ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC 1 SLIGO ROVERS 5
(Sligo win 7-1 on aggregate)

Aaron Greene scored twice to help ease Sligo Rovers into their first Setanta Sport Cup final. It marked a 54th birthday St Patrick's manager Liam Buckley may care to forget as he watched his side crumble worryingly in suffering a second humbling defeat at Richmond Park inside a fortnight.

His opposite number, Ian Baraclough, will hope that the win, and performance, will finally spark their season to life as they look forward to the May 10th final against either Dundalk or Shamrock Rovers, who meet tonight.

Saints missed some early chances and were punished for their profligacy when Sligo killed off the tie with two goals in five minutes.

Former St Patrick’s midfielder Joseph Ndo instigated the first – finished emphatically by Green – before scoring the second himself, blasting home from Danny Ledwith’s cross.

Further defensive frailties haunted the home side as Sligo added a third on 38 minutes. Cawley’s ball over the top all too easily put Greene in the clear and his finish was sublime as he shot left-footed across Brendan Clarke to the back of the net from a tight angle.

Lynch scored a fine goal from distance on 68 minutes for St Patrick’s only consolation, but just three minutes later Derek Foran turned a cross from Ledwith into his own net to sum up Saints’ night.

John Russell added further woe when poking home a fifth 10 minutes from time after Clarke could only parry a McMillan header.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Clarke; McCormack, Oman (Hoare, half-time), Foran, Fitzgerald; Fahey (Verdon, half-time); Kavanagh, Lynch, Forrester (Chindea, 77), Bermingham; Quigley.
SLIGO ROVERS: Rogers; Keane, McMillan, Spillane, Gaynor; Djilali (Odhiambo, 77), O'Conor, Cawley, Ledwith; Ndo (Russell, half-time); Greene (North, 65).
Referee: Derek Tomney (Dublin).