Rovers (0) 1  - Dennehy 68'
Sligo Rovers (0) 0 - 
Airtricity League - Tallaght Stadium - Friday 3rd September 2010  

1 Alan Mannus
19 Danny Murphy
4 Craig Sives
24 Dan Murray(c)
3 Enda Stevens
8 James Chambers
25 Robert Bayly
18 Chris Turner
20 Billy Dennehy
9 Gary Twigg
11 Neale Fenn

Substitutes:
15 Paddy Kavanagh
23 Thomas Stewart
for Fenn 72'
17 Sean O'Connor
for Bayly 43'
16 Pat Jennings
21 Danny McGuinness

Billy Dennehy
Scored brilliant winner from a free-kick...

A Billy Dennehy super strike was enough for Rovers to squeeze past a Sligo side that came to Tallaght to win. 

A fast and furious opening to the game saw the visitors show their intent and it set up a fascinating contest between the two in-form teams in the league. After the lively opening ten minutes it took a fine defensive block by Danny Murphy to deny Blinkhorn a shot on goal.

Rovers had a great chance on 11 minutes when Stevens cross fell nicely for Fenn and he crossed for Dennehy to head just over the bar from 8 yards out. The visitors had a great chance to take the lead on 15 minutes when the ball fell nicely for ex-Hoop Eoin Doyle but his weak shot was saved by Mannus.

Joseph Ndo was beginning to pull the strings for Sligo and his long throw after 22 minutes saw Peers head towards goal but Mannus saved. A minute later Mannus had to be alert to gather an Ndo free-kick at his hear post.

The Hoops had a moment of respite from the Sligo pressure on 29 minutes when a quick free-kick by Bayly saw Twigg get behind the defence but Sligo ‘keeper Kelly advanced to block the Scotsman’s effort and although fellow striker Fenn got to the ball first a defender got across to block his goal bound shot.

Kelly then saved a shot from Fenn before Alan Mannus was called on again to push away McCabe’s dangerous low free-kick from the left on 39 minutes. Sean O’Connor replaced the injured Bayly just before the break and on the blow of half-time Twigg’s header was saved by Kelly.

The Hoops fared better in the second-half and a couple of early chances from O’Connor and a long range effort from Dennehy went close. Chris Turner then tried his luck from outside the box but again the shot was off-target.

A minute later Eoin Doyle saw his deflected shot bounce around the six-yard box before Stevens cleared. A quick free-kick from Ndo put McCabe in on goal on the left-hand side of the six-yard area but his shot was deflected into the side-netting.

Rovers hit back with Chambers hitting his free-kick on the left on target but Kelly got down to push the ball away. Murphy then blocked a shot from Ndo before an O’Connor cross was met by Sives but he couldn’t guide his header on target.

The game changed in the 68^th minute when Rovers were awarded a free-kick just outside the box on the right and although James Chambers was in attendance, Billy Dennehy stepped up to fire a shot over the wall and into the top left-hand corner of the net. The Stadium erupted to acclaim a quality strike.

The visitors responded almost immediately when Ndo slipped a ball in for Doyle inside the area and the combined efforts of Mannus and Sives blocked his shot and although he managed to cross the ball back across the Hoops area Enda Stevens was on hand to defend McCabe’s shot.

Sean O’Connor went close with a deflected shot on 76 minutes while at the other end Russell saw his close range shot deflected into the side-netting.

The Hoops had a chance to grab a second when Dennehy’s cross on 77 minutes was headed across goal by Sives and Twigg’s glancing header went just wide.

Captain Dan Murray made a fine defensive header from Ndo’s cross with ten minutes left and although the remaining minutes were tense and the visitors pressed for an equaliser the closest they came was when Blinkhorn shot over the bar from just outside the area. The final whistle however was greeted with relief as Rovers had overcome formidable opponents to register a vital win in the opening game of the last quarter of the season.