| Three points in the bag after victory over Cobh |
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| Saturday, 05 April 2008 | |
 Sligo Rovers recorded their first win of the season against Cobh Ramblers tonight in the Showgrounds. It may not have been pretty, it may not go down in the annals of Rovers history but it was truly a case of the win being more important than the performance.
The manager was downplaying the importance of getting three points prior to this fixture, but in reality it was essential to get their first victory against a Cobh side who took an early lead and could easily have snatched a draw in the second half before Boco sealed the win towards the end. With Butler and Peers returning after injury and Kudozovic sidelined with a hamstring problem, Paul Cook made two further changes from last week’s encounter with UCD, as Steve Feeney and Brian Cash made their first starts. But the relatively new look Rovers got off to the worst possible start when after only two minutes when failing to clear their lines O’Grady conceded a free kick which was taken quickly by Alan Kearney. Davin O’Neill played it back to him, and Kearney got to the by-line before crossing high into the box, and Kevin Murray was there, unmarked to head high above Brush into the corner of the net at the railway end. It took the home side another ten minutes before they put any pressure on Cobh defence and it proved telling. A Boco low cross from the right, was met by Cash but his effort was deflected out for a corner on the left. Cash switched wings, swung it in, and there was Mauro Almeida at the front post to glance it past McCarthy for his first goal for the Bit O’Red. Rovers edged ahead midway through the half after another set piece this time from the right. A Butler corner was only half cleared to the left side where O’Grady found Boco. The Benin international crossed into the six yard box, where Danny Ventre beat the offside trap to head into the net. The home side looked to capitalise on their dominance in the remainder of the half, but apart from a Ventre effort on thirty six minutes there was little to trouble the Cobh defence. The second half saw the visitors asserting themselves as they began to win the little battles. They had the better of the chances too, with a speculative Alan Kearney free kick from distance tipped over the by Brush early in the half. The Bit O’Red had Seamus Coleman to thank midway through the half when he cleared the ball off the line following a goalmouth scramble that saw Cummins heading goalward. It was Cummins again on seventy minute who took advantage of chaos at the Rovers back but his effort from point blank range was well saved by Brush. The reality of conceding another goal sparked Rovers into action and soon they had claims for a penalty when Jamie McKenzie was held in the box, but the referee failed to act. The home side looked a bit more lively in the closing stages and extended their lead on eighty six minutes, when good work by Boco down the left created space for Judge to shoot, but he failed to hit the target and Boco continuing his foray into the box picked up the rebound and blasted into the roof of the net. Brush was called into action again at the other end, but Matthew Judge reminded us of his sublime skill in injury time with some neat footwork on the edge of the box before despatching a deft lob goalward that was tipped over for a corner. It was the last shot in anger in a game that was more memorable for the points than the performance. TEAMS: Sligo Rovers Richard Brush, Seamus Coleman, Chris Butler (Anto Murphy HT), Gavin Peers, Mauro Almeida (Jamie McKenzie 67 min), Conor O’Grady, Brian Cash, Danny Ventre, Romauld Boco, Steve Feeney (Matt Judge 58 min), Rafael Cretaro Subs not used: Alan Moore, Patrick Jennings Cobh Ramblers James McCarthy, Steven Mulcahy, Declan Cahill, John Meade, Shane Barrett, Alan Kearney, John Kearney (Gareth Cambridge 64 min), Michael Mulchonry (Ray Lally 79 min), Davin O’Neill, Graham Cummins Subs not used: Alan King, Conor Meade, Jamie Wunsch, Referee: Neil Doyle Report by Paraic Casey |
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