Bit O' Red get seven past bottom-of-the-table Galway

Sligo Rovers 7 Galway United 1

Matthew Blinkhorn scored his second hat-trick of the season against Galway United as Sligo Rovers boosted their goal difference further to move three points clear at the top of the Premier Division table.

Second-in-the-table Shamrock Rovers have two games in hand, however, ahead of the champions’ meeting with Drogheda United at Tallaght Stadium tomorrow.

Having beaten Galway 8-0 at Terryland Park in mid-July, this second big win in the Connacht derby means Sligo, as well as their three point cushion, are now 11 goals better off that Shamrock Rovers at the moment.

A floodlight failure at the Showgrounds delaying the kick off by 35 minutes didn’t upset Sligo in the least as they took the lead after 15 minutes.

John Russell crossed from the right for topscorer Aaron Greene to shoot home.

It was 2-0 and the game all but over on 24 minutes as Galway had a player sent off. Defender Ronan Cauldwell was dismissed for a foul on Greene and John Dillon drove home the resultant penalty.

The third goal arrived four minutes later to end the game as a contest, striker Blinkhorn tapping home after a Russell shot came back off the bar.

Joseph Ndo rolled a free-kick on the edge of the area to right-back Alan Keane who rifled his shot past John Egan to make it 4-0 six minutes before the break.

Blinkhorn got his second of the game ten minutes into the second half when finishing off a Russell cross.

Zimbabwean Oscar Sibanda scored Galway’s consolation goal on the hour mark.

Blinkhorn then rounded off a fine move to complete his hat-trick in the 89th minute before substitute Raffaele Cretaro added the seventh goal a minute later.