Final under-21 home game of the season

Sligo Rovers U-21 5-1 Inishowen League

In what was their final home fixture of this season’s eircom U-21 League, Sligo Rovers thrashed their counterparts from the Inishowen League 5-1 last Tuesday night at The Showgrounds.
Inspired by a ‘Player of the Match’ performance from goalkeeper Sean Kelly, the home side dominated this Connacht-Ulster section tie as first team striker Carlos Alvarez struck two first-half goals.
They got off to a great start as they took the lead in the 11th minute. Gary Curran played a ball up to Gareth Gorman who showed good vision as he played an incisive pass into Carlos Alvarez who shot first-time past Inishowen goalkeeper Christopher McLaughlin.
The eventual winners, for whom Christopher Kelly struck a brace of second-half goals, doubled their lead in the 28th minute. Emlyn Mulligan sent Mikey Creane racing down the right and he went to play a ‘one-two’ with Stenson, but the return ball by-passed Creane and came to Alvarez who scored with a snap-shot from the front of the box.
Inishowen should have pulled a goal back in the 32nd minute. James Bradley challenged Gorman in midfield and the ball
ricocheted into the path of Stephen McHugh who went to round stand-in goalkeeper Sean Kelly. But Kelly, who normally operates in an outfield role as a defender, did well to get a hand to the ball and McHugh couldn’t bring it under control and it went out of play.
Rovers had a chance of a third in the 41st minute. Jason McCartney played the ball down the left and Gorman did well to stop it from going out of play before sending in a cross which picked out Shane Stenson. He had a free header but he headed wide.
Rovers had the first chance of the second-half when, in the 53rd minute, Creane cut in from the right and threaded the ball through to Alvarez but he was denied his hat-trick as his shot was saved by the legs of McLaughlin.
Inishowen cut the deficit in half in the 55th minute with McHugh the scorer. He got to the end of a through ball from William McLaughlin and while his initial effort was saved by Kelly, he fired home the rebound.
Rovers restored their two-goal advantage in the 71st minute when substitute Aidan Gallagher released Stenson down the left. He played the ball across to Christopher Kelly who got between two defenders and shot past the advancing McLaughlin.
They scored their fourth in the 88th minute thanks to a surging run down the right from Mulligan, whose perfectly timed ball to Creane sprung the Inishowen offside trap and Creane squared the ball for Kelly who shot low underneath McLaughlin. A minute later Rovers wrapped up the scoring as Gallagher cut in from the left and fed Stenson who shot home from 25 yards.

Player of the Match: Sean Kelly

Sligo Rovers:Sean Kelly, Emlyn Mulligan, Colin Gaule (Christopher Kelly 45), Ryan O’Donnell, Jim Sheridan (Aidan Gallagher 56), Gareth Gorman, Mikey Creane, Gary Curran, Carlos Alvarez (Stephen O’Hara 56), Shane Stenson, Jason McCartney