| O'Donnell returns with a vengeance |
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| Wednesday, 10 May 2006 | |
 Former Rovers player, Stephen O’Donnell, was the hero for Finn Harps as the Donegal side squeezed past the Bit O’Red after extra time and penalties in the league Cup second round last night in the Showgrounds.
Lacking invention and spark for much of the match, this will not be remembered as a classic North West derby, but both sides had their chances. In an even first half, the visitors perhaps won on points thanks to two efforts involving player-manager, Tony Gorman, brother of Rovers assistant manager, Gareth.The first came on twenty one minutes when a Gorman free kick was well saved by Brush, followed nine minutes later when Gorman set up Walsh, who failed to put Harps in front. Rovers came closest on forty four minutes when a Gavin Peers throw-in to Matt Judge allowed the Dubliner to cleverly lob his marker before forcing a good save from Cullen. The second half burst into life around the hour mark when O’Donnell received from Bell and made no mistake slotting the ball home under Brush. But Rovers were more lively in the early stages of the second half with Hughes and Flannery going close before Chris Turner picked up his own rebounded shot to seal the equaliser on sixty five minutes. That was as good as it got. Both teams settled into a rhythm that was more Mozart than Metallica and extra time and penalties were the inevitable conclusion despite the visitors having Darren Meenan dismissed for a second bookable offence in the first period of extra time. And so it came to the lottery of penalties, Jamie McKenzie unfortunate to miss the final strike, before O’Donnell stepped up to rub salt in the festering wound that has been Rovers form of late. Next up for the Bit O’Red is the visit to Drogheda on Saturday night, kick-off 7.30pm. Sligo Rovers: Brush, Peers, Foy, Burns, McKenzie, Hughes, Kuduzovic, McCartney (Kelly), Mansaram (Flannery), Turner, , Judge (Feeney). Finn Harps: Cullen, Asokuh, Minnock, Mokendi, Bradley, Malseed, Crossan (Cooney), Bell, O’Donnell, Walsh (Meenan), Gorman. Referee: T. Kelly (Athlone). Report by Paraic Casey |
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