Owen Elding hit one of the goals of the season at Tolka Park on Friday evening but it wasn’t enough as Sligo Rovers were beaten by the odd goal in five by champions Shelbourne.
Elding’s goal was the fifth of the lot in a 3-2 defeat as the Riverstown man claimed his seventh goal of the season with a stunner from distance after a John Martin hat-trick had turned this game on its head.
Gareth McElroy had given Rovers an early lead, but the Drumcondra outfit hit back twice before the break through Martin who had his third before the hour.
The result leaves Rovers in tenth position, still level on points with Cork City.
Seeking consecutive wins for the first time this year, Rovers were the dominant side in the opening quarter and had a deserved lead after just three minutes of play.
McElory making the very most of the space left by slack Shels defending as he nodded yet another Will Fitzgerald assist, this time from a corner, beyond Lorcan Healy for his second of the season.
The visitors were all over Damien Duff’s for the opening exchanges. Fitzgerald’s input was crucial once more as he knocked a Shels defender off the ball before finding Elding whose shot on the turn was shoveled wide by Healy on ten. While the hosts were stretched again six minutes later when Jad Hakiki’s effort took a knock off Kameron Ledwidge before curling narrowly beyond the far post as Sligo continued to press for a second.
Last year’s league winners had their leveler on 34 minutes when Evan Caffrey found Martin who had strayed to the front post. While the same supplier and finisher had the Dubliners in the lead five minutes later.
Rovers had to suppress a late first half onslaught from their opponents and just about survived when Martin’s header came off the top of the crossbar.
The second period saw Rovers goalkeeper Sam Sargeant pull off a string of good saves. The first from a speculative effort from Shels’ midfielder Kerr McInroy, although despite his best efforts there was little Sargeant could do as Shels had their third on 57 when Martin scrambled the ball over the line as the Rovers defence struggled to deal with a low cross from the left.
Two minutes later and John Russell’s charges were right back in this one.
Elding’s sumpstous, almost nonchalant left footed drive from 30 yards arrowed into the corner of Healy’s net, stunning the home support and offering hope to the large travelling support behind that goal.
Sargeant was called into action again when he went full stretch to parry former Rovers man Ellis Chapman’s effort from range while McInroy struck the post with a bending set-piece soon after.
Rovers pushed and harried for a third and had a chance at the end when both substitutes Francely Lomboto and Wilson Waweru hesitated to get on the end of a Fitzgerald cross. The ball called out for a touch which never arrived as the danger was then cleared.
Our next game is back at home as St Patrick’s Athletic are the visitors to the Showgrounds this Friday, kick-off 7.45pm.
Shelbourne: Lorcan Healy; Mark Coyle, Kameron Ledwidge, Tyreke Wilson; John O’Sullivan, Kerr McInroy, JJ Lunney, Ellis Chapman, Evan Caffrey; Harry Wood (Mipo Odubeko, 70’), John Martin (Daniel Kelly, 84’)
Sligo Rovers: Sam Sargeant; Conor Reynolds (Harvey Lintott, 46’), Gareth McElroy, John Mahon, Reece Hutchinson; Jad Hakiki, Matthew Wolfe (Francely Lomboto, 70’), Owen Elding, Stephen Mallon (Ronan Manning, 46’), Will Fitzgerald; Cian Kavanagh (Wilson Waweru, 70’)
Referee: Aaron O’Dowd (Dublin)
David Goulden