Sligo Rovers were knocked out of the FAI Cup on Friday night, losing 3-0 to Waterford in the quarter-finals at the RSC. The defeat extends a poor run of form for the Bit O'Red, who sit 10th in the Premier Division with 23 points from 29 games, having scored just 23 goals all season while conceding 48.
Waterford took an early lead that set the tone for the evening. Conan Noonan delivered a cross in the 8th minute and Pádraig Amond's initial header was blocked by Sligo goalkeeper Sam Sargeant, but Amond reacted quickest to score from the rebound. Sligo Rovers enjoyed spells of possession in the first half but created little. Their best opening came six minutes before the break when Seb Quirk's cross found Archie Meekison, but the chance came to nothing. Waterford's Jorgen Voilas then picked out Amond for a 16-yard effort, but Carl McHugh cleared the danger off the line.
The home side doubled their advantage five minutes into the second half. Conan Noonan crossed from the left, Voilas headed down, and Tommy Lonergan finished with his right foot from 10 yards. The third goal arrived in the 59th minute, an own goal from Ollie Denham. Noah Mawene started the move, feeding McLaughlin on the left, and Denham's attempted clearance from the low cross went into his own net. Sligo's Alex Nolan forced a rare save with a long-range strike that flashed past Stephen McMullan's post with 19 minutes left, but the tie was already over.
The cup exit adds to a challenging period for the club. This result makes it one win in their last five games across all competitions. Their recent form reads zero wins, one draw, and four losses. They have lost their last four matches consecutively. In the league, they are 33 points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers and have a goal difference of minus 25.
Attention now turns fully to the league and the battle to move away from the bottom of the table. Their next fixture is an away trip to face Drogheda United on September 11th. Drogheda are currently 9th, just one place above Sligo in the standings. This match represents a direct opportunity to gain ground on a rival. The full schedule of remaining games is available on our fixtures page.
John Russell's side lined up with Sam Sargeant in goal. The defence consisted of McElroy, McHugh, Denham, and Stewart. The midfield featured George, McManus, Quirk, Meekison, and Shorrock, with Luke Pearce leading the line. Substitutions saw Nolan and Young replace George and McHugh after 64 minutes, Woolery come on for Meekison at 75 minutes, and Cannon replace Stewart with five minutes remaining. The team will need to regroup quickly ahead of the key league encounter at Drogheda.
