Dublin City 0 Sligo Rovers 0Sligo may have had Superman on their side last night but despite their extravagantly dressed supporter doing his utmost to will his team to victory, Rovers were left frustrated. Their spirited performance was more Louis Lane than Clark Kent but nevertheless a point on the road is a productive night's work in anyone's book.

Still, though, manager Sean Connor would dearly have loved to put one over his rivals from the First Division last season.

Sligo started and finished brightly and took the game to their hosts in the opening exchanges, using the width of the Dalymount pitch to good effect. Eager to play neat football, the visitors patiently built their attacks from deep, stroking the ball confidently from flank to flank, stretching Dermot Keely's men.

Indeed, with City pair Paul Shiels and Gavin McDonnell proving tough customers in midfield, Sligo, more often than not, bypassed the centre and instead focused their attention down the flanks where both Faz Kudozovic and Adam Hughes were eager to attack when afforded space.

Despite that possession, however, Sligo found the City rearguard difficult to penetrate and time and again rushed opportunities when a more patient approach would have served better inside the final third.

City, despite a sluggish start, imposed themselves more as the half wore on and by the half-hour mark Keely's side had, in fact, registered more shots on goal than their opponents.

Not long after the restart, and with the hail falling like golf balls, Mick O'Donnell capitalised on Gavin Peers's mistake to cross for Derek Pender but the winger, under strong pressure from Keith Foy, sent his header inches wide of John O'Hara's far post.

O'Donnell's crossing proved to be City's best channel of attack and the former UCD star sent a ball into the Sligo box but David McGill failed to connect properly.

But Sligo never rolled over and finished strongly. They were aided by substitute Matthew Judge who crossed for fellow striker Paul McTiernan but despite getting in ahead of Gary Rogers he somehow managed to steer his close-range header wide.

DUBLIN CITY: Rogers; Brennan, Malcolm, Keely, Doyle; Pender, Shiels, McDonnell, O'Donnell; McGill (Collins, 63); Freeman. Booked: McDonnell (41 mins).

SLIGO ROVERS: O'Hara; Peers, Burns, McNamara, Foy (McKenzie, 80); Hughes, Curran, O'Grady, Kudozovic; Flannery (Judge, 60), McTiernan.

Referee: D Hancock (Dublin).