The football was almost irrelevant as Shamrock Rovers partied to a historic fourth league title-in-a-row at a packed Tallaght Stadium.
There was no shortage of pageantry and ceremony in Dublin 24 as a record 8,021 crowd paid tribute to the side who – despite their worst start in recent seasons – became the first side to match the famous four-in-a-row winning Hoops team of the 1980s.
Sligo threatened to upset the night when Kailin Barlow scored in the eight minute. However, normal order resumed as Graham Burke, Dylan Watts and Aaron Greene allowed the Hoops to finish in style, despite a late Fabrice Hartmann consolation.
The Bit o' Red were hardly here by choice, the obligatory opponents for a match that seemed more like a testimonial game. John Russell's contract as Sligo manager is up this season, but if he is to stay this game surely served as a useful evaluation of who he wants to retain from this struggling side.
Jubilation was in the air long before kick-off, however, there were also thoughtful shows of respect for Alan Mannus and Ronan Finn who both brought an end to their Shamrock Rovers careers tonight.
Despite Cork City’s snub in Turner’s Cross on Monday, Sligo Rovers dutifully formed the guard of honour to applaud the Hoops players and their families prior to kick-off.
And the game was only two minutes old before the stadium was back on its feet to mark the departure of Finn, who couldn’t play through an ankle injury sustained last week. Calling time on his career, 41-year-old Mannus got the same treatment when he was replaced by Leon Pohls in the second-half.
Watt's free kick finds the desired spot
All the choreography possibly hindered Rovers, who looked sluggish early on. Roberto Lopes was at fault for the opening goal when he gifted the ball to Barlow as the last defender. The 20-year-old stormed into the box to finish coolly past Mannus.
The Hoops had a litany of chances to equalise, before Burke finally converted a deflected effort on the stroke of half-time.
It didn’t take long for the floodgates to open. Watts dipped a perfect free-kick into the top corner five minutes after the break, before fellow substitute Greene struck inside the box.
And Watts hit the net again in the 65th minute, showcasing the strength and ability of the Hoops bench to transform their fortunes.
Hartmann’s late strike will have no effect on the celebrations which will go long into the night around these parts. However, thoughts will soon turn to the possibility of an unprecedented fifth consecutive title.
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus (Leon Pohls, 68); Dan Cleary (Sean Hoare, 46), Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace; Ronan Finn (Neil Farrugia, 3), Sean Kavanagh; Gary O'Neill, Richie Towell (Dylan Watts, 46), Graham Burke (Aaron Greene, 57); Rory Gaffney, Johnny Kenny.
Sligo Rovers: Conor Walsh; Niall Morahan (Lukas Browning, 64), Garry Buckley, John Mahon, Reece Hutchinson (Johan Brannefalk, 74); David Cawley (Owen Elding, 56), Kailin Barlow, Greg Bolger (Stefan Radosavljevic, 74); Karl O'Sullivan, Fabrice Hartmann; Will Fitzgerald.
Referee: Damien MacGraith.
