Match Sponsor: Mooney’s Bar, Maugheraboy.
Match Ball Sponsor: The Fish Man.
Darren Purse’s wait for a first league win as Sligo Rovers manager rolls on to an eleventh attempt after Ronan Teahan hit a 90th minute equaliser for Dundalk at the Showgrounds.
Kaiyne Woolery had given the Bit O’Red the lead early in the second period, but Teahan forced the equaliser in the final moment of normal time to extend Rovers’ run without a win to 16 league games.
Dundalk made two changes from their defeat to Bohs, Cian Dillon and Tyreke Wilson returned. While Rovers boss Darren Purse brought Cian Kavanagh, Ollie Denham and local lad Daire Patton back in for his first start since July.
Rovers secured the services of goalkeeper Liam Hughes for 2027 this week and it was at his end where most of the action took place early on, dealing with no less than eight corners in the first quarter hour.
However, it did take almost 20 minutes for the Craigavon man to face his first shot when he got in front of a powerdrive from Cian Dillon after a lapse in the Rovers rearguard.
The hosts did have a half chance when Woolery dragged an effort across goal in this a game between two clubs with the league’s poorest current form.
The visitors, who lost Mayowa Animasahun early on, were inches away from the lead in added time at the end of the first half. Sligo skipper Gareth McElroy was well placed to swat away Aodh Dervin’s effort off Hughes’ line after Daryl Horgan’s assist.
Rovers’ last home league win came almost six months ago, against the same opposition and we had the lead seconds after the re-start when Sean Stewart’s ballooned cross from the end line was met by the leaping Woolery. The former Tranmere man’s header bouncing off the underside of the crossbar on its way in for his second goal in as many games.
Hughes was called up to make two stops on the hour. The best of these a wonderful dive into his corner to scrap away Egor Vassenin’s header.
Ciaran Kilduff’s charges leveled in the 90th minute when Tehan made the most of hesitation from the Sligo rearguard to slot the ball under Hughes after Declan McDaid reacted the quicker to a ball thrown forward.
Rovers’ next outing is a visit to Tallaght Stadium to face Shamrock Rovers on Friday, our final away game of the season.
Sligo Rovers: Liam Hughes; Aidan Gabbidon (Seb Quirk HT), Ollie Denham, Gareth McElroy, Sean Stewart; Luke Young, Daire Patton (James McManus 66); Archie Meekison, Kaiyne Woolery (Luke Pearce 70), Jack Shorrock; Cian Kavanagh.
Dundalk: Enda Minogue; Tyreke Wilson, Tom Grivosti, Mayowa Animasahun (Egor Vassenin 24); Keith Buckley (Harry Groome 73), Aodh Dervin (Declan McDaid 62), Bobby Burns; Daryl Horgan, Ronan Tehan, Trevor Clarke (Shane Treacy 63); Cian Dillon (Leo Gaxha 73).
Referee: Daniel Murphy.
Attendance: 1,821.