Sligo Rovers Women’s side held on through six minutes of added time to secure a win in their final home game of the season after two early wonder strikes from Casey Howe and Jodie Loughrey had given them the dream start.

DLR pulled one back through substitute Cliodhna Donnelly in the early exchanges of the second half but despite enjoying the lion’s share of the possession in the second half were unable to find an equaliser to ensure the westerner’s won’t have the opportunity, however unlikely, to leapfrog them on the final day of the season.

In Steve Feeney’s last home game in charge of the Bit O’Red it echoed long stretches of his first six months in the job at the start of last season with some breathtaking goals, top notch goalkeeping and some elements of good fortune at the back to secure the victory against their higher ranked opposition.

It would only take nine minutes for the home side to take control of the game. A speculative long ball finds the speedy Northern Irish international Casey Howe in space wide on the right and she cut back inside and unleashed a blistering effort into the roof of the net past International keeper Eve Badana.

They doubled their lead with a similarly impressive finish, this time from their own international as Jodie Loughrey appeared to be fouled on the edge of the box. She stayed on her feet as the officials played an excellent advantage and her left foot effort found the top corner to evade the dive of Badana once again.

DLR would create much of the quality throughout the rest of the game as new Bit O’Red manager Tommy Hewitt watched on from the stand. He takes up the reins after next week’s end of season clash at the champions Peamount Utd.

Laura Heffernan rang the changes at the half time break introducing Nicole Keogh, Amy Ryan and Cliodhna Donnelly and it would be the latter who would pull one back for the visitors just six minutes into the half.

A Jess Gleeson freekick rattled off the wall and was sent back into the box where it eventually dropped in front of Donnelly. The substitute blasted the ball to the net to give the Dublin side hope of a comeback.

Eve O’Brien looked impressive for the side chasing the game until she left the game on a stretcher after picking up what looked like a bad injury to take some of the sting out of the DLR fightback.

Howe and Doherty continued to be a thorn in the visitor’s side both individually and with ten minutes left combining at a corner for the Donegal youngster to hit the crossbar for the home side.

Two injury time chances at either end weren’t able to change the outcome as Michelle Doonan was upended on the edge of the box when fully through on goal but the referee waved away the protests. Sligo broke and Jessica Casey wasn’t able to get on the end of a through ball from Ciara Henry, her eventual effort rebounding off the underside of the bar and somehow staying out of the net.

DLR will be disappointed to have lost to Rovers for the first time in the senior grade as they draw their season to a close and had a big rebuilding job for next season ahead. Sligo will face Peamount next week in their final game.