Sligo Rovers 1 - 2 Bohemians

• David Goulden
• Sun, May 09 2010


Bohemians came away from Saturday nights Airtricity League clash with Sligo Rovers at The Showground's with a fortuitous 2-1 win. A late Mark Quigley goal with only five minutes left, left a bitter taste in the mouths of the home supporters who will feel Paul Cook's men deserved something from the game.

This win saw Pat Fenlon's men three points adrift of leaders St Patrick's Athletic with a game in hand. For Sligo, it was their third loss of the season and sees them just six points ahead of Drogheda United, also with a game in hand, before their clash with Alan Mathews men next week.

Sligo were the first to test the Bohs rearguard in the third minute. An Eoin Doyle cross field ball found the former Bray winger, but his shot lacked the conviction to worry Barry Murphy in the Dublin sides net.

A minute later a deep Mark Rossiter cross was dealt with at the back post by Alan Keane, who dealt well under pressure from Jason Byrne as both teams tested each other’s nerve in the opening stages.

Joey Ndo and Richie Ryan played pivotal roles in Rovers attacking play and in the sixteenth minute it was Ndo's pass that picked out Gary McCabe whose cross found Matthew Blinkhorn just inside the Bohs box. Blinkhorn failed to control the ball as it looped over Murphy's crossbar.

Bohs were starting to find their feet and further chances from Jason Byrne and Killian Brennan. Former Sligo man Raffaele Cretaro found himself one on one with Richard Brush only to have been adjudged to have handled the ball on the way, much to the ironic cheers of the home support.

Bohs eventually found the net in thirty two minutes when he beat two Sligo defenders to the back post to poke home a Paul Keegan cross from just inside the area. While Sligo had the ball in the Bohemians net two minutes later but Anthony Buttimer judged Barry Murphy to have been fouled by a Rovers player.

Sligo started the second half brighter and really went at Bohs as they struggled to deal with the presence of Ryan, Blinkhorn and Ndo. And it was on the hour mark that Gary McCabe's powerful volley was touched onto the crossbar by Murphy after some good work from Richie Ryan and Conor O' Grady.

Bohs had a chance with a Keegan shot but Sligo looked the more likely to produce anything. Peers and Blinkhorn both having headed chances from Sligo corners before Blinkhorn eventually put the home side level with a header from an Ndo corner in the fifty seventh minute.

Bohs introduced both Mark Quigley and Aaron Greene to attempt to stem the flow of the Sligo attack, with Sligo-men Rossiter and Cretaro making way. The later leaving the field to a mixed reaction from his former fans. It was the earlier substitution that paid off for Bohs as Quigley found himself unmarked at the back post in the eighty fourth minute to send the large travelling contingent into raptures.

Fenlon then introduced Ruaidhri Higgins for Jason Byrne to close the game out in the ninetieth minute. The home side had one more chance with another Blinkhorn header but his tame effort was easily dealt with by Murphy.

Sligo Rovers: Richard Brush; Alan Keane, Gavin Peers, Derek Foran, Danny Ventre; Gary McCabe ( John Dillon 72), Conor O'Grady ( Mark Doninger 90), Richie Ryan, Eoin Doyle ( Padraig Amond 87); Joseph Ndo, Matthew Blinkhorn.
Subs not used: Paul Whelan, Ciaran Kelly.
Booked: Ventre, Keane, Doyle, Foran.

Bohemians: Barry Murphy; Mark Rossiter ( Mark Quigley 67), Jason McGuinness, Brian Shelley, Conor Powell; Anto Murphy, Paul Keegan, Glenn Cronin, Killian Brennan; Raffaele Cretaro ( Aaron Greene 75), Jason Byrne ( Ruaidhri Higgins 88).
Subs not used: Chris O'Connor, Gary Burke.
Booked: Cronin, Cretaro.

Extra Time Man of the Match: Richie Ryan

Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork).
Attendance: 2,200