SETANTA CUP SEMI-FINAL Sligo Rovers 1 St Patrick's Athletic 2( St Patrick's win 6-2 on aggregate): ST PATRICK'S Athletic booked their place in the final of the Setanta sports cup with ease in this semi-final second leg tie at the Showgrounds on Saturday.

Sligo set about putting a dent in the Saints’ commanding three-goal lead from the first leg when captain Conor O’Grady opened the scoring after 10 minutes but the visitors equalised in the 26th minute to restore their first-leg advantage.

Paul Byrne was on hand at the back post to fire to the Sligo net from a Stuart Byrne cross and from there on the home side struggled.

The tie was put well out of the Reds’ reach on the hour mark when Damien Lynch sent a superb low shot past Richard Brush in the home goal.

St Patrick’s Athletic were cruising at that stage and there was no way back for Paul Cooke’s side who had let the tie slip from their grasp in the first leg at Richmond Park earlier in the week.

Sligo substitutes John Dillon and Dean Marshall had chances for the home side late on but the visitors were never extended.

The sides meet again in the Airtricity league in a televised game this Friday and home advantage can enable the Saints to bring Rovers unbeaten league run to an end.

SLIGO ROVERS:Brush, Keane, Davoren, Peers, Ventre, O'Grady, Ryan, Doyle, McCabe, Amond, Blinkhorn. Subs: Whelan for Davoren (49); Marshall for Doyle (60); Dillon for McCabe (62).

ST PATRICK'S ATH:Connor, Kenna, Pender, Guthrie, Lynch, McAllister, S Byrne, Mulcahy, Guy, P Byrne, Faherty. Subs: Williams for P Byrne (61); Sinnott for Faherty (77); Coughlan for S Byrne (80).

Referee: T Moutray(Belfast).