Sligo Rovers continued their pre-season preparations with a scoreless draw against North West neighbours Finn Harps at Finn Park on Thursday night, writes David Goulden.                       

The game was played out without any real talking points, but served as another useful exercise for Paul Cook's side. It also gave the manager a chance to have another look at trialists Mauro Almeida, Derek Foran, John Dillon, John Cass and Jason McCartney.

The first half saw chances for new signing Padraig Amond and centre half Foran. Gary McCabe set up Amond's chance in the eighth minute, doing well to go by the Harps right back, before finding the striker at the edge of the six yard box, but the former Shamrock player dragged his half volley wide. Rovers only other real chance of the second half was a Foran header from a Mark Donninger free kick.

Foran did well to rise above the challenging Harps player, but the opposition keeper saw the ball to his left, and wide of the near post. In a quiet first half the only other event of note was the withdrawal of full back Iarthliath Davoren who was replaced by Jason McCartney. Davoren went down in front of the home dugout after a strong challenge from a Harps player.

The second half was an improvement on its predecessor with Rovers bringing Richard Brush, Alan Keane, Mauro Almeida, Danny Ventre, and Dean Marshall on. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Harps began to pressure the new look Rovers defence, with recent signing Kevin McHugh having the best of the chances. The former Linfield striker's shot was just wide of Brush's goal on the hour.

Rovers had their own chances and in the 70th minute Amond's full volley was deflected away for a corner, after good work from Donninger and Marshall on the right. Five minutes later, Richie Ryan who had just been introduced from the bench took too long with the ball at his feet and only the keeper to beat, the Harps defenders did well to put the midfielder off his shot. From the resulting corner Matthew Blinkhorn's header failed to hit the target after Eoin Doyle's in swinging corner found the centre forward at the back post.

Sligo's last chance of the game came again from Blinkhorn. McCartney's searching ball found Blinkhorn just inside the oppositions box, the former Morecambe man did well to control the ball first time on his chest before acrobatically attempting to shoot first time, but he got too much boot under the ball and the chance had passed. The hosts almost clinched the game in the dying moments but a shot from a Harps substitute hit the upright, while Richard Brush did well to hold a chipped shot from the left.

Sligo Rovers: Ciaran Kelly (Richard Brush), Paul Whelan (John Cass), Gavin Peers(Alan Keane), Derek Foran(Mauro Almeida), Iarthliath Davoren (Jason McCartney), Conor O' Grady (Danny Ventre), Mark Donninger (Richie Ryan), Gary McCabe (Dean Marshall), Eoin Doyle, Matthew Blinkhorn, Padraig Amond (John Dillon)