Sligo Rovers 3 Shamrock Rovers 2
Goals from Achille Campion, John Russell and the in-form Raffaele Cretaro saw Sligo Rovers come from behind to beat Shamrock Rovers at the Showgrounds.
Sean Boyd put the visitors in front but Campion scored on his Showgrounds debut to level matters on the stroke of half-time. John Russell put the hosts in charge in the second half with his first goal of the season.
Substitute Aaron Dobbs pulled one back for the Hoops late on, but the home side prevailed.
The visitors scored with their first attack on 14 minutes, as Boyd’s lifted the ball over Micheal Schlingermann. Campion no mistake right on the stroke of half-time to level.
The home fans were cheering again on 54 minutes, after Russell picked out the bottom corner with his finish.
Cretaro got the goal his efforts deserved on 77 minutes.
A close-range finish from Dobbs ensured a nervy ending, but the hosts held out.
Finn Harps 0 Derry City 5
Two first half penalties from Aaron McEneff paved the way for victory as Derry City emerged with the bragging rights from the north-west derby at Finn Park.
Austrian Lukas Schubert was the playmaker in both incidents – he also scored – and his first half contribution left Harps with a mountain to climb in the second half.
City took the lead on 18 minutes when Schubert was clipped by Ciaran Coll and from the resulting penalty McEneff fired beyond the reach of Richard Brush.
The home side had chances but City struck again on 43 minutes with Schubert chopped down by Barry Molloy, and McEneff duly stepped up and scored once again from the spot.
Former Harps player Nathan Boyle latched onto a Dean Jarvis cross to make it 3-0 on 53 minutes. Schubert added the fourth on 86 minutes and Keith Ward completed the rout with the fifth on 88 minutes.
Wexford Youths 2 Longford 0
Jonny Bonner’s first league goal of season and a late penalty from Paul Murphy gave Wexford Youths a deserved victory at Ferrycarrig Park to greatly boost their survival hopes.
Eight points adrift at the foot of the table now, and 10 off safety, on this poor showing, Longford look doomed.
Youths started the better and finally got the lead on 34 minutes with Bonner curling a delightful free kick up and over the wall to the net with Ryan Coulter rooted to the spot.
Hardly in the match, Longford almost snatched an unlikely equaliser in first-half stoppage time, Eddie Dsane blazing over the bar from Jamie Mulhall’s ball in from the right.
In late drama, Coulter was sent off in stoppage time for pulling down Murphy who ran clear following a mistake by Yann Mvita.
Defender Mvita went in goal as Murphy coolly slotted home from the resulting penalty.
