St Patrick’s Athletic 3 Sligo Rovers 2
Brandon Kavanagh scored a dramatic last-gasp penalty winner as St Patrick’s Athletic twice came from behind to end Sligo Rovers’ four-match winning run in highly controversial circumstances at Richmond Park.
With the game deep in added time substitute Kavanagh launched a free kick into the Sligo area where St Pat’s Luke Turner fell backward to the ground in front of Sligo’s Ellis Chapman who did not appear to make any contact. To the astonishment of Sligo players and their bench, referee Rob Hennessy pointed to the spot. Such was the visitors’ disgust that manager John Russell was shown a red card for dissent on the sideline.
Kavanagh, influential since coming on, sent Ed McGinty the wrong way from 12 yards with the game in its 100th minute. The result ended Sligo’s four-match winning run in the league to give St Pat’s manager Stephen Kenny only his third league win in 10.
The former Ireland manager made four changes from St Pat’s big night in Liechtenstein on Thursday when progressing through to the third round of the Conference League against FC Vaduz. Chief among them was the prodigal Keena who came in for his debut against the club he left as the league’s top scorer two years ago.
But it was Sligo who had the game’s first real opening on 13 minutes when JR Wilson shaved the outside of a post with a free kick.
Seven minutes later the visitors were in front from a cracking goal. A loose pass from Jamie Lennon never found its intended target of Romal Palmer. Connor Malley pounced to stride forward and arrow a terrific drive past the despairing dive of Joseph Anang to the net.
If that was sloppy from St Pat’s, Sligo were equally poor defensively in conceding an equaliser within three minutes. Al-Amin Kazeem and Keena worked the ball for the run of Jake Mulraney to cut past a sluggish Nando Pijnaker who tugged him back right on the edge of the area.
Hennessy ignored Sligo’s contention that the foul was outside the area to point to the spot. Keena blasted his penalty to the net in sending Ed McGinty the wrong way. The Mullingar man’s last penalty in the League of Ireland before a move to Cheltenham Town two seasons ago had been a winner for Sligo against St Pat’s at the Showgrounds.
But Sligo punished further poor play by St Pat’s to regain the lead eight minutes after the restart. Another loose pass from Lennon was intercepted by Niall Morahan. The Sligo skipper found Will Fitzgerald in space down the left to cross for Chapman to head home.
In a game of costly errors another brought St Pat’s second equaliser on 66 minutes. Kavanagh hit a speculative shot from distance which bounced in front of McGinty to fly past the Bit O’ Red keeper.
Minutes later Lennon struck the crossbar from distance as St Pat’s chased a winner. But a further mistake almost gifted that to Sligo. Anang miskicked outside his area to give the ball to Luke Pearce. He found Chapman whose drilled shot came back off a post before the late, late drama at the other end.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Sjoberg, Redmond, Turner, Kazeem (Breslin, 60); Forrester (Melia, 67), Lennon; Leavy, Palmer (B. Kavanagh, 60), Mulraney (Bolger, 77); Keena (Elbouzedi, 67).
Sligo Rovers: McGinty; Wilson, Denham, Pijnaker, Hutchinson; Morahan (Henry-Francis, 86); Mallon (Elding, 86), Chapman, Malley (Barlow, 90+7), Fitzgerald; Waweru (Pearce, 77).
Referee: Rob Hennessy (Clare).
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