Michael Leahy scored a brace as Sligo Rovers twice came from behind to earn a deserved point at the Carlisle Grounds.

Central defender Leahy had scored the equaliser at St Patrick’s Athletic a fortnight ago.

And he used his head again, and on the double this time, to salvage a draw in a rollercoaster game on the north Wicklow coast after goals from Aaron Greene and Dylan Connolly had twice put Bray in front.

Though the point lifts Sligo up a place to 10th, they remain in the relegation zone. Bray stay third in the Premier Division table.

Tobi Adebayo-Rowling returned at right-back for Sligo in their only change to the side beaten by leaders Cork City last Monday.

With topscorer Gary McCabe unavailable due to illness, Bray gave a first league start of the campaign to Ger Pender in attack in their one change from Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Drogheda.

And in an opening goal flurry, it was Pender who was instrumental in Bray taking the lead with the first attack of note in the game on five minutes.

The striker threaded a clever ball through for the run of Greene who finished with aplomb, rifling his left-foot drive to the bottom corner of Micheal Schlingermann’s net.

Sligo hit back with the perfect response to level five minutes later. Leahy rose unopposed to head home Liam Martin’s corner from the right.

Parity lasted just four minutes, though, as Bray regained the lead with their next attack.

Ryan Brennan got free down the right to pick out the angled run to the near post of Connolly who side footed home.

Despite the early goal glut, the game was scrappy with the ball given away all too freely by both sides.

Sligo enjoyed a good spell of possession without troubling Peter Cherrie before Bray carved them open with their pace up top on 33 minutes.

Greene took off from deep, worked a one-two with Pender, only to overrun the ball with Schlingermann off his line to gather on the edge of his area.

Schlingermann then had a let off a minute before the break. Possibly with the strong setting sun in his eyes, the keeper completely misjudged Kevin Lynch’s deep cross from the left and was relieved to see Brennan’s header miss the target.

The relief was at the other end three minutes into the second half when Bray skipper Conor Kenna did well to block Jonah Ayunga’s shot out for a corner when he looked in on goal.

But Sligo did level with the goal of the game on 63 minutes.

Mikey Place sent Kieran Sadlier away down the left. His deep cross was clipped back into the danger zone by Raff Cretaro for the again unmarked Leahy to nod home.

Bray's Greene had a late chance headed wide while Sligo somehow scrambled off their line in stoppage time.

Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie; Keith Buckley, Conor Kenna, Tim Clancy, Kevin Lynch (Jason Marks 79); John Sullivan, Mark Salmon; Ryan Brennan, Aaron Greene, Dylan Connolly; Ger Pender.

Sigo Rovers: Micheal Schlingermann; Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Kyle Callan-McFadden, Michael Leahy, Regan Donelon; Gary Boylan, Craig Roddan; Jonah Ayunga, Liam Martin (Mikey Place 40), Kieran Sadlier; Raffaele Cretaro,

Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Donegal).