Sligo make the most of Bohs’ defensive frailties
BOHEMIANS 0 SLIGO ROVERS 3
SLIGO ROVERS put their abject display in losing at crisis club Bray Wanderers last week to rights with victory at Dalymount Park, where Bohemians finished with 10 men.
Equalling their biggest win of the season, the result also lifts Sligo above their hosts into seventh place in the Premier Division table.
Lamenting the poor condition of the Dalymount surface during the current drought in his programme notes, Bohs manager Keith Long said it has effected their home performances which has seen them win just three of their 13 league games at the famous venue.
And just 13 minutes into this one, Long won’t have been too happy with his left winger Kevin Devaney, whose needlessly conceded corner brought Sligo the lead in the first action.
Left-back Regan Donelon swung over a well-flighted delivery for right-back Jack Keaney, who arrived unmarshalled to head home.
That certainly opened the game up, with Devaney close to making amends for his error minutes later, setting up Keith Ward in the area. The shot from Bohs’ impish number 10 was deflected out for a corner off Seamus Sharkey.
Ward then worked Mitchell Beeney with a driven free kick that the Sligo keeper punched clear before rifling another effort just over from distance.
Beeney had to show his agility just before the half hour, tipping over a Keith Buckley volley after Ward’s corner had picked him out.
But all Bohs’ endeavour counted for nothing as they conceded a second goal from a another corner five minutes before the break.
Sligo skipper Rhys McCabe put the ball in to the back post where it dropped for David Cawley, whose toe-poke crossed the line off Dinny Corcoran for an own goal.
It got worse for Bohs six minutes after the break when skipper Derek Pender saw a straight red card for a lunging challenge on Donelon.
Sligo then extended their lead on 57 minutes, Cawley turning well to drill a shot in off Shane Supple’s near post. BOHEMIANS – Supple; Pender, Cornwall, Casey, Leahy; Buckley, Brennan (Kelly, 60), Lunney, Devaney; Ward (Morris, 88); Corcoran (Grant, 81).
SLIGO ROVERS – Beeney; Keaney, Mahon, Sharkey, Donelon; McCabe, Cawley; Twardek (Cretaro, 85), Lynch, Wixted (Kerrigan, 65); Drennan (Morrison, 80).
REFEREE – Paul McLaughlin (Donegal).