Soccer

Sligo Rovers finally get a win under their belts

Dave Robertson secures first win as manager as Longford brushed aside at The Showgrounds

Raffaele Cretaro was on target for Sligo in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match against Longford Town at The Showgrounds. Photograph: Tommy Dickson/Inpho
Raffaele Cretaro was on target for Sligo in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match against Longford Town at The Showgrounds. Photograph: Tommy Dickson/Inpho
Darragh Cox at The Showgrounds
Sat Apr 23 2016 - 22:38

Sligo Rovers 3 Longford Town 0

Dave Robertson finally picked up his first win as Sligo Rovers manager with a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Longford Town at The Showgrounds on Saturday night.

Goals from Jordan Richards, Raffaele Cretaro and an own goal – all in the first half – eased the Bit O'Red to the long-awaited first three points.

Rovers were ahead inside eight minutes, as the recalled Richards claimed his first goal for the club.

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A surprise inclusion at the expense of Kieran Sadlier, Richards justified his selection after he was slipped through by Craig Roddan's slick pass, and curled the ball into the bottom corner from inside the area.

Rovers should have been 2-0 up just five minutes later, when John Russell's pinpoint cross picked out Liam Martin in front of goal, but Paul Skinner made a brilliant save.

But the second was coming, and Cretaro claimed it on 32 minutes, after cutting in from the left-hand sideline and firing home a brilliant right-footed effort to the far corner.

Longford were at a low ebb and the confidence drained out of them as Martin raced onto a breaking ball four minutes from the break, and his centre was turned into his own net by Tristan Noack-Hoffman with Cretaro waiting behind him to tap home.

SLIGO: Schlingermann, Adebayo-Rowling, Leahy (Clancy, 63 mins), Boylan, Donelon, Roddan, Richards, Russell, Keohane, Martin (Gordon, 81 mins), Cretaro (Sadlier, 63 mins).

LONGFORD: Skinner, Mulhall, Flynn, Haverty, Noack-Hoffman, Cowan, O'Connor, McKeown (Gannon, h/t), McGlynn (O'Hanlon, h/t), Hughes (Duffy, 75 mins), O'Sullivan.

Referee: D McKeon.