Stoic Sligo claim Rovers supremacy to leave Hoops as league's only winless team
TEENAGE DREAMS: Sligo Rovers Owen Elding celebrates his part in the opening goal. Pic INPHO/Evan Logan
Shamrock Rovers are now the only Premier Division tem yet to win a game after they were sent to the bottom of the table after defeat to a much improved Sligo Rovers who picked up their first points of the new season.
Reece Hutchinson had the Bit O'Red in the lead seven minutes from the break only for substitute Graham Burke to equalise on 68 minutes. Sligo skipper John Mahon then struck 12 minutes from time to give the eventual winners their first league victory in nine games, a run stretching back to last September.
Chasing their first win of the season following a shaky start, Sligo made two changes from the team narrowly beaten in Inchicore last Friday. The main talking point being goalkeeper Sam Sargeant's demotion to the bench, replaced by Conor Walsh who made his first start for the club since the final day of the 2023 season, having spent spells on loan at both Finn Harps and Wexford last year. Winger Owen Elding returned to start in place of Matty Wolfe who didn't make the matchday squad.
The Hoops arrived in Sligo without a win at the Church Hill Road venue in two years, with three changes following a draw with Shels last Friday. Aaron Greene, Cory O'Sullivan and Gary O'Neill back in while goalkeeper Ed McGinty returned to the ground he made his name on, starting between the sticks for the visitors. New signing Sean Robertson made the bench.
Both sides cancelled each other out in the opening half. It took 46 minutes for the Dubliners to test Walsh, the Westport man holding a flashed Roberto Lopes header from a corner in added time at the end of the opening half.
The Connacht men missed penalties in two of their opening three outings and had a shout for another spot-kick turned down on 29 minutes. Lopes looked as if he had pulled back Will Fitzgerald inside the area, but referee Rob Harvey saw otherwise, instead electing to award a free-kick from which Jake Doyle-Hayes landed the ball on the roof of McGinty's net.
Cian Kavanagh struck twice against the Saints last Friday and the Showgrounds was on its feet on 32 minutes when he nodded a Hutchinson cross beyond McGinty only for the referee's assistant to raise the flag for offside.
Sligo arrived again six minutes later for the opener. Gareth McElroy nodded Fitzgerald's set piece across goal towards Elding and although McGinty managed to scramble away the attacker's initial effort, he was unable to stop Hutchinson's follow up as the full back hammered an effort past his former team-mate for his first goal for the club since netting at the Brandywell last May.
The away side's frustration continued up until the 68th minute when Burke levelled the tie shortly after he came on. The former Aston Villa youth's impact was instant as he picked out the far corner of Walsh's net from a tight angle just 60 seconds after coming on.
Stephen Bradley then sprung both Aaron McEneff and Rory Gaffney from the sidelines as Watts' fizzed drive had Walsh at full stretch as he shot narrowly wide.
But Sligo weathered the brief storm and went ahead again with 12 to go. Skipper Mahon forced the ball past McGinty from another Fitzgerald set-piece to the delight of the majority of the 4000-plus in attendance.
Conor Walsh; Harvey Lintott (Oskar Van Hattum 60), John Mahon, Gareth McElroy, Reece Hutchinson; Connor Malley (Ryan Manning 77), Jake Doyle-Hayes; Will Fitzgerald, Jad Hakiki (Ollie Denham 89), Owen Elding; Cian Kavanagh (Francely Lomboto 77).
Ed McGinty; Roberto Lopes, Dan Cleary, Cory O'Sullivan (Aaron McEneff 72); Josh Honohan, Danny Grant (Rory Gaffney 72); Matt Healy, Gary O'Neill (Graham Burke 66); Dylan Watts, Michael Noonan; Aaron Greene (Victor Ozhianvuna 60).
Rob Harvey.
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