A late, late goal on his debut from Lukas Browning rescued a deserved point for Sligo Rovers against ten-man Shamrock Rovers at the Showgrounds.
Drogheda-born Browning struck in the 95th minute of the game after Graham Burke had given the champions the lead on 17, with the Hoops looking like they would join rivals Bohemians at the league summit after the first weekend.
Last year's champions had captain Roberto Lopes sent off in the second half following an innocuous looking encounter with Sligo’s Kailin Barlow.
📽️ | The moment The Showgrounds erupted!
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) February 18, 2023
It's good to be back 😁#SLISHA | #LOI pic.twitter.com/n4XjOFsr5u
The Dublin club, looking to recover from their President’s Cup defeat to Derry, made five changes from that game with Burke, Alan Mannus, Rory Gaffney, Neil Farrugia and Jack Byrne returning.
Markus Poom earned his first competitive start, while Trevor Clarke made his first start since his return from Bristol Rovers.
Sligo boss John Russell included youngsters Barlow and Eanna Clancy in his starting eleven, while there were debuts for new recruits Browning, Johan Brannefalk and loanee Reece Hutchinson.
The champions, chasing their fourth title on the bounce forced first sight of goal through Burke after neat inter-play between Byrne and Farrugia. But it was Sligo who manufactured the chances from here until the Hoops’ opener.
Frank Liivak forced an effort four minutes in, while Max Mata fired into the side netting on seven, before the New Zealander’s crisply struck forced a decent stop from Mannus five minutes later.
The Northern Irish veteran knew little about Liivak’s next go at goal on the quarter hour.
Mannus fisted away Will Fitzgerald’s laced volley from the edge of the area, while the former Linfield net minder took Liivak’s follow up straight in the face.
The Tallaght men weathered the early Sligo storm and hit the lead in the seventeenth minute with just their second shot on target.
Sligo’s Clancy stood off Burke, allowing him space and time to wind up his strike which arrowed past Sligo stopper Luke McNicholas and into the bottom corner from all of 20 yards.
📽️| The opening goal at The Showgrounds!#SLISHA | https://t.co/vfkMjbvRwA pic.twitter.com/wJElFHCwYo
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) February 18, 2023
Stephen Bradley’s charges might have pushed their hosts further away on 25 minutes. But Clarke failed to make the most of Brannefalk’s error when the Swede misjudged a ball from deep, with wing-back Clarke blasting over from the angle.
Both Farrugia and Burke saw efforts deflected over early in the second period as Sligo struggled to produce much at the opposite end.
Substitute Darragh Nugent volleyed wide just moments after coming on, while Sligo’s chances of finding a way back into this tie were significantly shortened on 67 minutes, when Lopes was somewhat harshly dismissed after an off-the-ball incident with Barlow.
Barlow then almost had the Connacht side level on 72 minutes but the Sligo town native could only knock the ball off the bottom of Mannus’ post after sustained pressure from the home side.
Mannus looked like he was the Hoops hero six minutes from time when he got in front of a Fitzgerald drive at goal after the winger latched on to Clancy’s lofted ball over the top. Referee MacGraith awarding a goal kick instead of a corner, much to Sligo’s angst.
But the home side continued to apply the pressure and Mannus again had to react to keep Farrugia’s back pass out of his own net at the end of the 90 minutes.
Rattled, the Hoops defence finally caved in in the last of the five added minutes. Substitute Darragh Nugent could only scramble a clearance from a late Fitzgerald corner as far as the edge of the Hoops box where Browning was waiting. The Irish underage international steadied himself before volleying a dramatic debut goal past a flat-footed Mannus.
Sligo Rovers: Luke McNicholas; Johan Brannefalk, Eanna Clancy, Nando Pijnaker, Reece Hutchinson (Karl O’Sullivan 92); Greg Bolger (Stefan Radosavljevic 75), Lukas Browning; Frank Liivak (Fabrice Hartmann 60), Will Fitzgerald; Kailin Barlow (Daniel Lafferty 92); Max Mata.
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Daniel Cleary, Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace; Neil Farrugia, Trevor Clarke (Darragh Nugent 64); Markus Poom, Dylan Watts (Gary O’Neill 79); Graham Burke (Liam Burt 64), Jack Byrne (Richie Towell 79); Rory Gaffney (Johnny Kenny 64).
Referee: Damien MacGraith
