Dundalk 1
Sligo Rovers 0
Niall Newberry reports from Oriel Park
DUNDALK ARE BACK to winning ways in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division after claiming a valuable 1-0 victory over struggling Sligo Rovers at Oriel Park tonight.
Daniel Kelly’s 10th-minute header was all that separated the sides, as Dundalk moved to within four points of second-place St Patrick’s Athletic, while Sligo remain in seventh.
The Bit O’Red really should have found themselves ahead in the ninth minute, when Stefan Radosavljevic’s cross was completely missed by the unmarked Lukas Browning before former Portugal U20 forward Pedro Martelo missed the target at the back post.
Sligo were made to rue that missed opportunity less than 60 seconds later at the other end, with Archie Davies taking a touch to get himself away from Radosavljevic before his cross was finished at the far post by the head of Kelly to give Dundalk a 1-0 advantage.
Scorer of a last-gasp winner the last time these sides met at Oriel in April, Faroe Islands international Radosavljevic curled a shot inches over as Sligo sought a quick response.
John Russell’s team had further chances in the first half through Browning, who fired over from distance, while skipper David Cawley had a shot deflected off Greg Sloggett and into the hands of Dundalk goalkeeper Nathan Shepperd shortly before half-time.
The final piece of action of a relatively dour opening 45 minutes came Dundalk’s way, with Ryan O’Kane’s set-piece delivery being met by the head of Louie Annesley, but Conor Walsh, starting in place of the departed Luke McNicholas, wasn’t at all troubled.
Eleven minutes into the second period, O’Kane picked it up from just outside the penalty area, but his shot was deflected off Browning and subsequently kept out by Walsh.
O’Kane was again involved on the hour-mark, when his cross was met by the head of captain Patrick Hoban, but 18-year-old Walsh got down quickly to save that attempt.
At the opposite end, substitute Fabrice Hartmann’s inswinging free-kick from the left flank was rather unconvincingly battered away by Shepperd, who later had to be alert to Martelo’s touch and volley outside the box with about 15 minutes remaining on the clock.
Martelo’s cross from the right flashed dangerously across the Dundalk goal, but The Lilywhites could have sealed the points once and for all through Johannes Yli-Kokko, who spurned two late opportunities, before O’Kane drilled wide in the 90th minute.
Sligo sub Kailin Barlow then had a volley saved by Shepperd right at the death, as The Lilywhites withstood five minutes of stoppage-time to claim a crucial three points.
Dundalk: Nathan Shepperd; Archie Davies, Darren Brownlie, Louie Annesley, Hayden Muller (Darragh Leahy 71); Greg Sloggett (Alfie Lewis 83), Connor Malley; Daniel Kelly, Daryl Horgan (Johannes Yli-Kokko 67), Ryan O’Kane; Patrick Hoban (John Martin 83).
Sligo Rovers: Conor Walsh; Frank Liivak, John Mahon, Nando Pijnaker, Niall Morahan; Johan Brannefalk (Fabrice Hartmann 59), Greg Bolger (Reece Hutchinson 74), Lukas Browning (Kailin Barlow 74), Stefan Radosavljevic; David Cawley (Karl O’Sullivan 59); Pedro Martelo.
Referee: Adriano Reale
Attendance: 1,947