde win 3-0 on Agg)

Sligo Rovers' UEFA Champions League hopes came to an expected end in Norway as they lost 2-0 to Ole Gunnar Solskjær's Molde, losing their second qualifying round tie on a 3-0 aggregate.

Strikers Danny North and Raffaele Cretaro are set to return as Sligo Rovers go in search of goals in their Champions League qualifier this evening (kick-off 6pm).

Sligo Rovers 0 Molde 1

Ciaran Kilduff is set to make his debut for Cork City as they host defending champions Sligo Rovers in tonight’s Premier Division clash at Turner’s Cross (7.45pm).

Champions League fever in Sligo means there are now only 700 tickets left for sale for home fans for their second qualifying round first leg game against Norwegian champions Molde which, the club have confirmed, will take place on Wednesday, July 17 at the Showgrounds.

Sligo Rovers moved to within four points of leaders St Patrick’s Athletic after they secured their first win in five, and just second in nine, by comprehensively defeating UCD 5-2 at the Showgrounds on Saturday evening.

Having claimed sole ownership of top spot on Friday with a convincing win away to Shelbourne, St Patrick’s Athletic will be looking to remain at the summit when they face UCD at Richmond Park tonight.

AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION:

With perfect timing, the start of the second series of Airtricity League Premier Division fixtures opens with a top-of-the-table clash at the Showgrounds this evening (5pm).

Still holding maximum points in the league, but smarting from defeat by Drogheda United in the Setanta Cup, champions Sligo Rovers travel to Richmond Park to take on third-placed St Patrick’s Athletic in the big game of the night in the Airtricity Premier Division (kick-off 7:05pm, live on RTE 2).

Anthony Elding scored his ninth goal of the season as Sligo Rovers equalled the Premier Division record of eight straight wins in beating Cork City 2-0 in a generally dour contest at the Showgrounds.

AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION

Sligo Rovers maintained their five point lead at the top of the Premier Division table with a comfortable 3-0 win over Bohemians at Dalymount Park.

Cork City travel to Tallaght this evening to face Shamrock Rovers in the Airtricity League with both sides anxious to prevail, albeit for slightly different reasons.

Central defender Jeff Henderson scored a late winner as Sligo Rovers came from behind to beat Limerick 2-1 at the Showgrounds to maintain their 100% start to the season.

Dundalk 1 Sligo Rovers 3

Sligo Rovers made it three wins from three to move four points clear at the top of the Premier Division table with a comfortable 3-1 victory at Dundalk.

Anthony Elding maintained his goalscoring touch with a double as champions Sligo Rovers beat Bray Wanderers 3-0 before a crowd of 2,684 at the Showgrounds.

For the faithful, the dawning of the first day of the new Airtricity League season brings with it a familiar quickening of the pulse and the heady sensation that anything is possible.

It's shaping up to be an all Airtricity League last four in the Setanta Sports Cup for the first time in the competition's history following last night's action north and south of the border.

Republic of Ireland right-back Stephen Kelly last night completed his move from Fulham to Reading on a two-and-a-half year deal.

Robbie Keane has said he will only consider a loan move to an English club in January if he feels is 100% fit.

Sligo Rovers manager Ian Baraclough has said Rovers will improve their squad despite the loss of Mark Quigley and Jason McGuinness to Shamrock Rovers.

It was a season where Sligo exploded with joy after ending a 35-year wait for the title, Shamrock Rovers relinquished their crown without a whimper and Drogheda United exceeded all expectations.

Newly-crowned champions Sligo Rovers have, as expected, dominated the PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year with five places but there was no place for any member of EA Sports Cup and Europa League bound Drogheda United in the side.