League Report: Sligo Rovers 0 - 2 Dundalk

Dundalk maintained their unbeaten start to the SSE Airtricity League season at The Showgrounds on Saturday night with a comfortable 2-0 win over Sligo Rovers.

Goals in each half from Patrick Hoban and Michael Duffy ensured that the Lilywhites kept tabs on top-of-the-table Cork City, whilst also becoming just the second team in League of Ireland history to keep a clean sheet in every single one of their opening seven matches.

Sligo had indeed started the brighter of the two sides and could well have taken a shock lead inside the first minute, when a misplaced pass from Daniel Cleary allowed Callum Waters to force a very fine save out of Gary Rogers, before Adam Morgan again tested the Dundalk custodian soon after.

Caolan McAleer was next to try his luck after he dispossessed Robbie Benson, but his shot was easily dealt with by Rogers as the hosts dominated the opening ten minutes of the match.

The visitors began to settle into the game after that and Sean Gannon’s set-piece was headed across goal by Cleary but Dane Massey was unable to properly connect with the ball, before Ronan Murray’s free-kick was saved by Sligo keeper Micheal Schlingermann with minimal fuss.

Dundalk took the lead on the half-hour mark when Michael Duffy’s cross into the box was poorly dealt with by Seamus Sharkey, allowing Patrick Hoban to gratefully slot home his fourth goal of the season from close range as the Lilywhites scored their first goal on the road this term.

That goal sparked the visitors into life and Schlingermann had to make two decent saves to keep his team in the game, first tipping Benson’s long-range effort around the post before denying Murray from a similar distance as Stephen Kenny’s side began to dominate proceedings.

However, the Bit O’Red came agonisingly close to what would have been an unlikely equaliser when Rhys McCabe’s corner from the left was headed onto the outside of the post by David Cawley, as quite a lot of the home crowd prematurely celebrated in what was the last chance of the first half.

The second period started much like the first had ended and Sharkey was culpable once more, after the ball had ricocheted off him into the path of Hoban, who’s shot was saved by Schlingermann.

Dundalk – who haven’t lost at The Showgrounds since 2012 – didn’t have to wait long for goal number two though and it came ten minutes after the restart, with the Sligo defence again failing to clear their lines before the impressive Duffy powered home a low-drive into the bottom corner.

Sligo, to their credit, never stopped fighting despite going two goals behind and continued to create chances with Patrick McClean’s goal bound effort forcing an outstanding save from the in-form Rogers before McAleer fired wide, after he had been played through by Lewis Morrison.

Ally Roy missed what was an absolute sitter for the hosts with ten minutes to go before Cawley blazed an effort over the bar late on as Dundalk held on for a remarkable seventh clean sheet on the spin.

Sligo Rovers: Micheal Schlingermann; Gary Boylan, Kyle McFadden, Seamus Sharkey, Callum Waters (Ally Roy 56); Caolan McAleer, David Cawley, Craig Roddan (Eduardo Pincelli 58), Rhys McCabe (Lewis Morrison 67), Patrick McClean; Adam Morgan.

Subs not used: Mitchell Beeney, Adam Wixted, Jack Keaney, Greg Moorehouse.

Booked: Roddan (12), Sharkey (23), McClean (64), McAleer (77), McFadden (84).

Dundalk: Gary Rogers; Sean Gannon, Daniel Cleary, Sean Hoare, Dane Massey; Jamie McGrath (Stephen O’Donnell 86), Robbie Benson, Chris Shields, Michael Duffy; Ronan Murray (John Mountney 77), Patrick Hoban (Marco Tagbajumi 81).

Subs not used: Gabriel Sava, Stephen Folan, Krisztian Adorjan, Sam Byrne.

Booked: None.

Referee: Robert Hennessy.

Attendance: 2,586.

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Michael Duffy (Dundalk)