Sligo Rovers moved out of the Premier Division’s bottom two for the first time in over six months following victory over Galway United in an energy-sapping Connacht derby at Eamonn Deacy Park.
Substitute Cian Kavanagh headed the game’s winner on 54 minutes to hand Rovers the points and a third win over the Tribesmen this season.
Victory moves Rovers to seventh ahead of Saturday’s league clash with St Pat’s at the Showgrounds.
John Russell made one change for this one. Gareth McElroy, one of the visitors’ stand-out performers on the night, came in for John Mahon at the heart of the Sligo rearguard.
The hosts produced the best chance of the first half in a relatively tight affair as Rovers dealt with John Caulfield’s direct approach.
McElroy headed Rob Slevin’s goalward header away from danger on 22 minutes, the closest either side came to an opener in the first period.
Rovers began the second half on the front foot, Owen Elding testing Brendan Clarke on 53 when man-of-the-match Jad Hakiki cut out a loose ball from Bobby Burns. Hakiki fed Ryan O’Kane, who in turn set Elding through. But the club’s top-scorer was denied by Clarke who spread himself well to deflect away Elding’s low effort.
There was joy in the away end from the resulting corner however.
McElroy headed Will Fitzgerald’s out-swinger towards Kavanagh, who beat Clarke to the ball as he nodded over the former Rovers ‘keeper and to an empty net.
Galway threw everything at Rovers for the final half hour, but Russell’s charges limited United to mostly shots from distance.
Slevin fired over, while Sergeant and Paddy McClean did enough to deny Patrick Hickey from a Dara McGuinness cross.
The tireless Hakiki had Clarke at full stretch twelve minutes from the end when the midfielder sent a beautifully struck, bending effort towards the top corner. Clarke’s finger-tip save was just enough to push the ball beyond for a corner following a superb Rovers counter strike.
McGuinness could only fire straight at Sargeant from three yards out as the Tribesmen spurned their chance to level the game on 82. While the same player headed into Sargeant’s arms in the third of the six minutes added on at the finale.
Galway United: Brendan Clarke; Jeannot Esua, Killian Brouder (Vincent Borden 84), Garry Buckley, Bobby Burns; Aaron Bolger (Jeremy Sivi 64), Jimmy Keohane, Rob Slevin, Ed McCarthy (Stephen Walsh 64), Patrick Hickey; Dara McGuinness.
Sligo Rovers: Sam Sargeant; Edwin Agbaje, Patrick McClean, Gareth McElroy, Sean Stewart (Ciaron Harkin 63); James McManus (Matty Wolfe 63), Seb Quirk (Cian Kavanagh 46); Ryan O’Kane (Kyle McDonagh 83), Jad Hakiki, Will Fitzgerald; Owen Elding.
Referee: Paul Norton.