Rovers heap more misery on Pats
ST. PATRICK’S ATHLETIC 0 SLIGO ROVERS 3
SLIGO Rovers bounced back from last week’s defeat to champions Cork City with a clinical 3-0 victory over St. Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park on Friday night.
Goals from Patrick McClean, Ally Roy and Jack Keaney saw Rovers earn their second win in three games, while subjecting the Saints to their fifth consecutive defeat.
The hosts started brightly but that all changed on 11 minutes when Ger Lyttle’s side took the lead.
From a Rovers corner, Lewis Morrison turned the ball across the goal for McClean who stretched his leg out to poke home for a valuable Rovers lead.
The visitors knew that they would need to extend their lead to make sure of three points, given their relatively poor defensive record throughout the season.
The Bit O’Red never gave up, to their credit, and it could easily have been 2-0 just moments later.
The excellent Caolan McAleer did well to dispossess Dean Clarke in his own half before surging forward.
The former Finn Harps man played in Roy, but the Hearts loanee could not get a decent shot away.
He made up for it though minutes later. The hosts were appealing for a penalty when they felt that Ryan Brennan was shoved in the box by Seamus Sharkey, but referee Derek Tomney waved play on.
Amidst all the commotion, Rhy’s McCabe spotted Roy and picked him out with a perfect pass, with the Scot then playing a one-two with Adam Wixted before slotting past Barry Murphy to double the lead for Rovers.
McAleer, Wixted, Roy and Sharkey all came close for Rovers before the interval, but they would have been pleased holding a 2-0 lead at the break.
Liam Buckley’s side did apply the pressure after the re-start, but they were unable to beat Beeney in goal.
A superb block from John Mahon prevented a certain goal from Jake Keegan following a Mitchell Beeney error, with David Cawley doing well to intercept a Simon Madden shot.
Ryan Brennan thought he halved his side’s deficit then, but Jack Keaney managed to force his shot wide.
The pressure mounted on Rovers as the game neared an end, but the defensive line never let up, and a frustrated St. Pats were forced to try and create chances from corners.
They searched hard for a goal, but there was only one winner here, and Rovers made it 3-0 in the latter stages of the game.
Cretaro’s throw someone evaded the Pats defence, falling to the feet of Keaney who tucked it away to seal an important 3-0 victory for the Bit O’Red.
The mid-season break means Rovers have no game until they host Waterford at the Showgrounds on June 30th.
Rovers now occupy eighth place in the table, seven points behind Liam Buckley’s side in seventh.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Barry Murphy; Simon Madden, Lee Desmond, Michael Barker, Ian Bermingham; Jamie Lennon (Killian Brennan 79), Ryan Brennan, Darragh Markey; Conan Byrne, Dean Clarke, Jake Keegan.
Sligo Rovers: Mitchell Beeney; Seamus Sharkey (Raffaele Cretaro, 66), John Mahon, Patrick McClean, Regan Donelon; Rhys McCabe, Adam Wixted, David Cawley; Caolan McAleer (Adam Morgan, 84), Ally Roy, Lewis Morrison (Jack Keaney, 63).