Report: Shamrock Rovers 0 - 1 Bohemians

Bohemians move into third place in the table thanks to a one nil win over bitter rivals Shamrock Rovers. Glen Crowe struck for the third time in as many games when he profited from a mix up in the Rovers defence just after the restart. It was a tight game from start to finish however Bohs just about deserved the three points.

Rovers lined up as they did against Galway last weekend so Tadhg Purcell again had to be satisfied with a place among the substitutes. With Ken Oman unavailable Jason McGuiness was recalled to the starting line up. Glenn Cronin returned from injury to partner Mark Rossitor in centre midfield. Stephen ODonnell started on the left hand side of midfield.

With the rain pouring down Bohs started the brighter. Crowe tested Barry Murphy with an early shot and a few minutes later Murphy was again called into action when he tipped Jason Byrnes curling right footed shot on to the crossbar and out for a corner

The first twenty minutes were particularly scrappy. The weather didnt help matters, but both sets of players looked nervous and the emphasis was on not making any mistakes. JP Kelly struggled to get into the game, he stayed out wide hugging the touchline and didnt drift infield at all. For Rovers Sean OConnor was lively and ran at defenders whenever allowed

Rovers first real chance didnt come until midway through the half. Sean OConnor did well out wide on the left and crossed for Alan Murphy at the front post. The ex Galway players header didnt trouble Brian Murphy in the Bohs goal and ended up well wide. ODonnell was then booked for a crunching tackle on Rovers captain Stephen Rice

Owen Heary got forward and exchanged passes with Cronin. He then picked out Byrne but his volley was always rising and cleared the mass of gypsies behind the goal. Minutes later only Byrnes lack of pace prevented him from getting on the end of a Crowe flick on. Crowe then broke clear of the Rovers offside trap and picked out Cronin with a perfectly weighted cross. The ex Chester midfielder burst forward and met it first time but his shot was deflected away for a corner

Another former team mate of Rices went into the book for a late tackle on the Rovers midfielder. Sean OConnor took the resulting free kick but the centre back pairing of Barry Ferguson and Darragh Maguire had a wasted journey into the oppositions penalty area as Murphy came and claimed without any difficulty

Towards the end of the first forty five Bohs had a couple of corners and were putting Rovers under pressure. The ball eventually came to Heary outside the box but he wasnt able to keep his half volley down. Rovers broke quickly and Alan Murphy tested the keeper when he turned neatly and fired in a low powerful shot. Murphy then went into the book for dissent just before referee Buttimer signalled for the end of the half

Both sides were still finding their second half feet when Bohs took the led. A long direct ball through the middle caused hesitancy in the Rovers defence. Neither Maguire or Danny OConnor dealt with the danger and Crowe nipped in before calmly slotting the ball underneath the advancing Murphy

Dessie Baker was doing his best to get Rovers back on level terms. He started to cause the Bohs defence problems and after cutting in from the left tried his luck from range. The home side pushed forward at every opportunity but found breaking down the Bohs defence a tough task. Sean OConnor beat his man and progressed into the box but from a tight angle opted to shoot instead of trying to pick out a teammate and saw his shot go into the side netting.

Desperate for an equaliser Rovers pushed more and more men forward but were caught short at the back when Byrne went through one of one with the keeper. The Rovers defence and fans were expecting a flag for offside - it didnt come and Byrne rattled the woodwork before the ball kindly fell to Ger OBrien.

Rovers continued with the pressure and spent most of the last fifteen minutes well advanced in the Bohs half. They won a number of corners but each time the ball came into the box it was a player in a black and red jersey that got to it first. Barry Murphy joined the attack in the last few minutes but his presence wasnt to make any difference. Maguire found space in the box put his first touch was poor and the chance was gone

Deep into the three additional minutes of added time Rovers won a free kick twenty five yards from goal in a central position - but Purcells powerful effort merely cannoned into the wall and Rovers last chance for an equaliser had passed.

With three wins from their last three games Bohs are looking very much like a side that is going to be real challengers for the title. They havent necessarily been playing to their potential and with that in mind manager Fenlon will be delighted with four wins out of of a possible five. They just about shaded this contest and Rovers can have no real complaints with the result.

Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy; Ger O'Brien, Darragh Maguire, Barry Ferguson, Danny O'Connor (Robbie Creevy, 84); Eoin Doyle (Jonathan Martin, 50), Eric McGill, Stephen Rice (c), Sean O'Connor; Alan Murphy (Tadhg Purcell, 55), Dessie Baker.
Subs not used: Darren Stapleton, Karl Coleman.

Booked: Murphy.

Bohemians: Brian Murphy; Owen Heary (c), Liam Burns, Jason McGuinness, Conor Powell; John Paul Kelly (Harpal Singh, 74), Mark Rossiter, Glenn Cronin (Chris Turner, 90), Stephen O'Donnell; Glen Crowe, Jason Byrne.
Subs not used: Chris Konopka, Michael McGinlay, Darren Mansaram.

Booked: O'Donnell, Rossiter, Cronin.

Referee: Anthony Buttimer.
Attendance: 4,300