A first-half scoring blitz helped Shelbourne to comprehensively beat Athlone Town at Lissywoolen.
Shelbourne effectively had the points secured by half time when three goals put the visitors well in command at the break.
A low-key opening half suddenly came to life after 35 minutes when Anto Flood netted against his former club. Mark Leech set up his fellow striker who from inside the penalty area shot right-footed past the goalkeeper’s left from ten yards.
Athlone had hardly time to recover when the visitors struck again within a minute.
This time Aidan Collins created the opening for Mark Rooney who outpaced the home defence before sending a piledriver into the roof of the net.
It got even worse for Athlone soon after when the Reds scored for the third time.
Mark Leech set up Mark O’Brien and the number six made no mistake shooting to the roof of the net past a bewildered Ciaran Kelly in the home goal.
There was an improvement from Athlone in the second half, with substitute Noel McGee forcing Tony O’Dowd into making a good save just after the restart.
Davy Byrne then sent a free kick narrowly over the bar but Shelbourne stretched their lead just after the hour mark.
Anto Flood turned well inside the penalty area to shoot past the keeper’s left and into the net.
Athlone grabbed what proved to be a consolation score after 73 through Noel McGee.
The home side could have further reduced the deficit four minutes later, but O’Dowd denied Robbie Hamm with another fine save.
Athlone finished the game on the attack with veteran goalkeeper O’Dowd again coming to his sides rescue to stop McGee from again getting on the score sheet with seven minutes left when he pushed the substitute’s well-struck shot over the bar.
Athlone Town: Kelly, Rossiter, Young (Heffernan half time), Sheridan, McCarthy, Hardy (Hamm 74), Russo, Byrne, Lavine, O’Dowd (McGee half time), Casey.
Shelbourne: O’Dowd, Haverty, L’Estrange, Keely, Malcolm, O’Brien, Chambers (Harte half time), Rooney (McGlynn half time), Leech, Flood (Quinn 64), Collins.
Referee: R. Rogers.
