Shamrock Rovers 5
Sligo Rovers 1
SHAMROCK ROVERS REGISTERED their biggest win of the season tonight in Tallaght Stadium to inflict a seventh league defeat of the campaign on Sligo Rovers and yet more pressure on Owen Heary.
Since beating The Bit O’Red 2-1 in the league back in March Pat Fenlon’s side had drawn six of their next 10 games, winning the other four. Meanwhile Owen Heary’s men came into the tie having gathered four of their 12 points in total this season in their last two games.
And both teams had early chances in this latest clash, with Kieran Marty-Waters seeing an early shot blocked by Gavin Peers, and Dinny Corcoran only being denied a shooting opportunity from close-range by Simon Madden.
Indeed, Madden has been an ever present for the Hoops, and it was his delivery midway through the opening half that led to the first goal when Brandon Miele arrived to fire home. Sligo were afforded plenty of space before and after the deadlock was broken, and Maxime Blanchard proved less than convincing up against both John Russell and Stephen Beattie, but the goal never came.
With five minutes to go to half-time Waters then doubled the home side’s lead, lofting his shot over the advancing Brush after Danny Ledwith failed to clear McCabe’s pass. Sligo did half the deficit on the hour mark when Corcoran capitalised on a mix up between Blanchard and Hyland to poke the ball in from the edge of the area, but two goals in as many minutes from Mikey Drennan quickly ended the tie as a contest.
His first came after a beautifully curved pass from Miele, while his second was from the penalty a spot after Ledwith clashed with Marty-Waters. A serious injury to Sean O’Connor, who had come on to replace Ryan Brennan in the first half after he was carried off on a stretcher, then brought the game to a standstill.
Blanchard also had to go off injured late on, and Miele capped off another impressive performance with the final goal in injury-time, curling his shot in from the left side.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Hyland, Madden, Kenna, Blanchard (Webster, 87), Byrne, McPhail, R Brennan (O’Connor, 45+3 (G Brennan, 81)), McCabe, Waters, Miele, Drennan.
SLIGO ROVERS: Brush, Keane, Ledwith, Peers, Folan, Cawely, Corcoran, Wearen, Puri, Russell (Armstrong, 73), Beattie.
