SHELBOURNE CONTINUE THEIR search for some home comfort as they made it eight games without a win at Tolka Park this season.
Joey O’Brien’s Reds had beaten Sligo in their previous five outings, but they couldn’t break the Bit O’ Red down here despite utterly dominating.
Indeed, despite being under the cosh for prolonged spells, Sligo had a goal disallowed while also wasting a glorious chance of their own late on.
The result means Shelbourne drop to seventh place while Sligo, who’ve lost just once in seven games, remain second bottom.
Front foot
But John Russell’s side have edged 10 points clear of bottom side Waterford and are just one point behind Galway United and two off Shelbounre.
With three changes from Monday’s north Dublin draw at Bohemians, Shelbourne started on the front foot against the last side they had beaten at home back in October of last year.
Though enjoying plenty of the ball, Shels laboured to create openings as Sligo stood solid at the back.
It was 11 minutes before Sam Sargeant was worked between the Sligo post when he got down well to push away a John Martin header from JJ Lunney’s ball.
Sargeant was again well positioned to collect a deflected Jack Henry-Francis shot minutes later.
An audacious chip from inside his own half by Harry Wood, in a counter following a Sligo corner, dropped wide over Sargeant’s head to bring the Shels fans to life.
Maintaining the pressure, substitute Ali Coote, on for the injured Jack Henry-Francis, saw a shot deflected over with Wood rifling Kerr McInroy’s corner off target.
Sargeant then rescued Sligo with a brilliant save to tip Coote’s shot out for another corner as Sligo remained under massive pressure.
The openings kept coming, Wood shooting straight at Sergeant after Martin did well to tee him up.
Sligo survived to trouble Shels for the first time on 38 minutes, Carl McHugh heading skipper Will Fitzgerald’s cross straight at Wessel Speel.
Sergeant’s two saves aside, Shels’ poor finishing was the story of the first half, failing to score from 14 chances.
Wood having a shot blocked from a Coote cross minutes before the interval summed up their frustration.
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Angst
The Shels angst continued into the second half with four early corners coming to nothing.
They then needed a very tight offside decision to deny Sligo taking the lead on 56 minutes.
Fitzgerald’s corner wasn’t dealt with before Archie Meekison headed to the net only for an assistant referee’s flag to be raised.
Shels continued to dominate as service resumed at the other end.
McInroy rifled a free kick wide while Evan Caffrey fizzed a shot across goal from the influential Wood’s set-up as the goal just wouldn’t come.
Substitute Maill Lundgren looked set to finally break the deadlock for Shels on 80 minutes. But the Swede somehow powered his head from Wood’s cross over the bar from just yards out for the miss of the match.
Sligo might then have won it in a rare counter.
Ollie Denham did superbly to get forward, cut inside Sam Bone, only to shoot wide of the far post.
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Shelbourne's search for a home win goes on as they are held by Sligo
Shelbourne 0
Sligo Rovers 0
SHELBOURNE CONTINUE THEIR search for some home comfort as they made it eight games without a win at Tolka Park this season.
Joey O’Brien’s Reds had beaten Sligo in their previous five outings, but they couldn’t break the Bit O’ Red down here despite utterly dominating.
Indeed, despite being under the cosh for prolonged spells, Sligo had a goal disallowed while also wasting a glorious chance of their own late on.
The result means Shelbourne drop to seventh place while Sligo, who’ve lost just once in seven games, remain second bottom.
Front foot
But John Russell’s side have edged 10 points clear of bottom side Waterford and are just one point behind Galway United and two off Shelbounre.
With three changes from Monday’s north Dublin draw at Bohemians, Shelbourne started on the front foot against the last side they had beaten at home back in October of last year.
Though enjoying plenty of the ball, Shels laboured to create openings as Sligo stood solid at the back.
It was 11 minutes before Sam Sargeant was worked between the Sligo post when he got down well to push away a John Martin header from JJ Lunney’s ball.
Sargeant was again well positioned to collect a deflected Jack Henry-Francis shot minutes later.
An audacious chip from inside his own half by Harry Wood, in a counter following a Sligo corner, dropped wide over Sargeant’s head to bring the Shels fans to life.
Maintaining the pressure, substitute Ali Coote, on for the injured Jack Henry-Francis, saw a shot deflected over with Wood rifling Kerr McInroy’s corner off target.
Sargeant then rescued Sligo with a brilliant save to tip Coote’s shot out for another corner as Sligo remained under massive pressure.
The openings kept coming, Wood shooting straight at Sergeant after Martin did well to tee him up.
Sligo survived to trouble Shels for the first time on 38 minutes, Carl McHugh heading skipper Will Fitzgerald’s cross straight at Wessel Speel.
Sergeant’s two saves aside, Shels’ poor finishing was the story of the first half, failing to score from 14 chances.
Wood having a shot blocked from a Coote cross minutes before the interval summed up their frustration.
Angst
The Shels angst continued into the second half with four early corners coming to nothing.
They then needed a very tight offside decision to deny Sligo taking the lead on 56 minutes.
Fitzgerald’s corner wasn’t dealt with before Archie Meekison headed to the net only for an assistant referee’s flag to be raised.
Shels continued to dominate as service resumed at the other end.
McInroy rifled a free kick wide while Evan Caffrey fizzed a shot across goal from the influential Wood’s set-up as the goal just wouldn’t come.
Substitute Maill Lundgren looked set to finally break the deadlock for Shels on 80 minutes. But the Swede somehow powered his head from Wood’s cross over the bar from just yards out for the miss of the match.
Sligo might then have won it in a rare counter.
Ollie Denham did superbly to get forward, cut inside Sam Bone, only to shoot wide of the far post.
Shelbourne: Speel; Bone, Barrett, Ledwidge; Lunney, McInroy (Chapman, 77); Caffrey (Moore, 77), Henry-Francis (Coote, 23), Wood, Jarvis (Lundgren, 64); Martin (Boyd, 64).
Sligo Rovers: Sergeant; Denham, McElroy, McHale; Fitzgerald, McManus, McHugh (Blaney, 63), Stewart (McDonagh, 72); Meekison (Nolan, 90), Patton; Kavanagh.
Ref: Oliver Moran (Dublin).
Attendance: 3,610.
***
LOI First Division results:
Finn Harps 1-0 Kerry
Bray Wanderers 5-1 Cobh Ramblers
Cork City 3-1 UCD
Wexford 1-2 Longford Town
Athlone Town 0-0 Treaty United
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