Sligo Rovers 2
Shamrock Rovers 0
Jessica Farry reports from the Showgrounds
SIMON POWER STRUCK twice in a matter of minutes to further dent Shamrock Rovers’ title hopes, as the champions were beaten by Sligo Rovers in front of 3,187 fans at The Showgrounds.
Power, brought on after 71 minutes, struck two goals in minutes as he returned from a two month lay-off.
John Russell had a full squad to choose from, with New Zealand defender Nando Pijnaker returning to the starting 11 having missed 13 games after sustaining broken ribs in a collision with team-mate Ed McGinty in April.
Stephen Bradley welcomed back several players from injury, with goalkeeper Leon Pohls returning to the starting 11 alongside Gary O’Neill.
Sean Hoare and Aaron McEneff were back on the bench for the Hoops, with Bradley expecting a number of absentees back next week.
The league champions put plenty of pressure on the Sligo Rovers’ rearguard early on, but shots on target were a rarity.
Richie Towell’s volley was wide of the target after five minutes, while down the other end Ellis Chapman’s effort out of nothing failed to trouble Leon Pohls in the Hoops goals.
Pohls dealt well with Sligo’s chances in the first half, with the Bit O’Red not troubling the German too much.
Johnny Kenny will wonder how he didn’t put his side ahead on 25 minutes against his former team.
Gary O’Neill’s superbly placed ball in between the two centre-backs was flicked on by the Celtic loanee.
The 21-year-old just had Ed McGinty to beat, but the Oxford loanee made himself big to force Kenny to drag the shot wide, in what could potentially be his last game in goals for the Bit O’Red as his loan deal comes to an end.
Towell and Noonan had chances before half-time, but could not find the net.
And they would be left to rue those chances later.
It was much of the same in the second half, that was until the introduction of Power on 71 minutes.
Returning for the first time in two months, the Wicklow native fired from the right, and his effort took a touch off Pohls, flying into the net.
And minutes later, Power added a second as Ollie Denham charged forward, teeing up the 26 year old whose powerful drive from the edge of the box beat Pohls.
That result means the Hoops are now 15 points behind league leaders Shelbourne with a game in hand.
Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; JR Wilson, Nando Pijnaker, Ollie Denham, Reece Hutchinson; Ellis Chapman (Kalin Barlow 70), Niall Morahan, Connor Malley; Will Fitzgerald (Owen Elding 94), Fabrice Hartmann (Simon Power 70); Wilson Waweru (Stefan Radosavljevic 78).
Shamrock Rovers: Leon Pohls; Josh Honahan, Roberto Lopes, Darragh Nugent; Richie Towell (Trevor Clarke 77), Markus Poom; Gary O’Neill (Sean Hoare 77), Dylan Watts (Aaron McEneff 67), Conan Noonan (Jack Byrne 67) ; Graham Burke (Aaron Greene 77); Johnny Kenny.