Sligo Rovers 2 - 1 Shamrock Rovers
Credit:
Sligo Rovers will play Monaghan United in the 2010 EA Sports Cup final after beating Shamrock Rovers 2-1 at The Showgrounds on Tuesday night. It was league top scorer Padraig Amond who bagged his 22nd and 23rd goal of the season to give Sligo their first win over The Hoops since 2008. Sligo were without Joseph Ndo and Jim Lauchlan through injury, while the Tallaght men were without former Sligo man Chris Turner.
After an end to end start to the game Sligo keeper John Gibson, on loan from Scottish side Dundee misjudged the flight of the ball as it looped over his head towards the goal. Gibson managed to catch the ball but his momentum took him over the line to give Shamrock Rovers a fortuitous lead.
Michael O'Neill's men looked as if they could take it from there, but their former striker Padraig Amond had different ideas. Less than a minute later the Carlow man had The Bit O'Red level as he finished past Alan Mannus in the away goal after a neat through pass from Eoin Doyle.
Sligo took the lead after 49 minutes when again Amond found himself free of the last defender to hit the ball past Mannus at his front post. That was Amond's 23rd goal of the season in all competitions.
The Hoops searched for an equalizer with wave after wave of attack and they had the ball in the net minutes before the final whistle, but for Neil Doyle's assistant to judge Thomas Stewart to be in an offside position as the ball reached him.
Sligo will now face Monaghan United in the EA Sports Cup final on September 25th in a venue yet to be decided.
Sligo Rovers: John Gibson,Alan Keane, Gavin Peers, Derek Foran, Iarfliath Davoren, Eoin Doyle, Conor O’Grady ( Danny Ventre 72), Richie Ryan, Gary McCabe, Romuald Boco ( John Russell 90), Padraig Amond ( Matthew Blinkhorn 83).
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus,Pat Flynn,Dan Murray,Aidan Price,Enda Stevens,Robert Bayly ( Paddy Kavanagh 60),James Chambers (Stephen Bradley 68),Stephen Rice,Billy Dennehy,Thomas Stewart, Gary Twigg.
Referee: N Doyle.
Attendance: 2,300 (est)
Extratime Man of the Match: Gavin Peers (Sligo)
