Bohs leave Sligo in crisis as relegation battle reaches climax

Bohemians kept their tenuous hopes of Europa League football next summer alive with a 2-0 win at relegation-threatened Sligo Rovers.

Keith Long’s Dubliners reduced the gap on fourth-placed St Patrick’s Athletic back to five points with two games to play.

St Patrick’s, however, have a game in hand against Cork City on Monday evening, when at least a point would all but confirm their qualification for Europe given their superior goal difference.

Sligo remain in 10th place, two points ahead of bottom side Limerick, but only goal difference separates them from Drogheda United in the relegation play-off place.

Ismahil Akinade connected with a Dylan Hayes cross to head Bohemians in front on 37 minutes at the Showgrounds.

Sligo failed to deal with Bohemians’ aerial threat once again five minutes late when Anto Murphy headed home a corner from Jake Kelly.

Mark Timlin and Barry McNamee scored either side of the hour mark to maintain Derry City’s revival under caretaker manager Paul Hegarty as they beat Limerick 2-0 at Markets Field.

The win, their third in four unbeaten games since Hegarty succeeded Peter Hutton, sees Derry safe from relegation. Conversely, defeat dashed Limerick’s hope of getting off the foot of the table for the first time since April, leaving them two points adrift at the bottom with two games to go.

Midfielder Timlin deflated the vast majority in the 2,647 crowd, breaking the deadlock at the Garryowen venue on 55 minutes when connecting with a free kick in from the left to shoot past Limerick keeper Freddy Hall.

McNamee then punished slack defending to add Derry’s second goal on 62 minutes, following a throw-in near the halfway line.

Patrick McEleney was close to a third goal for Derry when striking the crossbar from distance before then having to leave the field on a stretcher a minute from time.

John Sullivan scored a dramatic stoppage equaliser as Bray Wanderers came from 2-0 down to salvage a big point against Shamrock Rovers at the Carlisle Grounds.

The result prevented Rovers from moving second in the table and greatly eases Bray’s relegation fears.

Despite Bray shading the first half possession, Rovers went in at the interval two goals up.

Pat Fenlon’s side took the lead on nine minutes when Mikey Drennan curled a delightful left-foot free kick directly to the far corner of Peter Cherrie’s net for his 12th league strike of the season.

Bray fell further behind on 37 minutes; central defender Max Blanchard left unmarked to head to the net from Brandon Miele’s corner.

Bray were inches from getting a goal back four minutes later when Hugh Douglas saw his header cannon back off the Rovers’ crossbar from David Cassidy’s cross.

But right-back Douglas did get Bray back into it on 70 minutes when heading home at the back post from Ryan McEvoy’s corner.

Then, five minutes into added time, midfielder Sullivan arrived to meet McEvoy’s deep free kick to loop a header to the net for an important first goal for the club.