Kurtis Byrne the match winner for Bohemians

Bohemians 1 Sligo Rovers 0

There may be quite some time to go before anyone at the Showgrounds is pressing the panic button again but there may be some early concern in the camp as Dave Robertson’s extensively remodelled Sligo side proved incapable here of battling their way back into things after Kurtis Byrne had scored a memorable early goal.

Both teams will feel that they have much better in them than they produced in what was a poor enough contest but at least the locals left the pitch with the consolation of having won. Robertson, who started the game with two players suspended and just six on the bench, must figure out how to ensure his side generates much more of an attacking threat than they mustered here against a home side that did not look all that convincing as it sought to defend its narrow advantage through the second half.

Had they scored a second, of course, they might have coasted to the final whistle and they nearly did when Michael Schlingermann seemed to slightly misjudge a Keith Buckley shot that came back off the post only for Ismahil Akinade to be wrong-footed as he sought to tap the rebound home. In the end, the weakness of the shot he did manage to get away allowed the goalkeeper to recover and make the save.

At the other end, Rovers looked almost completely toothless even through a second period in which they repeatedly threatened to, but never quite did, take a bit of a grip on things.

Having cut a lonely figure up front by himself early on, striker Jaanai Gordon proved a disappointment around the area when he finally did get a bit of service, especially in the air where he seemed easily beaten. On the few occasions he came deep to receive the ball, however, he showed some quick feet and nice close control and might well have sent through Jimmy Keohane for an equaliser had the midfielder anticipated his fine through ball.

It may simply take those around him playing to his strengths a little more then to get more out of the 20-year-old but Robertson will certainly need more of a return.

Philip Roberts, the club’s London born former Ireland youth international right back, showed more immediate promise and got a couple of the team’s better second half moves going after decent interceptions. The team’s end product was relentlessly poor, however, and the closest the visitors ever came to scoring were a couple of second half headers, the first from Liam Martin, the second from Roberts, neither of which actually managed to hit the target, along with a late Gordon shot that finally forced Dean Delany into an actual save.

The first half hadn’t produced much that will live long in the memory either but it did yield a rather special goal with Byrne marking his home league debut that a strike after 11 minutes that reinforced the notion that he may prove to be one of the signings of the close season.

The game remained scrappy, though, with neither side seemed able to retain possession much beyond halfway when they sought to push forward, never mind carve out much by way of serious scoring chances. Still, when Regan Donelon was caught napping momentarily Byrne got goal-side of him and before the young left back had the opportunity to make up the lost yard, his opponent hit an early shot that looped slightly as it flew into the top right corner.

Bohemians then edged things up to the break but Akinade was generally well handled by Sligo’s centre-halves while Mark Quigley and Jake Kelly never really hit their stride.

Bohemians: Delany; Pender, Prendergast, Murphy, Fitzgerald; Buckley, Wearen (Mulcahy, 90+2 mins); K Byrne, Quigley (Kavanagh, 62 mins), Kelly (Ben Mohammed, 81 mins); Akinade.

Sligo Rovers: Schlingerman; Adebayo-Rowling, Peers, Clancy, Donelon; Roberts, Richards, Keohane, Martin; Lyons (Russell, 68 mins); Gordon.

Referee: G Kelly (Cork).