SETANTA CUP SEMI-FINALS, FIRST LEGS: Crusaders 2 Sligo Rovers 0:SLIGO ROVERS fell to their first defeat of the season last night at Seaview and they now have a mountain to climb if they are to prevent Crusaders from reaching their third final of the season.

The north Belfast side won the game thanks to a brace from veteran forward David Rainey.

Crusaders took the lead in the 41st minute when Chris Morrow smashed a 40-yard free-kick across the surface, and Rainey was on hand to deflect the ball into the net from inside the penalty box. It was his 19th goal of the season.

And Crusaders started the second half brightly, maintaining their first-half dominance. In the 49th minute a clever slipped ball from Adamson gave Rainey a good opportunity, but the former Ards man elected to shoot and his effort only found the side-netting.

In the 51st minute referee Doyle awarded an indirect free-kick inside the box when Gary Rodgers caught Lee Lynch’s back-pass. Stephen McBride teed-up Gareth McKeown, but his powerful 16-yard effort was blocked by a panicking Rovers defence.

A minute later and Crusaders were on the attack again, this time it was David McMaster who was causing problems for Sligo, but Rodgers was equal to his 20-yard effort.

Sligo boss Ian Barraclough was not impressed with Doyle’s decision to wave away a penalty appeal in the 57th minute when Colin Coates collided with Raffaele Cretaro in the corner of the box.

Crusaders kept pushing forward looking for that vital second goal, and it arrived in the 80th minute when Rainey got on the end of a McMaster short-corner as the striker headed in from the middle of a crowded penalty box.

Sligo now have it all to do in the second leg next Monday night.

CRUSADERS:O'Neill, McKeown, Magowan, Coates, McBride, McMaster, Caddell, Morrow, Dallas, Rainey (Owens 83), Adamson.

SLIGO ROVERS:Rodgers, Keane, McGuinness (Cawley 78), Davoren, Dillon (Boco 68), Ventre, Lynch, Gaynor, Ndo (Quigley 59), Cretaro.

Referee:N Doyle (Dublin).