- Aaron Cawley
- Sun, May 22 2016
In a totally dominant and professional display at the Showgrounds, it was Sligo Rovers who progressed to the next round of the FAI Cup after a 3-0 win against First Division side, Cabinteely. Goals from Kieran Sadlier and Jimmy Keohane put Sligo 2-0 up at the break before a second goal for Sadlier after 65 minutes assured the Bit O'Red of qualification to the next round.
In a scrappy start to the game it took Sligo just seven minutes to create the opening chance of the contest when a Jimmy Keohane cross was met by a Chris Lyons header, who layed it off to Kieran Sadlier, but his shot was straight at the Cabo goalkeeper Michael Kelly.
A minute later a Sadlier corner was met in the box by Jaani Gordon but his effort was well over. Shortly after Sadlier found the back of the net after he met a Chris Lyons pass, and slotted the ball in to the left hand side of the goal.
Five minutes later Sadlier again troubled the Kelly in goals for the visitors, when he met a Gordon cross but his shot was straight at keeper. Sligo doubled their lead after 26 minutes when Jimmy Keohane broke from midfield and went on a surging run into the box, before slotting the ball past the helpless Kelly in the Cabinteely goal. As the first half came to a close Sadlier had a left footed shot come back off the post with Kelly again well beaten.
The second half was a scrappy affair as neither Sligo nor Cabinteely got any rhythm going. Cabinteely's only shot on target came after 54 minutes when a Shane Boyle free kick was easily saved by Sligo's Michael Schlingermann. Sligo had a number of chances to put the game beyond Cabinteely before Kieran Sadlier got his second of the game in the 65th as his free kick wide on the left beat everybody including the ever busy Kelly.
Sligo piled on the pressure as the game wore on in an attempt to find the fourth but the trio of Sadlier, Liam Martin and Phil Roberts couldn't direct their efforts in at goal.
In what was a poor game Sligo manager Dave Robertson will be happy that his team didn't slip up against their First Division visitors and kept the momentum they have built up over the last few weeks going.
Sligo Rovers: Michael Schlingermann, Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Gavin Peers, Mick Leahy, Gary Boylan, Jimmy Keohane, Craig Rodden (C), Chris Lyons (Phil Roberts 69), Kieran Sadlier, Liam Martin (Gary Armstrong 79), Jaani Gordon (Raffaele Cretaro 69)
Subs Not Used: Kieran Nugent, Regan Donelon, John Russell, Mikey Place
Cabinteely: Michael Kelly, Andrew Wall (Adam Maher 46), Jamie Broderick, Lee Mitchel, Oscar Brennan, Shane Boyle, Mark Slater, Aaron Brilly (C), Oliver Hamzat, Gavin Howard, Joseh Doyle
Subs Not Used: Stephen Hanley, Karl Byrne, Cathal Gillen
Referee: Ben Connolly
Attendance: 852
Extratime.ie Man Of The Match: Kieran Sadlier Sligo Rovers
