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 Damien MacGraith issues a red card to Patrick McClean.James Lawlor/INPHO FreeControversy Contentious McClean red card crucial in Pat's victory over Sligo Rovers Pat’s won out 3-0, but the major talking point of the game was the very soft sending off of the Sligo defender when the game was still goalless. 8.12pm, 10 Aug 2025 Share options St Patrick’s Athletic 3 Sligo Rovers 0 MASON MELIA SCORED a striker’s brace inside five minutes as St Patrick’s Athletic put their midweek European disappointment firmly behind them. While the 17-year-old Tottenham Hotspur-bound striker was central to most of the game’s highlights, Sligo were rightly livid at the sending off of Patrick McClean just before half-time which ruined what had been a competitive game. All but out of Europe ahead of the second leg following their 4-1 home defeat to Turkish giants Besiktas, St Pat’s got their quest for European qualification next year back on track here. Stephen Kenny’s side remain sixth in the table but there are now just five points separating them from second-placed Bohemians. Back-to-back defeats for Sligo sees them remain in trouble second bottom of the table. The chief talking point of a pretty uninspiring first half arrived on 42 minutes when Sligo were astonished in being reduced to 10 men. Centre-back McClean, who was having a very solid game, certainly tripped Melia as the teenager tried to skip by him. Advertisement But despite there being obvious cover there from Sebastian Quirk, referee Damien MacGraith incensed Sligo by brandishing a straight red card to McClean for a last-man challenge in what looked an horrendous decision. Patrick McClean has been handed a straight red card🔴 pic.twitter.com/h6MCLueJAS— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) August 10, 2025 Sam Sargeant rescued Sligo from Jake Mulraney’s resultant free kick with a stunning save to tip the effort onto the crossbar. But a mistake by the goalkeeper would gift St Pat’s the lead four minutes after the restart. Sargeant misjudged Chris Forrester’s ball over the top allowing Mulraney to nip in to walk the ball to the net as the keeper collided with his captain Will Fitzgerald. Sligo were then at sixes-and-sevens as they somehow survived conceding a second goal on the double on 55. First Sargeant saved well from Melia who had nicked the ball a little too easily off Sean Stewart. Simon Power looked set to score from the rebound but for a terrific goal-line clearance by Ollie Denham. But there was no such reprieve a minute later when St Pat’s did extend their lead with another soft goal. Brandon Kavanagh’s floated corner was met by the totally unmarked Melia who found the bottom corner with a downward header. Melia then showed his brilliance with a real poacher’s goal on the hour. Sligo lost the ball cheaply with Kavanagh threading it through for Melia. Accelerating past Denham, Melia nonchalantly rolled the ball with his studd by Sargeant before casually side-footing to the net for his ninth league goal of the season. St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Sjoberg, Redmond, Turner, McClelland; Lennon (Baggley, h-t), Forrester (Robinson, 79); Mulraney (Leavy, 79), Kavanagh, Power (Garrick, 71); Melia (Carty, 71). Sligo Rovers: Sargeant; Quirk, Denham, McClean, Stewart; Harkin (Wolfe, 65), McManus; Fitzgerald, Elding (Manning, 80), O’Kane; Waweru (Kavanagh, h-t). Referee: Damien MacGraith (Mayo). Paul Buttner View 4 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Contentious McClean red card crucial in Pat's victory over Sligo Rovers ”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Contentious McClean red card crucial in Pat's victory over Sligo Rovers ”. 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. 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