Cretaro rescues point for Sligo

VETERAN Raffaele Cretaro ended Waterford’s peerless home run to earn a precious point for Sligo Rovers.

With the Blues leading through an early own-goal by Kyle CallanMcFadden, they looked well on their way to a seventh straight league victory at the RSC.

That was until 36-year-old Cretaro – in his 17th season at the club – nodded in the equaliser in first-half stoppage time.

Both teams had a player dismissed in a scrappy second half, with Waterford’s David Webster following Callan-McFadden down the tunnel.

Waterford didn’t have long to wait or much to do for their eighthminute opener.

When Courtney Duffus won the game’s first corner, Paul Keegan’s looped delivery was misdirected into his own net off the back of Callan-McFadden.

Sligo then grabbed their deserved equaliser when Cretaro planted his bullet header home from Eduardo Pincelli’s right-wing corner.

Third-placed Waterford only fashioned one chance of note to regain the lead in the second half but John Mahon scampered back to clear a shot by Duffus off the line.

Referee Rob Harvey was kept busy. He compounded a miserable night for Callan-McFadden by dishing out a second booking for a foul on Gavan Holohan after 71 minutes. Three minutes later, Webster got a straight red for an alleged elbow on Jack Keaney.