Sligo 2
Derry 2
SLIGO ROVERS CONTINUED their pursuit of a European place with an eventful 2-2 draw with Derry City at the Showgrounds.
Ian Baraclough’s men took the lead thanks to a John Russell cracker, before Ryan McBride equalised. McBride then put Derry ahead but Danny Ledwith later put the teams on level terms.
The home side came close to opening the scoring in the 13th minute, when Danny Ledwith’s corner was flicked goalwards by Kalen Spillane, before Barry Molloy managed to clear.
Ian Baraclough’s men did get their necks in front eventually on 16 minutes when John Russell collected the ball from 35 yards, drove forward and let rip a sensational strike, which Ger Doherty could not get near.
Just minutes later, the score was level. Rovers failed to clear a number of Derry corners, and eventually Ryan McBride managed to head an effort over the approaching Gary Rogers to make it one all.
Just before the half-hour mark, Peter Hutton’s men took the lead. Again, Rovers failed to clear a Patrick McEleney corner and McBride was on hand to tap the ball past Rogers in goal.
On 34 minutes, the teams were on level terms once again. Danny North fed Ledwith from the right, he turned inside Michael Duffy, and blasted past Doherty, who was left to pick the ball out of the net once again.
Cliff Byrne came closing to regaining the visitors’ lead in the second-half, when he headed on a Patrick McEleney corner, but his effort was just off target.
The drama wasn’t over there, though, as Sligo found themselves down to 10 men when Eric Odhiambo was sent off for a challenge on Cliff Byrne, just five minutes after coming on as a sub.
An excellent Gary Rogers save from a Rory Patterson effort in the late stages of the game kept the Bit o’Red in it. Then, in the dying seconds, Nathan Boyle flew down the right, laid the ball on for Barry McNamee, and his diving header was just wide of Rogers’ post.
Rovers came agonisingly close to grabbing a last-minute winner thanks to John Russell, who was found by Maguire, he ran down the right-hand side, and from a tight angle, his effort just missed the far post.
SLIGO ROVERS: Rogers, Conneely, Spillane, McMillan, Gaynor, Cretaro, O’Conor (Odhimabo, 66), Cawley, Russell, Ledwith, North (Maguire, 85).
Subs: Brush.
DERRY CITY: Doherty, Ventre, Byrne, McBride, Barry, Duffy, Molloy, B. McNamee, P.McEleney, Timlin (Curran, 69), Patterson (Boyle, 87).
Subs: Gallagher, Jarvis, S. McEleney, Tracey, T. McNamee.
Referee: Tomas Connolly
Premier Division results:
Shamrock Rovers 0 – 2 Cork City
Bray 0 – 5 Bohs
Dundalk 0 – 0 St Patrick’s Athletic
Limerick 2 – 1 UCD
Athlone 6 — 0 Drogheda