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Philip Lowry opened the scoring at the Showgrounds. Morgan Treacy/INPHO
Stalemate

Sligo's stuttering start continues as Bit O'Red held by Derry

Owen Heary’s side have picked up just two points from their opening three outings.

Sligo Rovers 1
Derry City 1

SLIGO ROVERS AND Derry City played out a 1-1 draw at the Showgrounds in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division on Saturday night.

Both goals came within the opening ten minutes of the game as Philip Lowry opened for the away side, but Sligo soon pegged the Foylesiders back three minutes later courtesy of Eoin Wearen.

Derry finished the game with ten men as Mark Timlin was sent off for a second bookable offence on the stroke of full-time.

The game burst into life as early as the fourth minute when Shaun Kelly cleared Gavin Peers’ header off the Derry line.

The next attack saw the away side grab the lead as Lowry made the most of some hesitancy at the edge of the Rovers box from Danny Ledwith. Lowry’s shot was initially saved by Sligo goalkeeper Ryan Coulter but he couldn’t clear the ball to safety as it looped into the net.

But Sligo struck back just just three minutes later. Wearen heading home Steven Beattie’s cross from the right as the former Bohs duo combined for Wearen’s first goal on his league debut.

Derry goalkeeper Ger Doherty kept his side in the game with two great saves before the break. The first came from a Keith Ward free-kick on 21 while he denied the same man again three minutes later when he did well to get down and push Ward’s low effort around his near post.

The second half never lived up to the excitement of the opening 45.

Patrick McEleney’s curling effort on the hour mark was the closest the away side came to snatching a win while Kevin Devaney could only shoot into Doherty’s side netting with three minutes remaining.

Timlin received his marching orders from referee Dave McKeon on 90 when he upended Beattie.

In tonight’s First Division game, Wexford Youths beat Cobh Rambers 4-1 at St Colman’s Park as Danny Furlong netted twice.

SLIGO ROVERS: Ryan Coulter; Alan Keane, Gavin Peers, Stephen Folan, Danny Ledwith; Steven Beattie, David Cawley, Eoin Wearen, Keith Ward (Raffaele Cretaro ’73), Kevin Devaney; Dinny Corcoran (Morten Nielsen ’75).

DERRY CITY: Gerard Doherty; Shaun Kelly, Dean Jarvis (Cillian Morrison ’68), Shane McEleney, Aaron Barry; Philip Lowry, Barry McNamee, Sean Houston (Anthony Elding ’62), Seanan Clucas, Mark Timlin; Patrick McEleney.

Man-of-the-match: Ger Doherty

Referee: Dave McKeon

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