Sligo Rovers have secured a famous 1-0 win over Motherwell in the first leg of their Europa Conference League second round qualifying tie.
Playing away from home, Sligo went ahead in the 27th minute when Aiden Keena chipped the Motherwell keeper after a disastrous mistake from Motherwell defender Bevis Mugabe.
A speculative boot downfield from deep in Sligo's half looked like a straightforward situation for Mugabe, but he misjudged his header back to his keeper with the ball landing to Keena instead with the striker able to complete the fairly straightforward chip.
What a finish. Get in there!!!! 🔴⚪️ #WellMudder @sligorovers pic.twitter.com/MHbWNS0SZB
— JJ Devaney (@JJDevaney) July 21, 2022
Sligo Rovers held out well in Fir Park, and survived the seven minutes injury time to take a precious one goal advantage back to the Showgrounds next week.
St. Patrick's Athletic were also competing in the same round of Europa Conference League qualifying, with the Inchicore outfit drawing 1-1 at home to Slovenian side Mura.
Not only is the result of Sligo Rovers fantastic for the club, but also for the League of Ireland in general, and is interesting considering the constant comparisons between the standards of the League of Ireland and the Scottish Premier League.
Furthermore, Sligo Rovers suffered a considerable blow during the week when their talented keeper Ed McGinty was snapped up by Oxford United.
McGinty had been the hero in the last round of qualifying, with the Scottish born keeper putting in a man-of-the-match performance against Bala Town.
Sligo Rovers boss John Russell said the following on McGinty's departure;
‘’We were sorry to see Ed leave. It was emotional for everyone. Ed has been at this club for a number of years, and during that time we have seen him develop through our Academy and into our First Team where he became the number one goalkeeper," Russell said.
"Ed has got all the attributes to go to the highest level so we knew this day would come eventually. He has worked extremely hard and given his all for Sligo Rovers. We wish him all the best as he makes the next step in his career. He has left a great legacy behind, and our supporters will never forget his last game for the club.’’
SEE ALSO: Darwin Nunez Silences Critics With 4 Goals In Liverpool Pre-Season Outing
