Sligo Rovers 1 Shamrock Rovers 1
Debutant Lukas Browning fired home a dramatic injury-time leveller as Sligo Rovers deservedly claimed a point against 10-man Shamrock Rovers at the Showgrounds.
The midfielder sent the majority of the sold-out crowd of over 4,200 home happy when he fired to the net from the edge of the area in the fourth minute of injury-time.
The strike cancelled out Graham Burke’s opener for the defending champions, who had centre back Roberto Lopes red-carded for an off-the-ball incident midway through the second-half.
Stephen Bradley’s side were marginally the better team in the opening half, and went into the ascendancy when Trevor Clarke fed Burke on the left, and he drifted inside before firing across Sligo keeper Luke McNicholas and into the net.
They should have doubled that advantage when Clarke went clear after a defensive error, but his shot rose over the bar when a goal looked certain.
Max Mata was threatening up top for the hosts, who upped the intensity when Lopes saw red for raising his hands to a Sligo player.
Kailin Barlow hit the post as the Bit O’ Red put the pressure on, but it took until the last minute for John Russell’s side to finally find a way through.
SLIGO: McNicholas, Hutchinson (Lafferty 90+3), Pijnaker, Clancy, Brannefalk (O’Sullivan 90+3), Bolger (Radosavievic 75), Browning, Liivak (Hartmann 60), Barlow, Fitzgerald, Mata.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus, Cleary, Lopes, Grace, Clarke (Kenny 63), Poom, Byrne (Towell 81), Farrugia, Burke (Nugent 63), Watts (O’Neill 81), Gaffney (Burt 63).
Referee: D MacGraith
