Sligo Rovers (1) 1 - Doyle 22'

Rovers (0) 0 -             
 

FAI Ford Cup Quarter Final - Showgrounds - Monday 19th September 2011

Hoops Line out
1 Richard Brush
23 Sean Gannon
3 Enda Stevens
5 Dan Murray (c)
4 Craig Sives
7 Gary McCabe
20 Billy Dennehy
22 Conor McCormack
8 Stephen O'Donnell
11 Ciaran Kilduff 
10 Karl Sheppard

Substitutes
21 Ronan Finn
for Dennehy 57'
9 Gary Twigg
for Sheppard 63'
22 Rohan Ricketts
for McCormack 72'  
19 Gary O'Neill
6 Stephen Rice
18 James Paterson
16 Robert Hughes

Rovers bowed out of the FAI Ford Cup despite a lively start that saw a couple of chances fall to Karl Sheppard. Eoin Doyle bagged the winner in the first-half in and an exciting second period saw the home side run out winners with a late flurry from Rovers not enough to force a replay.

Rovers two men upfront caused the home defence difficulties in the early stages with Dennehy and O’Donnell combining to get Karl Sheppard into the box on the right and his low shot forced Clarke into a decent save.

On 8 minutes Dennehy flicked the ball on for Sheppard to run onto and Clarke came a long way out of his goal but Sheppard knocked the ball around him but his final shot from distance was weak and a defender got back to clear.

Dennehy then connected with a Gannon ball into the area but his looping header went just over the bar. Rovers had a number of crosses and free-kicks into the Sligo box in the opening 20 minutes but couldn’t capitalise on the good start.

The home side got their first break on 21 minutes when Murray failed to clear the ball and Doyle was sent into the area but he shot wide of Brush’s left-hand post.

However a minute later the home side went in front when Greene burst down the Sligo left and his cross was palmed away only for Doyle to shoot into the net from close range.

On 35 minutes Ciaran Kilduff ran into the box on the Rovers right and found McCabe who in turn laid the ball off for McCormack but his shot was blasted over the bar. The Hoops had a great chance to equalise in the 40th minute when McCabe ran at the Sligo box and found Sheppard well placed just inside the area but his shot flashed wide of Clarke’s right-hand post.

In added-on time Keane made a fine intercepting tackle to deny O’Donnell a shot on goal while at the other end Greene just failed to latch on to a through ball from a Sligo counter-attack.

The second-half was played like a real cup tie with plenty of frantic action. Foran headed straight at Brush from an Ndo corner while O’Donnell and then McCormack saw their shots blocked at the other end.

On 55 minutes Ndo found Doyle in the box with a quick free-kick but the ex-Hoop dragged his shot across goal. Sean Gannon sent in a great cross just before the hour but the ball wouldn’t break for O’Donnell at the edge of the box.

Dan Murray then made a good clearance as Doyle tried to get on to a long ball while a counter-attack by Rovers in the 65th minute saw McCabe feed Stevens and he forced a corner that McCabe took and Murray met the ball at the near post but his header went over the bar.

Kilduff couldn’t guide his header on target from Gannon’s cross on 69 minutes but a minute later Sives was harshly adjudged to have fouled Doyle while jumping for the ball at the edge of the area and Ryan stepped up to hit the Hoops cross-bar with his shot.

On 76 minutes Rovers had a chance to draw level when sub Ricketts crossed into the box and Gary Twigg got his shot on goal at the second-attempt but Clarke got down well to save.

Brush was quick off his line to deny Doyle before a slick Sligo attack saw Davoren burst forward and the ball was played to Doyle in the box on the Hoops left but Brush was well placed to beat away his shot.
Blinkhorn then shot wide as the ball bounced in the Hoops area from a long clearance but a Rovers onslaught on the home goal never materialised until deep into added-on time when a McCabe free kick caused a scramble in the box and Sives was fouled right on the edge of the area.

Stephen O’Donnell took the kick and there were loud calls for a handball by Peers in the box but Ref Kelly waved the claims away as the ball was returned into the area and cleared for a corner.

The last corner of the game saw Richard Brush advance into the Sligo box and McCabe’s corner landed just outside the six-yard box and a combination of Brush and Murray sent the ball towards goal but Clarke jumped to his right to save and end the Hoops chances of taking the game to a replay.