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Sligo Rovers 0 Shelbourne 1
Sligo Rovers’ unbeaten start to the season ended with a home defeat to a spirited Shelbourne at the Showgrounds.
Daniel Carr’s 33rd minute penalty separated the sides on a night in which Damien Duff’s side showed the greater hunger.
They started brightly with wing-backs John Ross Wilson and Conor Kane to the fore along the sidelines, and Carr pressing high alongside strike partner Shane Farrell.
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They also had a safe pair of hands in goal with the recalled Brendan Clarke as assured presence against his former team.
The chances were few and far between, however, with a snapshot from Kameron Ledwidge and a half-volley from Aaron O’Driscol proving the only attempts at goal.
Clarke saved a header from Robbie McCourt and a free-kick from Shane Blaney at the other end, but Sligo struggled to recapture the form they showed before the mid-season break.
And they went behind just after the half-hour mark, as Clarke’s pinpoint delivery was controlled by Farrell, who crossed into the area.
The ball went all the way through to the inrushing Kane, who collided with Karl O’Sullivan and left referee Ray Matthews pointing to the spot.
Carr sent Ed McGinty the wrong way with the finish, much to the delight of the visiting fans.
Rovers suffered a further blow before half-time, as top-scorer Aidan Keena picked up a knock and had to be replaced.
The Bit O’ Red made four more changes in the second half as they tried to force a way back onto level terms.
Two of those subs went closest, with Seamas Keogh shooting straight at Clarke from the edge of the box, and Paddy Kirk seeing a shot charged down by Luke Byrne.
But Shels should have had a second in the closing stages, as substitute Kyle O’Connor went through on goal from a counter-attack, but he could not get the shot away.
Sligo Rovers: McGinty, Horgan, Buckley, Blaney, McCourt (Kirk 59), Cawley, McDonnell, O'Sullivan (Bolger 59), Fitzgerald (Keogh 59), Hamilton (Byrne 78), Keena (Mata 44).
Shelbourne: Clarke, Wilson, O'Driscol, Byrne, Ledwidge, Kane, Coyle, Dervin, McEneff (O'Connor 81), Carr (Anaebonam 90), Farrell (Boyd 63).
Referee: R Matthews.
Dundalk 2 UCD 0
Goals in either half from Daniel Kelly and Patrick Hoban saw Dundalk record their second win of the season against UCD at Oriel Park last night.
Stephen O’Donnell’s side were dominant from the off as they deservedly bounced back from their first defeat of the season away to neighbours Drogheda Utd before the break.
Indeed, the result could have been more impressive but for the fact they were denied by the woodwork twice and a number of fine saves from UCD keeper Lorcan Healy.
The result means Andy Myler’s side are still awaiting their first point on the road this season having drawn their three home matches to date.
Steven Bradley had headed against the crossbar before the breakthrough arrived on 16 minutes. Mark Connolly’s fizzed pass into Hoban was flicked around the corner by the striker with Kelly racing onto it to round Healy and slot home.
After Colm Whelan had passed up a good chance to level after firing straight at Nathan Shepperd, Dundalk were denied a second on 37 minutes when Robbie Benson headed against the post from Hoban’s cross.
The second did arrive just two minutes after the restart with full back Lewis Macari sending in a superb cross from the right which Hoban met first-time to slot past Healy with his left foot.
Dundalk: Shepperd; Macari, Connolly, Boyle, Leahy; Sloggett, Doyle (Williams 74), Benson; Bradley (Ward 84), Hoban (McMillan 87), Kelly (Adams 74).
UCD: Healy; Dunne, Yoro, Todd, Osam (Ryan 73); Keaney (Verdon 59); Kerrigan (Lennon 73), Brennan (Higgins 58), Caffrey, Duffy; Whelan (Nolan 73).
Referee: Gavin Colfer (Wicklow).
St Patrick’s Athletic 1 Drogheda United 1
Darragh Burns scored a delightful late equaliser for a lacklustre St Patrick’s Athletic as they had to come from behind to salvage a point against a dogged Drogheda United at Richmond Park.
An opportunist first-half strike from Dayle Rooney looked to have seen Kevin Doherty get the better of his former boss Tim Clancy.
The pair had managed Drogheda for the previous four years before Clancy succeeded Stephen O’Donnell at St Patrick’s in the off season.
And while Doherty had the option of joining Clancy to continue as his assistant, the Dubliner opted to take full charge at Head in The Game Park.
This tenacious rearguard action was 13 minutes away from giving Doherty’s rebuilt Drogheda their first back-to-back wins of the season until Burns intervention.
The 19-year-old winger began and finished the move cutting across from the right to find Ben McCormack who helped the ball onto Anto Breslin.
Burns then raced to the near post to side-foot the cross past Sam Long with his weaker right foot for his second goal of the season.
Despite a positive start by St Patrick’s, Drogheda worked their way into the game, availing of poor defending to take the lead against the run of play on 18 minutes.
Evan Weir put Darragh Nugent all too easily in down the left. There appeared little danger from the low cross, but St Pat’s midfielder Adam O’Reilly completely missed his kick in attempting to clear.
Drogheda winger Rooney was alert to collect the loose ball and blast it into the roof of the net for his first goal of the season.
Stung by the concession, St Pat’s laboured to get back into the game before the break as Doyles, Eoin and Mark, in turn wasted chances.
And it was Drogheda who should have doubled their lead two minutes into the second half.
The impressive Rooney played a sublime diagonal pass to put Weir in one-on-one on the left.
Joseph Anang stood up well to make the save with his feet.
It proved crucial as St Pat’s dominance of the remainder of the game saw them finally hit back late on.
St Patrick's Athletic: Anang; Scott (Abankwah, h-t), Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; O'Reilly (Murphy, 60), Forrester; Burns, King (McCormack, 60), M. Doyle (Owolabi, 78); E. Doyle.
Drogheda United: Long; Poynton, Cowan, Roughan, Massey; Deegan, Clarke; Rooney, Nugent, Weir; Williams (Lyons, 63).
Referee: Ben Connolly (Dublin).
Finn Harps 0 Shamrock Rovers 3
Andy Lyons netted in each half as Shamrock Rovers bagged the points in Ballybofey to go second in the table while leaving Finn Harps still searching for a first home win of the Premier Division campaign.
And Graham Burke added a third late on for the Hoops who go second in the table.
Rovers, who came from behind to take a point in a 2-2 draw with Sligo Rovers last time out, came to the northwest knowing they could ill-afford a slip-up against a side expected to be in the relegation quagmire come the end of the campaign.
Harps have certainly troubled Rovers in recent times at the Ballybofey venue.
In the sides’ most recent meeting last September, the Donegal outfit secured a 2-1 victory thanks to an 85th minute winner from Belgian striker Tunde Owolabi.
But Lyons made sure this time that Rovers left celebrating.
Rovers had a massive scare in the 11th minute. Byrne lost possession midway inside his own half and Elie Nzeyi let fly with a thundering drive that smacked off the post and then came off a stunned Alan Mannus before being cleared.
As the game ebbed and flowed Rovers then carved out a decent opening on 22 minutes with Andy Lyons finding Burke inside the area and his shot tested McGinley’s reflexes.
At times it was a bit helter-skelter, with the slippery surface not helping matters, but the tempo rarely dropped in what was always an interesting first half.
But Rovers snatched the lead in the third minute of stoppage time at the end of the half with Andy Lyons rising above the home defence to nod home a near-post header from a corner.
Harps, who chalked up a first win of the campaign as they comprehensively overcame Damien Duff’s Shelbourne 3-0 in Dublin before the international break, never stopped battling.
Eric McWoods went close with a shot just across the face of goal on 65 minutes.
Graham Burke then forced McGinley into making a fine save from a free to prevent Rovers from doubling their tally.
But Rovers wrapped it up on 78 minutes with Gary O’Neill showed some deft touches before firing past McGinley into the top corner.
McGinley was sent off for hauling down Gaffney in the 84th minute and with all their substitutes having been used Bastien Hery took over the goalkeeping duties.
Burke calmly slotted the resulting penalty home to put a gloss on the scoreline.
Finn Harps: McGinley, Carillo (Timlin, 77 mins), Tourist, Webster, Boyle; Rainey (Mahdy, 34 mins), N'Zeyi, Alkan (Slevin, 45 mins), McNamee (Rudde, 79 Mins), McWoods (McWoods, 78), Mihaljevic.
Shamrock Rovers: Mannus; Hoare. Lopes, Grace; Finn, O'Neill, Towell, Lyons; Burke, Gaffney, Byrne.
Subs: Gannon for Grace (67), Greene for Towell, Kavanagh for Burke, Emakhu for Gaffney (all 86).
Referee: R. Harvey (Dublin).
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