League Report: Shamrock Rovers B 6 - 0 Cobh Ramblers

Shamrock Rovers 'B' made it back to back league wins on Sunday afternoon as a Chris Lyons hat-trick helped them to a record 6-0 victory over SSE Airticity League First Division bottom side Cobh Ramblers at Tallaght Stadium.

Rovers came into the game looking for a second win on the trot having ended a nine game losing streak with an impressive 2-0 win away to Waterford United last week whilst Cobh travelled to Dublin for the second consecutive week on the back of a two goal defeat to Shelbourne.

The opening ten minutes proved to be rather cagey with both teams sizing each other up. However, Rovers soon found their feet with centre-forward Chris Lyons beginning to assert his influence on the game. After turning on a six pence and firing the game's first shot straight at Shane Hallihan, the little Bray man spurned a golden opportunity to open the scoring when his effort was easily saved by the feet of Hallihan after Daniel Purdy set him through on goal with a delicate dink over the top.

Lyons and Purdy were now beginning to link well and combined well again on 16 minutes but Lyons was unable to control the former West Ham man's superb cross.

Nonetheless, it was to be a case of the third time lucky for Lyons as he tapped home the opener with 29 minutes on the clock after a neat passage of play down the right flank culminated in Purdy picking out the former Belvedere schoolboy at the back post.

Just six minutes later Lyons doubled his tally. Cian Kavanagh provided the assist on this occasion by slipping in Lyons on the left-hand side of the box. Lyons then shifted the ball onto his right foot and attempted to bend a shot to the far post that deflected off Gary Comerford and flew beyond the reach of Hallihan in the Ramblers' goal. 

Cobh responded in kind to Rovers' second by nearly pulling one back themselves but Conor O'Malley negotiated his first real test of the afternoon smoothly by smothering Ryan Goldsmith's low finish after the Cobh number seven found himself on the receiving end of a sweeping  counterattack.

Colin Hawkins' side nearly made it three on 40 minutes with Jack Watson blazing over following a neat passage of play down the right flank.

Chances were coming thick and fast now and just as referee Robert Hennessy was about to call time on the first-half proceedings, Cobh wasted another golden opportunity to reduce the deficit only for O'Malley to spectacularly deny Ronan Stanton from close range.

A renewed impetus marked Ramblers approach after the break with Stephen Kenny in particular proving to be a thorn in the side of the Rovers defence.

Despite looking the more likely of the two to open the second half-scoring, Cobh struggled to break down a resolute Rovers rearguard and found themselves both a goal further behind and a man down with twenty minutes remaining.

Substitute Adam Whelan's through ball unlocked the Cork side's defence leaving Eoghan Murphy with no option but to haul down the advancing Lyons inside the danger area.

As a consequence, Murphy received his marching orders before Lyons stepped up to make a little bit of history by completing the first ever hat-trick scored by a player from the newly formed Rovers second string with a confidently dispatched spot-kick.

Shortly after Lyons' third, Martin Deady came close to scoring for the visitors only to see his curling free-kick shave the woodwork.

From that point on, Cobh began to tire both mentally and physically and so the Hoops mercilessly set about boosting their goal difference. A Mark Sandford assist set Whelan up to grab a fourth for Rovers on 83 minutes before Cian Kavanagh got on the end of a fine passage of play to make it five.

Kavanagh started the move himself by picking the ball deep inside his own half before playing a raking cross-field pass for Sandford to lay the ball into the path of Whelan. Whelan then teed up the ex-St. Kevin's player who managed to keep his head and cooly place the ball in the far corner of the Kiltipper end net.

Just when Martin Cambridge thought things couldn't get any worse for his side, Rovers made it six with Whelan completing an impressive brace after being played through by fellow substitute Gavin Boyne.

This emphatic victory will give the young Rovers side great encouragement going into their final six games of the season whilst Cobh on the other hand will be left to lick the wounds of what is their fifteenth defeat of the season.

Shamrock Rovers 'B': Conor O' Malley; Maxime Vuille, Sean Heaney, Michael Kelly, Alan Kehoe; Daniel Purdy, Jack Watson, Ryan Doolin (Boyne 63), Cian Kavanagh, Dylan Kavanagh (Adam Whelan 46); Chris Lyons (Mark Sandford 79).

Subs not used: Michael Kelly, Conor Dunne, Nathan Brown, Adam Whelan, Richard Purdy.

Cobh Ramblers: Shane Hallahan; Brendan Frahill, Eoghan Murphy, Andy O'Connell, Martin Deady; Stephen Kenny, George Gill, Gary Comerford (Robert Lynch 63), Ryan Goldsmith (Anthony O'Donnell 46); Ronan Stanton (Alan O'Flynn 54), Kynan Rocks.

Subs not used: Craig Burns, Nathaniel Gumbo, David Curran, David Browne.

Referee: Robert Hennessy (Limerick)

Attendance: 200

ExtraTime.ie Man of the Match: Chris Lyons