Sligo Rovers welcomed Finn Harps to The Showgrounds on Monday night for the first North West Derby of The 2022 season.

A cool, dry evening helped the attendance figure with over 2,600 turning out for our second home game of the season.

Both sides created little in terms of goalmouth opportunity in the opening stages with most of the game being played out in the middle third.

The game sparked into life on 14 minutes however, stand in skipper Adam McDonnell picked the ball up on the left and cleverly found winger Will Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald flicked the ball first time around a Harps defender to Aidan Keena who took a touch and unleashed a powerful shot into the bottom left corner past goalkeeper Mark McGinley.

Rovers created another opportunity ten minutes later, the impressive Niall Morahan ran through midfield and found Will Fitzgerald on the left. Fitzgerald beat a couple of Harps defenders before being snuffed out inside the area.

It was all Rovers at this stage and it was Morahan again the creator as he unleashed Karl O’ Sullivan down the right. Playing against his former club, he cut inside and shot straight at McGinley.

In the 42nd minute, Rovers made it two. O’ Sullivan was tormenting the Finn Harps backline and his cross from the right was only half cleared to Jordan Hamilton. The Canadian showed some neat foot work to lay the ball back to O’ Sullivan who got around his man and whipped in a low cross to Keena who touched perfectly to control the ball into his path and finish low into the far corner to double Rovers half time lead.

The second half was just three minutes old when Morahan’s long ball caused panic in The Harps defence and Keena ran onto the ball and his controlled left footed effort gave McGinley no chance to complete a magnificent hat trick.

Keena almost had a fourth when O’ Sullivan’s cross found him unmarked in the area but The Mullingar native couldn’t control his shot.

O’ Sullivan almost had a goal of his own when he pounced on a mistake in the visitor’s defence but McGinley got down well to deny him.

Liam Buckley made three changes with Mark Byrne, Paddy Kirk and Max Mata replacing Fitzgerald, O’ Sullivan and Keena who received a standing ovation from the home support.

Kirk was straight into the action as he was put through on the left hand side. He found Hamilton in the box but his shot was saved by McGinley. The ball rebounded to Hamilton but he couldn’t steer his effort on goal.

The visitors rallied late on and pulled a goal back through substitute Luke Rudden on 86 minutes to make it 3-1.

Next up for Rovers is a trip to Tallaght on Friday night to take on Shamrock Rovers (8pm).

Tickets are available online at https://tickets.shamrockrovers.ie/