Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Galway United manager John Caulfield.Lorcan Doherty/INPHO Cian Byrne brace downs Sligo Rovers and sends Galway up to third United win at Showgrounds for first time since 1996. 10.51pm, 12 Apr 2025 Share options Sligo Rovers 1 Galway United 2 Jessica Farry reports from The Showgrounds CIAN BYRNE SCORED twice to see Galway United win a league game at The Showgrounds for the first time in nearly 30 years, as John Caulfield’s side move back up to third place. Byrne scored either side of half-time to put Galway in the driving seat, while Owen Elding’s penalty gave Sligo hope for the latter stages of the game. You have to go the whole way back to 1996 to find Galway’s last win at the Showgrounds, and their last win against Sligo was in 2017 at Eamonn Deacy Park. Advertisement John Russell was keen to kickstart his side’s season with a win against their Connacht rivals, although Sligo’s form this season would make them heavy underdogs. Galway were unbeaten until last Friday’s defeat to Shamrock Rovers. John Caulfield had to plan without one of this year’s standout players in Moses Dyer who was suspended for this tie. In a fairly even first half, the early stages lacked any real chances, although Galway had plenty of the ball inside the Sligo half. Evan Watts in the Galway goals had very little to do early on, but the Swansea loanee was well placed to hold onto Will Fitzgerald’s shot after 19 minutes. The deadlock was broken on 22 minutes. Killian Brouder’s throw from the right was flicked on in an attempt to clear it by a Sligo player, and Byrne was well placed to latch onto the ball to fire Galway ahead. And Byrne made it 2-0 in the second-half with a superb free-kick from well outside the box, giving Walsh no chance in the Sligo goals. Elding had a couple of good chances to bring Sligo back into the game, but he couldn’t direct his shots on target, hitting the crossbar and firing over. Manning won a penalty for his current side against his home town side on 70 minutes when he was tripped in the box by Bobby Burns, with Elding converting. But Sligo couldn’t fashion an equaliser, as a well organised Galway comfortably saw out the tie. They move back up to third, while Sligo’s struggles continue. Sligo Rovers: Conor Walsh; Conor Reynolds (Oskar Van Hattum 54), John Mahon, Gareth McElroy, Reece Hutchinson; Conor Malley (Francely Lomboto 86), Matty Wolfe (Stephen Mallon 54); Will Fitzgerald, Ronan Manning, Jad Hakiki; Owen Elding. Galway United: Evan Watts; Rob Slevin, Killian Brouder, Greg Cunningham; Jeannot Esua, Rob Burns (Stephen Walsh 72); Vincent Borden, Cian Byrne, David Hurley (Sean Kerrigan 80); Jimmy Keohane; Patrick Hickey. Ref: Paul McLaughlin. Jessica Farry Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Cian Byrne brace downs Sligo Rovers and sends Galway up to third ”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Cian Byrne brace downs Sligo Rovers and sends Galway up to third ”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Galway United Sligo Rovers News in 60 seconds Freeas it stands McIlroy leads midway through Masters third round 43 mins ago FreeRegrets Frustration for Connacht as they let chance for Challenge Cup glory slip 51 mins ago Freeleinster sfc quarter-final Kildare hold on for tense win over Westmeath FreeShowdown Northampton hammer Castres to set up semi-final with Leinster Freedifference maker Former Stoke star pushes Inter Milan 6 points clear in Serie A Liverpool edge closer to title triumph after Arsenal slip-up Freeout in front Danielle O'Leary helps Kingdom to record 13th league crown As it happened Bordeaux Bègles v Munster, Champions Cup quarter-final As it happened Ireland v England, Women's Six Nations Here's the tee times and pairings for the third round at the Masters Champions Cup Munster go down swinging after sloppy start in Bordeaux more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account