Sligo Rovers stretched their unbeaten run at home to seven games after beating Shelbourne 3-1 at the Showgrounds.
Brian McManus had Shels in the lead early on, but the Bit O'Red found a way back into this game courtesy of a Max Mata equaliser.
Aidan Keena struck before the break as Sligo led at the interval, while the same player settled the tie in injury time with a viciously struck penalty.
Looking for a marked improvement from their previous two encounters with the Drumcondra side, Sligo didn’t make things simple, falling behind after just five minutes to Shels’ first goal in three games.
JJ Lunney laid the ball back for McManus, who saw his shot from the edge of the area take a deflection off a Rovers defender, totally disorientating goalkeeper Ed McGinty, who watched on as the ball rolled past him.
Sligo, one of the Premier Division’s form teams coming into this tie, took a long time to settle but finally put their stamp on the occasion on 23 minutes.
Will Fitzgerald carried the ball a considerable distance before playing the ball into the path of Mata. The New Zealander lost his footing as he struck the ball but the mishap wasn’t enough to keep the ball out as Mata fired past Brendan Clarke for his second goal for the club.
Paddy Kirk was one of the home side’s standout performers in the opening half and the Dubliner was involved as Rovers turned this game on its head.
Kirk’s searching ball forward was weighted well enough to bring Keena into play. The Mullingar native bamboozled the Shels defence as he and Mata pulled off a series of one-twos, ending with Keena expertly lifting the ball over Clarke for his 10th goal of the year.
Damien Duff’s side switched to a more attacking formation on the hour, introducing Jad Hakiki and Sean Boyd.
Boyd worked McGinty on 74 minutes when the Rovers goalkeeper had to push the former Finn Harps striker’s stab at goal skywards, Lunny supplying the cross to the front post.
McGinty seemed to spill Jack Moylan’s shot from the angle moments later, the ball rolling across the goal-line before Colm Horgan cleared the danger.
The Dubliners had a goal chalked off eight minutes from time when referee John McLoughlin adjudged a Shels player to have impeded McGinty’s view as Hakiki struck home.
Keena put the contest to bed in the third of five added minutes when he converted from the spot after Clarke had tripped Fitzgerald inside the Shelbourne penalty area.
Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Colm Horgan, Shane Blaney, Nando Pijnaker, Paddy Kirk; Niall Morahan (Greg Bolger 62) (Seamas Keogh 79), Adam McDonnell (David Cawley 76); Karl O’Sullivan (Frank Liivak 79), Will Fitzgerald; Max Mata; Aidan Keena.
Shelbourne: Brendan Clarke; Aaron O'Driscoll (Kameron Ledwidge HT), Luke Byrne, Shane Griffin (Dan Carr 75); John Wilson (Sean Boyd 62), Conor Kane; Brian McManus (Jad Hakiki 63), Gavin Molloy, JJ Lunney (Gavin Hodgins 91); Shane Farrell, Jack Moylan.
Referee: John McLoughlin.
