06-07-2025
Shamrock Rovers fight back to earn point in Sligo
Premier Division: Sligo Rovers 2 (Hakiki 9, 24) Shamrock Rovers 1 (Cleary 33, Honohan 63)
Shamrock Rovers fought back from 2-0 down to earn a share of the spoils in a thriller with Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds on Saturday night.
A classy brace from Ireland under-21 international Jad Hakiki had Sligo two goals to the good by the 24th minute but goals from Dan Cleary and then Josh Honohan earned Rovers a point in a game where Sligo goalkeeper Sam Sargeant was excellent.
League leaders Shamrock Rovers came to the northwest looking to extend their eight-point advantage over second-placed Derry City.
Stephen Bradley's side lost 2-1 to Sligo when they met at The Showgrounds at the start of March before they reversed that result with a 2-0 win at Tallaght Stadium at the beginning of May.
Sligo, with four new faces in their matchday squad, were looking for a third win in five games since the midseason break.
Shamrock Rovers immediately had a stranglehold on possession and Matthew Healy and Graham Burke were close with early efforts.
It was Sligo that drew first blood, however. A move sparked by a huge tackle from Patrick McClean, back at Sligo for a second spell, led to a corner that was taken short to Jake Doyle-Hayes. The midfielder's floated cross was headed home at the near post by Hakiki to give Sligo a ninth-minute lead.
Sligo almost went 2-0 up when Wilson Waweru, having been given the ball by Ryan O'Kane, saw his effort denied by ex-Sligo goalkeeper Ed McGinty.
Sligo Rovers' Jad Hakiki celebrates scoring his second goal with Owen Elding. Photograph: Evan Logan/Inpho
It was 2-0 with 24 minutes on the clock when Hakiki netted with a confident and composed finish after running on to Owen Elding's pass.
The visitors looked for an immediate response and Burke's goalbound effort was denied by Sargeant's superb save.
They halved the deficit in the 33rd minute when Graham Burke's free-kick effort was blocked but they recycled possession and Danny Mandroiu's ball to the back post was headed in by Cleary.
Sligo were pegged back for the remainder of the first half, as Mandroiu pulled the strings for the visitors, but it stayed 2-1.
The pattern continued in the second half, with Shamrock Rovers again dictating the play.
Healy's low shot demanded a careful save from Sargeant, who then twice kept his side in front with outstanding stops from goalbound efforts by Mandroiu and Danny Grant.
Sergeant was keeping the visitors at bay – he made another save to stop Rory Gaffney – but they levelled almost immediately following that stop when Honohan got his head to a Dylan Watts ball.
Both sides had further sights of goal, the closest was an opportunity for Sligo substitute Francely Lomboto, who guided an attempted lob too high with three minutes of normal time to go.
SLIGO ROVERS:
Sergeant; Reynolds, Denham, McClean, Fitzgerald; McManus (Quirk, 60), Doyle-Hayes; Elding (Kavanagh, 85), Hakiki, O'Kane (McDonagh, 90+1); Waweru (Lomboto, 60)
SHAMROCK ROVERS:
McGinty; Grant, Grace, Lopes, Cleary, Honohan (Kovalevskis, 75); Healy, Watts (Byrne 64), Mandroiu (McEneff, 87); Burke (Noonan, 64), Gaffney (McGovern, 75).
Referee:
Paul McLaughlin.
Attendance:
3,359.
