Sporting Fingal 1-1 Sligo Rovers

Sporting Fingal registered their first point of the 2010 season on Friday night but it should have been all three against Sligo Rovers at Morton Stadium.

Gary O’Neill opened the scoring on 52 minutes when he received a long pass from Conan Byrne, cut inside Alan Keane from the left wing to work the angle and curled a shot past Richard Brush into the far corner.

Sligo looked unlikely to threaten but just five minutes after going behind, they were handed a lifeline as Padraig Amond caught Stephen Paisley in possession on the edge of his own box and calmly rolled his equalising finish under the advancing Brendan Clarke.

The excitement of premier division football coming to Santry was Evident as 1,267 fans buzzed happily into the Santry venue up to an hour before kick off.

After the whistle blew, Fingal mirrored that enthusiasm on the pitch by creating a number of early chances and pressing Rovers backwards.

The visitors’ best chance coming as Amond raced onto a high ball from Gary McCabe after five minutes but the former Shamrock Rovers dragged his shot wide of Clarke’s post.

Shane McFaul was the launchpad to many of the Sporting attacks - his inch perfect passes, picking out Conan Byrne and Alan Kirby as they raided down either flank.

The promoted side came closest in the first half through a free-kick as Shaun Williams picked out his captain Stephen Paisley on the back post whose header back across goal came back off the post.

But the Bit O’Red managed to get a foothold in the game midway through the half and stifled the hosts until the break.

The sole flashpoint of that second quarter was Paisley’s powerful header behind the Sligo defence.

Goalkeeper Brush raced to intercept and appeared to handle outside the area preventing a certain goal for the chasing O’Neill but referee Neil Doyle waved play on.

After both sides had netted in a five minute flurry of goals, chances were few and far between but it was the home side who went looking for the victory, sending on Glen Crowe to partner O’Neill in a more conventional two-man attack.

Ultimately though, Sligo managed to hold on for a draw, despite Keith Quinn advancing from deep in stoppage time and working a shot which was deflected before Brush showed good reflexes to save with his feet.

Sporting Fingal (4-3-3): Clarke; Browne, Paisley, Maher, Quinn; Finn, Williams, McFaul; C. Byrne, O'Neill, Kirby (Crowe 77)
Subs not used: Quigley, Zayed, Gannon, James

Sligo Rovers (4-4-2): : Brush; Whelan, Keane, Peers, Davoren; McCabe (Dillon 70), Ryan, Ventre, Doyle; Blinkhorn, Amond (Doninger 90).
Subs not used: O'Grady, Almeida, Kelly.

Referee: N. Doyle (Dublin).

Attendance: 1267.