The most recent League of Ireland round of fixtures produced some shock results alongside the normal drama but the star of the show was former Cheltenham Town midfielder Ellis Chapman, who scored a wonderful solo goal to seal Sligo Rovers’ second home victory on the spin against title challengers as the Bit O’Red ran out 2-1 winners over Derry City.
Chapman, who gained experience in the third, fourth and fifth tiers in England before moving to the West of Ireland on a free transfer in February 2024, has been a key player for Sligo and now has six goals to his name for the season.
League of Ireland Review – Bottom Two Need Victories to Avoid Being Cut-Off
A 1-1 draw with league leaders Shelbourne was an excellent result for bottom side Drogheda United but they still are nine points from Bohemians in eighth place, having played two games more than Alan Reynolds’ side. 22-year-old Douglas James-Taylor, on loan from Walsall, scored a late penalty to end the club’s two-game losing streak.
They gained ground on Dundalk, who are sitting in the relegation play-off place in ninth after Jon Daly’s side were beaten 1-0 by champions Shamrock Rovers.
It is the first time that Dundalk have lost back-to-back games under the new regime but it is now three defeats from four after their thrilling 3-2 win at St. Patrick’s Atheltic at the beginning of June.
St. Patrick’s Athletic were beaten by high-flying Waterford and now must be looking over their shoulder, having played two more games than both of the bottom two and an incredible four games more than eight placed Bohemians.
Stephen Kenny’s side are not performing for the former Ireland international manager and will now focus on cup commitments with the FAI Cup and the Europa Conference League qualifiers upcoming with league action currently scheduled to resume at the start of August for Pats.
Drogheda’s resilience in holding the league leaders will give them a platform to build for the remainder of the campaign, but it still appears as though the best they could achieve is ninth place and therefore a relegation play-off.
Dundalk have hit a slump after an initial boost in performances and results under the new regime but with just 13 goals this season across the opening 23 matches, they may lack the firepower to trouble the teams above them.
Two Goal of the Season Contenders as Sligo Pick up Another Three Points
Derry City were in exceptional form heading to the Showgrounds having picked up four wins on the bounce but despite taking the lead from an excellent strike from Paul McMullan, they fell victim to the in-form Rovers who’s second half displayed mirrored that of their win over Shamrock Rovers last week.
Chapman scored an equaliser from the spot before an incredible solo goal late on to secure all three points.
Edward McGinty made a couple of excellent saves again to highlight why extending his loan deal was a big moment in Sligo’s season.
Damien Duff seen his goal-shy league leaders fail to kill off Drogheda but after seeing his side reduced to nine men and the home side on top for much of the second half, there will be relief that they managed to extend their lead at the top.
Waterford were the big winners of the weekend, moving to within seven points of Derry with two games in hand. European commitments will leave a fragmented schedule over the coming weeks so with the top two set to take part in Europe, there is an opprtunity for the newly promoted side to prove they are geniuine title contenders.
Keith Long is doing an exceptional job and no matter how the remainder of the League of Ireland season progresses, they will have exceeded expectations.
Shamrock Rovers kept their faint hopes alive with a win over struggling Dundalk and will point to both Derry and Shelbourne struggling away from home as hope that they can close the gap.
They are 13 points behind Shelbourne with a game in hand.
It was an incredible matchday in the League of Ireland, with three fixtures to look forward to next week and Shelbourne, Derry and Shamrock Rovers all set to represent Ireland in the early qualifying stages of UEFA’s club competitions.