Sligo Rovers 2 Shamrock Rovers 0:Shamrock Rovers' hopes of Premier Division glory received a setback after this 2-0 defeat at the Showgrounds last night.

Goals by Adam Hughes and substitute Pete Foy in the space of seven second-half minutes brought the Dublin side's nine-match unbeaten run to an abrupt end.

Matthew Judge sent a shot over the visitors' bar on seven minutes and Sligo came close to taking the lead in the 18th minute but Conor O'Grady headed over goal from a Brian Cash corner.

Danny O'Connor had Shamrock's first real chance on 31 minutes but Sligo goalkeeper Richard Brush denied him with a fine save.

The home side went close again after 34 minutes when a Fahrudin Kudozovic cross shot forced visiting goalkeeper Barry Murphy to tip the ball out for a corner which came to nothing.

The visitors believed they should have been awarded a penalty at the start of the second half after Tadhg Purcell appeared to be impeded but their determined appeals were turned down.

O'Grady saw his headed effort saved by Murphy after Kudozovic floated a free kick into the box on 55 minutes before Slilgo finally scored. Séamus Coleman and Matthew Judge set Hughes up for a superb strike on 72 minutes and the visitors fell further behind in the 78th minute when second-half substitute Foy clipped the ball over Murphy's head and into the net.

The Dublin side played the last eight minutes with 10 men as, having used up all their subs, David Tyrrell was taken off injured.

SLIGO ROVERS:Brush, Coleman, Ventre, Peers, McKenzie, O'Grady, Cash (Manson, 69 mins), Hughes, Judge (Foy, mins 83), Kudozovic, Boyd (Curran, 72 mins).

SHAMROCK ROVERS:Murphy, O'Brien, Pender, Lawrence, Ferguson O'Connor, Cassidy (Martin, 76 mins), F Magill (D Magill, 77 mins), Purcell, Rowe (Myler, 70 mins), Tyrrell.

Referee: P Whelan(Dublin).