Goals from Jack Moylan and Seán Boyd were enough to give Shelbourne their first home win of the season as they beat Sligo Rovers 2-1 at Tolka Park this evening.

Patrick Kirk’s second-half strike proved to not be enough to get the visitors back into the game.

It was a frantic opening 15 minutes in Drumcondra, however neither side could carve out any real chances for themselves with the game mainly being played in the middle third. 

The hosts looked the better side in those opening exchanges and they found the opener on 23 minutes. 

John Ross Wilson managed to win the ball on the edge of the Sligo area before leaving it to Jack Moylan who spun and lifted the ball into the top corner. 

Sligo managed to create chances of their own however Greg Bolger and Aidan Keena failed to give Brendan Clarke anything to worry about in the Shels goal. 

Just before the break The Reds managed to double their lead. Seán Boyd found himself in the same position as Moylan 20 minutes prior and he too managed to curl the ball past Ed McGintly to make it 2-0 at the break. 

McGintly was called into action early in the second-half, getting down low to palm away a header from Moylan. 

Rovers were given far more space in the middle than they had in the first-half and they made Shels pay for allowing it. 

Adam McDonnell slid the ball wide to Paddy Kirk who drove into the box and rifled the ball past Clarke at the near post. 

Boyd looked as though he had restored the two-goal cushion for Shels a few minutes later but was denied twice by McGinty. 

Moylan chipped the ball into the box and Boyd’s header was parried back across the face of goal, McGinty managed to scramble across to get his body in front of Boyd’s following attempt. 

Sligo began pouring bodies into the Shelbourne box but it came to no avail. 

Tonight’s win is not only big given it is the first time Shels have won at Tolka this year, but it also creates some distance between themselves and Finn Harps at the bottom of the table. 

Drogheda United are next to come to Drumcondra, meanwhile Sligo remain in Dublin as they face Shamrock Rovers on Monday.