Sligo Rovers celebrated their return to the top flight with a 1-0 victory over Bohemians at The Showgrounds.
The result - Bohs’ second 1-0 reversal of the season – was decided thanks to a strike from Australia midfielder Adam Hughes’s right on the stroke of half-time.
Rovers had keeper John O’Hara to thank for the result, as he acrobatically pulled off a brilliant stoppage-time save from Stephen Ward’s header to ensure that the home side claimed all three points.
Bohs boss Gareth Farrelly made one change to the team defeated by Drogheda in their opening game, with Fergal Harkin coming in for John Paul Kelly.
Rovers manager Sean Connor handed debuts to new signings Gavin Peers, Chris Turner, Keith Foy and Hughes.
Midfielder Hughes got the vital touch on a Keith Foy free-kick to send the ball past Stephen O’Brien just before the break.
The first chance of the game arrived in the 20th minute when Tony Grant beat Rovers goalkeeper with a close range header but Gavin Peers took the ball off the line.
At the other end, Fahrudin Kudozovic was presented with a great shooting opportunity after some splendid interplay between strikers Sean Flannery and Paul McTiernan, but he delayed the shot and Bohs recovered.
Referee Hugh Whoriskey angered the home crowd by waving play on when the impressive Chris Turner went to ground at the edge of the box on 75 minutes under a challenge from Farrelly.
Bohs brought Kelly on for Arkins and pushed Irish U21 international Ward up front in a bid to breach the Rovers rearguard in the second-half.
Goalbound shots from Farrelly and Kudozovic tested both goalkeepers in the second period and the best chance fell to Ward on 90 minutes but his header was brilliantly saved by O’Hara.
