Drogheda United moved five points behind leaders St Pat’s with a hard-fought 2-0 defeat of Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds.
Brian Shelley’s third minute header and Shane Robinson’s 83rd minute penalty saw Drogheda take the three points without looking overly convincing.
Coming off their first two league defeats of the season – against St Pat’s and Shamrock Rovers – Drogheda made three changes with Paul Keegan and Tony Grant introduced for Glen Fitzpatrick and Shane Bradley, while Stephen Gray deputised for the suspended Graham Gartland.
It worked immediately too, with Grant and Keegan both involved in a corner on the left before Shelley headed the opening goal after just three minutes.
And the visitors should have added to this tally before the break, as Keegan and Grant were presented with great chances, while Eamon Zayed saw a dipping half-volley from the edge of the area come back off the foot of the post.
Tommy Arcaba was also forced into a couple of saves in the home side’s goal, but Rovers went close as well – Adam Hughes flashing an early chance across the face of goal, and Fahrudin Kuduzovic testing Drogs keeper Mikko Vilmunen from a free-kick at the edge of the box.
Drogheda’s failure to grab a second left them vulnerable early on in the second-half, with a Gray slip almost letting Gary Curran in for an equaliser.
The centre-back opted to let a long ball drop over his head, and Curran snuck in but skewed his shot off-target.
It was Curran’s last action as former Derry City winger Brian Cash and homegrown striker Sean Flannery marked their return from months out through injury as second-half substitutes.
Flannery almost got in straight away after more hesitation in the Drogheda defence, but he hit the side-netting from a tight angle.
Drogheda should have been out of sight on 67 minutes when Keegan’s free picked out captain Stuart Byrne unmarked in the box, but he glanced his header wide from six yards.
Flannery went close again with a header from Keith Foy’s cross, and then Foy himself forced two great saves from Vilmunen – the first with a stinging shot from inside the box, and then from a powerful free that was heading for the bottom corner..
But Drogheda wrapped up the points when keeper Tommy Arcaba needlessly bundled over Shane Robinson in the area on 83 minutes, and the winger stood up to tuck the penalty home.
Sligo Rovers: T Arcaba, R Cretaro, S Coleman, J MacKenzie (c), S Kelly, G Curran (B Cash 53), C O’Grady, A Hughes, S Manson (K Foy 69), M Judge (S Flannery 64), F Kuduzovic.
Subs not used: L Tierney, R Brush.
Drogheda United: M Vilmunen, B Shelley, S Webb, S Gray, D Lynch, S Robinson, S Byrne, P Keegan, O Cahill (J Keddy 87), T Grant (G Whelan 81), E Zayed.
Subs not used: G Fitzpatrick, S Bradley, G Sava.
Referee: T Connolly (Dublin)
