Shamrock Rovers 1 Sligo Rovers 1
A HERO with the winning goal in a hooped shirt when scoring his last goal at Tallaght Stadium to beat arch-rivals Bohemians last October, Pádraig Amond earned Sligo a deserved point with a well -taken equaliser in a thrilling game at the same venue last night.
Unchanged from the side that earned their third successive win on Friday, Shamrock Rovers had a spring in their step from the start, forcing three corners inside four minutes.
The third came as a result of an agile tip-over save from Richard Brush from Thomas Stewart’s header after a terrific delivery on the run from the right by Billy Dennehy.
Sligo had been most sluggish at the back from the start and negligent defending gifted the home side the lead on six minutes.
Left back Danny Murphy’s ball over the top found Gary Twigg all alone and the striker took the ball down on his chest before confidently side-footing a volley past Brush for his third goal in successive games.
If suspect at the back, Sligo were inventive at the other end and might have equalised on 12 minutes. Paul Whelan did well on the right to cross but Chris Turner reacted superbly to block John Dillon’s goal-bound shot.
The home side remained on top, with Turner a massive driving force in midfield. The former Sligo schemer almost doubled the lead on 28 minutes.
Another decent Dennehy cross deflected to the Northern Ireland under-21 international and his fierce shot on the turn was pushed out by Brush for the Hoops’ fifth corner of the game.
Unfortunately, that would be Turner’s last involvement as he hobbled off injured just before the break.
By then Sligo were level as some incisive play stunned the Tallaght crowd on 36 minutes. Danny Ventre fed Gary McCabe, whose sublime through ball put Amond in on goal and he finished with aplomb from just inside the box.
Amond respectfully refused to celebrate scoring against his former club. Sligo then took a grip on the game in the second half with Richie Ryan orchestrating their midfield, passing the ball superbly. One such ball put McCabe clean through on goal on 58 minutes with Alan Mannus having to make his only real save.
McCabe was another star on the night for Sligo and he might have won it on 70 minutes. Cutting past several defenders on a run from the left, the winger curled a shot just past Mannus’s left-hand post.
SHAMROCK ROVERS:Mannus; Flynn, Murray, Price, Murphy; Dennehy, Turner (Rice, 44 mins.), Chambers, Cahill (Barrett, 73 mins.); Stewart, Twigg (Baker, 60 mins).
SLIGO ROVERS:Brush; Whelan, Peers, Keane, Ventre; Dillon (Doyle , 83 mins.), Doninger (O'Grady, 73 mins.), Ryan, McCabe; Ndo; Amond (Blinkhorn, 75 mins).
Referee:Damien Hancock (Dublin).
Attendance:3,175
