Cretaro gives Sligo hope

LEAGUE OF IRELAND PREMIER DIVISION:St Patrick's Athletic 0 Sligo Rovers 2

TWO WELL-taken goals from Raffaele Cretaro enhanced Sligo’s hopes of avoiding relegation as they dragged St Patrick’s right back into the mix at the bottom last night.

St Patrick’s were hoping to build on new boss Peter Mahon’s first win at Bray last week, knowing another victory would give them an eight-point cushion over the play-off places.

But Cretaro’s brace means Sligo leapfrog Drogheda to go third from bottom. And though they remain in the play-off places, they are just three points behind St Patrick’s with six games to play.

The nature of the defeat will worry Mahon, as his side were defensively unstable, showed little desire and had no punch up front.

The sides swapped early chances with Declan O’Brien turning well to curl a shot past the left-hand post of Ciarán Kelly, making his first league appearance of the season after Richard Brush broke a wrist in training on Monday.

Sligo responded, though, and should have been in front on seven minutes. Brian Cash skipped past Enda Stevens to put the cross on a plate for Romuald Boco, but the Benin international planted his header straight at Brendan Clarke, who parried it away.

If that was a missed opportunity, Rovers’ top scorer Cretaro soon showed Boco the way to goal with a superb strike on 14 minutes to punish poor defending. Kelly’s clearance skimmed off the head of a defender to put Cretaro in and the impish striker held off Jason Gavin to drill home off his left foot.

More negligent defending gifted Sligo a second five minutes later. Captain Conor O’Grady put Matt Blinkhorn in behind down the left and his powerful, low cross was tapped home by Cretaro for his 12th league goal of the season.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC:Clarke; Lynch, Gavin, Lester, Stevens; O'Connor, Byrne, Dempsey (Cawley, 87 mins), D Ryan (Leech, 65 mins); Guy, O'Brien (B Ryan, 65 mins).

SLIGO ROVERS:Kelly; Ventre, Peers, Keane, Kendrick; Cash, O'Grady, Boco, Doyle (Ryan, 85 mins); Blinkhorn (Turner, 85 mins), Cretaro.

Referee:Declan Hanney (Dublin).