The Hoops earned a 4-0 win at Tallaght Stadium

Daire Walsh

SSE Airtricity League Premier Division: Shamrock Rovers 4 Sligo Rovers 0

Johnny Kenny came back to haunt his former club at Tallaght Stadium last night as Shamrock Rovers moved up to fifth in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division table with a convincing victory over 10-man Sligo Rovers.

With an opening half double from Kenny preceding a similar haul by Sean Hoare in the second period, the Hoops are now just a single point behind Waterford and Sligo – who now occupy third and fourth place – in the top-flight standings and with two games still in hand.

Before being signed by Scottish Premiership outfit Celtic in January 2022, Riverstown native Kenny made 34 appearances and scored 12 goals for his hometown club of Sligo.

Now in his second loan spell at Shamrock Rovers, it seemed written in the stars that he would break the deadlock in this game. After he was picked out on the left-flank by Jack Byrne’s inch-perfect diagonal pass on 18 minutes, Trevor Clarke delivered a delicious cross into the area for Kenny to head home.

Ed McGinty couldn’t keep out this effort despite getting a hand to the ball, but the Sligo netminder subsequently denied his former team-mate from point-blank range on the first-quarter mark.

Yet Kenny remained a live wire presence at the heart of the Shamrock Rovers attack and when Sligo defender Gareth McElroy hit fresh air close to his own goal on 43 minutes, Kenny made no mistake from his latest one-on-one battle with McGinty.

While Shamrock Rovers custodian Leon Pohls was perhaps fortunate to only be issued with a yellow card for fouling ex-Hoops player Simon Power outside the penalty box moments later, the hosts were ultimately two goals to the good at the interval.

Sligo midfielder Jack Henry-Francis also received a yellow for a late tackle on Gary O’Neill 10 minutes into the second half, but because he had already been booked for an earlier foul on the Kerry man, this meant his night was brought to an abrupt halt.

This effectively left the visitors with too much of a mountain to climb, but Hoare nonetheless added third and fourth goals in the 64th and 83rd minutes respectively to ease Shamrock Rovers towards all three points.

Meanwhile, Sam Bellis and Padraig Amond found the net at the Regional Sports Centre as Waterford maintained their push for European football with a 2-1 triumph against Dundalk – who remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier Division table at the end of a difficult week.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Hoare; Burns (Farrugia, 46 mins), Watts (Poom, 69 mins), O’Neill, Clarke (Honohan, 46 mins); Mandroiu (Noonan, 69 mins), Byrne; Kenny (McNulty, 61 mins).

SLIGO ROVERS: McGinty; Wilson, McElroy, Denham, Hutchinson; Henry-Francis, Malley (Barlow, 75 mins); Power (Mallon, 75 mins), Chapman, Fitzgerald (McDonagh, 88 mins); Waweru (Pearce, 69 mins).

Referee: K O’Sullivan (Cork).