16-05-2025
Reece Hutchinson the hero as Sligo Rovers beat Galway
Reece Hutchinson scored the decisive goal in the second-half, as Rovers collected just a second clean sheet of the year.
It was what felt like another must win game for Rovers, who travelled to Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night desperate to pick up points, still sitting bottom of the table.
With three defeats and two draws in their last five, the Bit O'Red have found wins hard to come by this season.
John Russell's men had just two wins in their opening 15, and had only kept one clean sheet in those games.
Russell made three changes to the side that lost to Bohemians the previous week, with John Mahon returning from suspension, and Matty Wolfe and Jad Hakiki returning to the starting 11.
Ronan Manning missed out through injury, while Francely Lomboto and Harvey Lintott dropped to the bench.
Galway had also struggled for form in recent weeks, and came into this Connacht derby with three defeats on the bounce.
John Caulfield is without several key players through injury, and made three changes to his side for this tie.
Bobby Burns, Ed McCarthy and Greg Cunningham all came back into the team, with Conor McCormack, Cillian Tollett and Regan Donelon all dropping out.
In what was an even first half, Rovers started brightly.
Rob Slevin diverted Hakiki's cross away from goal on three minutes, before the hosts put Rovers under pressure for a period, with Sam Sargeant barely troubled.
Paddy Hickey's cross was volleyed at goal by the league's top scorer Dyer, with Rovers captain Mahon blocking it down, before Sargeant saved comfortably from McCarthy's low effort.
Killian Brouder and David Hurley forced saves from Sargeant, before Gareth McElroy cleared Jeannot Esua's drive off the line.
Brendan Clarke was called into action on 37 minutes, pushing Cian Kavanagh's overhead kick away from goal, claiming Jake Doyle-Hayes' tame effort in additional time at the end of the half.
Dyer burst down the left-hand side two minutes into the second-half and just as the New Zealander went to pull the trigger, McElroy got his body in the way.
Rovers were breathing a sigh of relief on 67 minutes when Paddy Hickey's shot somehow stayed out.
The American cleverly worked his way around Hutchinson, aiming for the far post, only for his effort to hit the post and bounce around, with Rovers eventually clearing the danger.
Two minutes later, Rovers went ahead.
Former Barnsley man Matty Wolfe burst forward and picked out the run of Hutchinson on his left.
The left-back cut inside and fired at goal, his effort taking a deflection and going in past Clarke to put the Bit O'Red ahead.
The home side threw everything at Sligo Rovers late on, and were applying serious pressure, but Rovers to their credit held on and picked up a valuable three points.
Two late goals from St Patrick's Athletic mean that Cork City lose again, and are now just above Rovers on goal difference.
Galway United: Brendan Clarke; Rob Slevin, Killian Brouder, Greg Cunningham; Jeannot Esua, Cian Byrne, Bobby Burns (Colm Horgan, 57 [Brian Cunningham, 92]), Ed McCarthy (Stephen Walsh, 81); Patrick Hickey, David Hurley (Sean Kerrigan, 92); Moses Dyer.
Sligo Rovers: Sam Sargeant; Conor Reynolds (Harvey Lintott, 74), John Mahon, Gareth McElroy, Reece Hutchinson; Jake Doyle-Hayes, Matty Wolfe (Francely Lomboto, 82); Owen Elding, Jad Hakiki, Will Fitzgerald; Cian Kavanagh.
Referee: Damien MacGraith.
