Danté Leverock was the toast of the dressing room after netting the winner in Sligo Rovers’s 2-1 home victory over champions Dundalk in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division at The Showgrounds last night.

The Bermuda captain converted from a setpiece shortly before the break to put the home side back in front, a lead they ultimately held, to earn his team a memorable win a day after celebrating his 27th birthday.

“It was a massive win for us,” said Leverock after the match. “We worked hard and definitely deserved to win.

“We are unlucky not to get the clean sheet and as a defender that’s what you want.

“But to score the winner is a great feeling and credit to this group of boys who never gave up and thank you to the fans.”

Romeo Parkes put Sligo ahead with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

The home side squandered a golden opportunity to add to their lead when Daryl Fordyce dragged wide with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Parkes was then denied by the post as Sligo kept up their unrelenting assault on the visitors’ goal.

However, all of the home side’s hard work was undone when the champions were awarded a penalty which Pat Hoban duly dispatched to bring the teams level.

The goal left Sligo dazed but they eventually regained their edge and ultimately the lead when Leverock tapped in his second goal of the season from a corner in the 43rd minute to earn his team all the spoils and handed Dundalk their second defeat on the spin.

The win was Sligo’s third of the season which lifted them out of the relegation zone from ninth to eight, level on points but behind on goal difference of seventh placed Waterford, who they play on Monday at The Showgrounds.

Leverock hopes he and his team-mates can carry their good form into their next match and steer further away from the drop zone.

“We have a quick turnout game on Monday so we must refocus and get another result,” said the central defender, who joined Sligo on a one-year deal from Estonian outfit Narva Trans last December.