Sligo Rovers recorded their biggest ever away win in Dundalk on Monday night as they thrashed the Lilywhites by five goals to nil at a soaked Oriel Park.
Both Max Mata and Ellis Chapman hit braces, while Fabrice Hartmann netted his second goal of the season as the Bit O’Red totally over-ran their opponents on a stormy night in County Louth.
Despite the lashing rain and strong winds, Rovers pressed Dundalk immediately and opened the scoring with seven minutes played.
Chapman slipping the ball between the legs of Dundalk goalkeeper George Shelvey after tidy interplay on the behalf of Mata and Hartmann.
The travelling support had only to wait another seven minutes for the second goal. Hartmann firing home from outside of the area for goal number two of the term for the German.
Two became three just past the half hour.
Andy Boyle recovering in time to dispossess Mata with a challenge, but the home defence weren’t to deny Chapman who cooly finished past the beleaguered Shelvey.
Things got even better from the now red hot Rovers when they became the first team in almost 60 years to score four first half goals in the league game at Oriel Park.
Sligo capitalising on poor defending from the hosts as Mata’s shot crept past Shelvey for the New Zealander’s first goal for the club since his return on loan from Shrewsbury.
Ed McGinty kept his second clean sheet of the season with a number of notable saves. The best of these coming when he came to meet Scott Durrant, denying the Dundalk attacker with an out-streteched leg.
An irresistible Rovers weren’t finished here and neither was Mata who had his second and Sligo’s fifth on 62 minutes when he pulled of a classy finish from the angle, finding the bottom corner of Dundalk sub net-minder Ross Munro’s goal.
Dundalk: George Shelvey (Ross Munro HT); Archie Davies, Mayowa Animasahun (Louie Annesley HT), Andy Boyle, Jamie Walker (Sam Durrant 37); Zak Bradshaw (Hayden Muller 37), Paul Doyle; Daryl Horgan, Scott High, Robbie Benson (Jamie Gullan 64); Cameron Elliott (Ciaran McGuckin 64).
Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty, John Ross Wilson (Charlie Wiggett 83), Ollie Denham, Nando Pijnaker, Reece Hutchinson (Stefan Radosavjevic 71); Niall Morahan, Connor Malley (Owen Elding 71); Ellis Chapman (Kailin Barlow 64), Fabrice Hartmann, Will Fitzgerald; Max Mata (Wilson Waweru 64).
Next up for Rovers is the visit of Shamrock Rovers to The Showgrounds on Saturday night. Kick-off 7.45pm.