SLICK SHELS SEE IT OUT AGAINST SLIGO

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STUNNING first half goals from Jack Moylan and Sean Boyd gave the hosts a lead that withstood Sligo’s late efforts sparked by Paddy Kirk’s 64th minute response.

The victory ended a run of three consecutive defeats for Shels but left Liam Buckley with plenty of concerns as his own team’s recent encouraging run halted.

If the opening 20 minutes were short on quality on a surface that didn’t do either side any favours, there was still a sense that Shels were the hungrier outfit.

They forced Adam Mcdonnell to cough up possession in the 23rd minute to JR Wilson and he fed Moylan who instantly curled a right foot shot beyond Ed Mcginty’s despairing dive from 16 yards for a classy opener.

Sligo tried to hit back quickly but Greg Bolger’s well-delivered 31st minute free-kick was headed wide at the far post by the raiding Nando Pijnaker.

Luke Byrne almost doubled Shels’ lead with a crisp effort from 16 yards in the 38th minute but the home side only needed to wait five more minutes before adding their second.

This time it was Moylan who teed up Boyd to beat Mcginty with a terrific finish from just outside the box.

Sligo’s Aidan Keena tested keeper Brendan Clarke with a snap shot from 25 yards just before the interval, during which

Buckley hooked wingers Mark Byrne and Will Fitzgerald, with Jordan Hamilton and Max Mata sent on.

These changes and presumably some harsh words from Bucko certainly altered Sligo’s approach on the restart although Mcginty needed to be agile to save Moylan’s 50th minute header, with the keeper then smothering the same player’s shot.

Rovers produced their own moment of magic through Kirk’s (inset) fiercely struck 64th minute drive to halve the arrears.

But Sligo’s expected late onslaught never amounted to much and it was Shels who might have added a third but the impressive Mcginty denied Boyd, with the striker’s effort from the rebound scraping the post before O’driscoll headed wide.