This was a game that Rovers dominated for long periods against a Galway side that was a lot better organised than the previous time the sides met earlier in the season. Despite their dominance, the Bit O’Red found it hard to make the breakthrough and having spurned the opportunity to convert a penalty with five minutes remaining, extra time and penalties if not the result, was almost inevitable.

Sligo Rovers named just one change from the team that overcame Shamrock Rovers on Saturday night with Jamie McKenzie coming in for the injured Gavin Peers. And the familiarity certainly was obvious as they set about their task from the off.

The home side looked more lively and Cretaro was in the thick of it in the first quarter as both creator for Murphy and target for a well placed McKenzie ball that he volleyed wide.
 
Rovers should have gone ahead on eighteen minutes when Kudozovic on the left side of the box pulled it back to Cash, but the Dubliner failed to capitalise and it fell the Murphy, who blasted over from close range.

Brian Cash did well to create space cutting in from the left on twenty six minutes but his shot from distance lacked venom.

Former Rovers winger, Derek O’Brien caused a lot of problems down the left and was the main supplier to the Galway front line, with the most dangerous moment coming on the half hour mark when Mark Leech shot into the arms of Brush.

With only two minutes remaining in the half, Kudozovic put a ball into the box, that was brought down well by Cash and he set it up for Murphy who stabbed it narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

Galway countered quickly after and almost snatched a half time lead but O’Shea’s effort went just over.

The second half started with Rovers on the offensive and with only five minutes on the clock, a lovely through ball from Seamus Coleman found Murphy in space on the edge of the box, but his lobbed shot went narrowly wide.

Anto Murphy was at the centre of almost all of Rovers moves, if not raiding into the box himself, he was finding his team mates with some sublime passing. On the hour mark, he found Cretaro running into space down the right, but as he cut inside, it bounced out of reach and the chance was gone.
 
Despite their greater possession, chances were hard to come by and Matt Judge was the only one to hit the target again before Galway’s first chance of the half came on seventy five minute. And it almost proved telling as an O’Brien cross into the near side found O’Flynn but his header forced a good Brush save at full stretch.

The Tribesmen threatened again three minutes later with a long ball that Brush half cleared before it was scrambled out for a corner.

Nobody in the ground wanted extra time and penalties and Chris Butler roamed forward with less than ten minutes on the clock but Rogers was equal to his long range effort.

It looked like the deadlock would be broken when Rovers countered on eighty five minutes with Judge taking it out of defence before finding Kudozovic on the right. The Bosnian broke clear and sent Cretaro free into the box only for him be taken down by Rogers.

The referee pointed to the spot and booked the ‘keeper as Rovers fans’ celebrated, but it proved premature as Rogers made amends by saving Foy’s penalty.

There were a couple of scares from the visitors in the closing minutes, but the ninety minutes ended goalless.

And so to extra time. The Rovers substitutes were practicing hitting the crossbar from the half way line at half time and Keith Foy did it again for real seven minutes into injury time when his free kick from twenty five yards rattled the crossbar before bouncing to safety.

As time went on, it looked more and more like this wasn’t going to be Rovers night. Raf Cretaro curved a great cross onto the head of Matt Judge six minutes into the second phase of injury time but Judge’s contact wasn’t enough to beat Rogers.

A minute later, O’Shea sent a flutter through the Showgrounds when he flashed an effort just passed the post and that was the last real shot in anger before the referee blew up for full time and the lottery that is penalties.

Kudozovic, Judge, McKenzie all converted expertly, until Keith Foy was again denied by a great Rogers save. Then O’Grady stepped up to keep the pressure on Galway, before it went into sudden death. Almeida kept Rovers in it but Danny Ventre shot wide to allow Gary Deegan to step up for the visitors to clinch it six goals to five.

The cruellest end to a game that Rovers could easily have tied up in ordinary time.

Next up for the Bit O’Red is an away assignment to Cork City on Friday night.

Sligo Rovers
Richared Brush, Seamus Coleman, Chris Butler, Jamie McKenzie, Mauro Almeida, Anto Murphy (Conor O’Grady 89 min), Brian Cash (Keith Foy 78 min), Danny Ventre, Romauld Boco (Matthew Judge 27 mins), Fahrudin Kudozovic, Raffaele Cretaro

Subs not used:Patrick Jennings, Gary Curran

Galway United
Gary Rogers, Regi Nooitmeer, Marc McCulloch, Wesley Charles, John Fitzgerald, Gary Deegan, James O’Shea, John Russell (Ollie Fenn HT), Mark Leech (Vinny Faherty 72 mins), Stephen O’Flynn (Derek Glynn 106 min), Derek O’Brien

Subs not used: Alvin Rouse

Referee: M Gough

By Paraic Casey