Sligo Rover claim their first points as Shamrock Rovers prop up the table

Shamrock Rovers are now the only Premier Division team yet to win a game and are now bottom of the table after defeat to a much-improved Sligo Rovers who picked up their first points of the new season.

Reece Hutchinson had the Bit O'Red in the lead seven minutes from the break only for substitute Graham Burke to equalise on 68 minutes. Sligo skipper John Mahon then struck twelve minutes from time to give the eventual winners their first league victory in nine league games, a run stretching back to last September.

Chasing their first points following a shaky start to the season, Sligo made two changes from the team who were narrowly beaten in Inchicore last Friday. The main talking point being goalkeeper Sam Sargeant's demotion to the bench, replaced by Conor Walsh who made his first start for the club since the final day of the 2023 season having spent spells on loan at both Finn Harps and Wexford last year.

Winger Owen Elding returned to start in place of Matty Wolfe who didn't make the match day squad.

The Hoops arrived in Sligo without a win at the Church Hill Road venue in two years, with three changes following a draw with Shels at Tolka last Friday.

Aaron Greene, Cory O'Sullivan and Gary O'Neill back in, while goalkeeper Ed McGinty returned to the ground he made his name on, starting between the sticks for the visitors. New signing Sean Robertson made the bench.

Both sides cancelled each other out in the opening half. It took 46 minutes for the Dubliners to test Walsh, the Westport man holding a flashed Roberto Lopes header from a corner in added time at the end of the opening half.

The Connacht men missed penalties in two of their opening three outings and had a shout for another spot-kick turned down on 29 minutes.