Report: Sligo Rovers 3 - 2 Shamrock Rovers

Anto Murphy replaced the suspended Conor O'Grady for Sligo Rovers on Saturday as the Bit O'Red looked to extend their recent good form over Shamrock Rovers tonight in the Showgrounds. Contrastingly, Pat Scully had rung the changes in order to put an end to their dismal recent form. Barry Murphy, Aidan Price, Eoin Doyle and Patrick Flynn all entered the Dublin side's starting eleven in place of Karl Coleman, Danny O'Connor, Dessie Baker and Darren Stapleton.

The game started with the western side dominating the opening 30 minutes. Shamrock Rovers lived off scraps for the opening half hour. Anto Murphy's long loopy throws into the box threatened the Hoops' goal three times in the opening ten minutes but the Sligo forwards never tested Murphy in the Shams' goal.

On the quarter hour mark, Kudozovic missed a half chance provided to him by Danny Ventre, Kudozovic stroking the ball wide from the edge of the box on this occasion. Another chance fell the Sligo side's way on the 19th minute when Brian Cash hit a high, sky scraping cross into the Shams box. The cross had the Shamrock Rovers' defence wrongfooted and it was Raf Cretaro who connected with the cross. Unfortunately for Sligo, his header was blocked by a back tracking Ger O'Brien and the ball went over the Hoops' bar.

From the resulting corner, the Sligo team hit the back of the net. The ball was cleared to Brian Cash on the left hand side. From 35 yards out, his low curling shot went past everyone in the box and right into the bottom corner of Barry Murphy's net.

Following Cash's first league goal of the season, the Bit O'Red pushed on in search of a second against the rather disappointing Shamrock Rovers. They continued to dominate and Cretaro had a shot just wide from 40 yards out that had the Shamrock Rovers defence worried.

Solid Sligo defending laid the base for their second, following a scramble in the box in the 41st minute, the Portuguese man Mauro Almeida scored his third of the season when he forced the ball home from three yards through a foray of bodies on the Shamrock Rovers' line.

The second half was more of a balanced affair. Put Scully's side came into the game more thanks no help to a strong breeze on the backs. Eoin Doyle had the away side first real chance of the evening, but much to the misery of the away fans he couldn't find the back of the net.

The game ebbed and flowed until the 72nd minute when Raf Cretaro flicked the ball to the onrushing Rommy Boco. The Benin captain took the ball past Darragh Maguire and when he found himself 1-on-1 with Barry Murphy, he comfortably dispatched the ball past the Shams keeper. 3-0 to Sligo Rovers and it looked like game over.

Shamrock Rovers didn't go without a fight though and about five minutes later, Darragh Maguire had a half volley denied by the acrobatic Richard Brush in the Sligo goal.

The Dublin side finally hit the target when on 79th minute Robbie Doyle latched onto an Alan Murphy cross to make the scoreline seem somewhat better for the underachieving Dubliners. The game went from bad to worse for Scully's side in the final five minutes, as Patrick Flynn was sent off for a needless elbow on Sligo Rovers substitute Alan Moore when the ball went out of play.

Shamrock Rovers pulled another one back in injury time when Darragh Maguire hit the ball past Richard Brushes left hand side, and Shamrock Rovers had a final effort cleared off the line by Chris Butler which would have drawn the away side level.

This win see Sligo Rovers rise to 5th in the table while Shamrock Rovers lie in a lowly 8th position. The Hoops will be looking to reverse their fortunes on Tuesday against Bray away in the league cup.

Sligo Rovers: Richard Brush; Seamus Coleman, Mauro Almeida, Gavin Peers, Chris Butler; Brian Cash, Anto Murphy (Jamie MacKenzie 58), Danny Ventre, Raffaele Cretaro; Fahrudin Kudozovic (Matthew Judge 77), Romauld Boco.
Subs not used: Pat Jennings, Alan Moore, Gary Curran.

Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy; Ger O'Brien, Pat Flynn, Aidan Price, Darragh Maguire; Eric McGill, Robbie Creevy (Dessie Baker 39), Stephen Rice, Sean O'Connor (Padraig Amond 72); Eoin Doyle, Tadhg Purcell (Alan Murphy 59).
Subs not used: Corie Treacy, Karl Coleman.

Referee: Anthony Buttimer.
Attendance: 3,000 (estimate).