League Report: Shamrock Rovers 4 - 0 Sligo Rovers

Macdara Ferris reports from Tallaght Stadium

Shamrock Rovers secured a valuable three points at home to Sligo Rovers on Friday night in their quest to confirm European football for next season as they claimed their first clean sheet in the league since the first week of July.

Their 4-0 win came thanks to a brace from both Johnny Kenny and Sean Hoare (both headers off Jack Byrne set pieces) with the Bit O’ Red playing out over 35 minutes with ten men after Jack Henry-Francis picked up two yellow cards.

The Hoops held a 2-0 lead going into the break but there were two massive moments involving referee Kevin O’Sullivan late in that opening half that proved critical to the result and had Sligo Rovers fans raging.

Kenny already had the Hoops 1-0 up when in the 42^nd minute Sean Hoare and Wilson Waweru clashed in the home penalty area.

The referee waved play on rather than take any action on Hoare who had his hands on the striker. Stephen Bradley’s side broke forward quickly and when Gareth McElroy fresh aired facing his own goal Kenny ran through to score what is his 12^th of the league campaign.

The Sligo Rovers defender had handed the Hoops a similar chance earlier in the half with a loose defensive pass mid-way through the half but Ed McGinty spared McElroy’s blushes with a save with his foot.

The second officiating incident involved Leon Pohls in first half injury time. The netminder had been lucky not to see red in the Showgrounds earlier in the season and it was similar in this game. A mix up at the back saw Simon Power get by Pohls on the edge of the area.

The goalkeeper took him down but with defenders around him the referee only flashed a yellow card at the German netminder.

Sligo Rovers had beaten the Hoops for the first time in a dozen matches last time out and took the game to the home side. The strikeforce of Waweru and Ellis Chapman, who had propelled the Bit O’Red to third place coming into the game, kept the home side back three on their toes throughout the opening 45.

Multiple corners from left and right off Simon Power and Will Fitzgerald required vigilance from the Hoops defence. A Chapman header from one of Power’s set pieces was probably as close as John Russell’s side came to scoring. 

When a Sligo man did score the opening goal of the game it was from Kenny who the visiting fans had been giving grief to but he declined to overtly celebrate his goal in the 18^th minute against his former club.

Byrne had freed Trevor Clarke wide left and his cross found Kenny whose touch took the ball home. 

Early in the second period Danny Mandroiu blasted one over the bar with the goal at his mercy and soon after McGinty did excellently to get down low to his left to turn away Kenny’s shot as he searched for his hat-trick.

The game effectively ended as a contest 11 minutes into the second half as Henry-Frances picked up a second yellow card for a late challenge on Gary O’Neill. He had got his first booking for a foul on the same player in the first half.

Hoops Head Coach Stephen Bradley withdrew Kenny soon after bringing on Marc McNulty in his place on the hour mark. He had a chance to score his first for the club straight away after Mandroiu sent him clear but McGinty pulled off a decent save.

The Scotsman later cracked one off the crossbar.

Connor Malley was maybe lucky to only get a yellow card for a scything tackle on Jack Byrne soon after but he only went in the book. Byrne whipped in the resulting free kick that Sean Hoare headed home for what was his first of the season.

With Monday’s match in Galway in mind Bradley had made all five of his substitutions by the 69^th minute as it was just a damage limitation exercise for the visitors at that point.

With all their European matches it meant this evening’s game was Shamrock Rovers first at home on a Friday night for three and a half months. With the league stage of the Conference League not starting till October, the Hoops can concentrate on league action this month. 

They made a great start to a run of five league games in 15 days as they moved into fifth place with the two games in hand on the two teams directly above them in the table – Sligo Rovers and Waterford United – who are both one point ahead of the Dublin 24 based club.

Shamrock Rovers: Léon Pöhls; Daniel Cleary, Pico Lopes, Seán Hoare; Darragh Burns (Neil Farrugia 46), Gary O'Neill, Dylan Watts (Markus Poom 69), Trevor Clarke (Joshua Honohan 46); Jack Byrne, Johnny Kenny (Marc McNulty 61), Daniel Mandroiu (Conan Noonan 69).
Subs not used: Lee Steacy, Seán Kavanagh, Richard Towell, Darragh Nugent.
Booked: Trevor Clarke (32), Cian Barrett (42), Leon Pöhls (45), Sean Hoare (90).

Sligo Rovers: Edward McGinty; John Ross Wilson, Ollie Denham, Gareth McElroy; Reece Hutchinson; Jack Henry Francis, Connor Malley (Kailin Barlow 75); Simon Power (Stephen Mallon 75), Ellis Chapman, William Fitzgerald (Kyle McDonagh 88); Wilson Waweru (Luke Pearce 68).
Subs not used: Richard Brush, Charlie Wiggett, Daire Patton, Owen Elding, David Jonathan.
Booked: Jack Henry Francis (12 and 56), Jack Henry Francis (56), Connor Malley (63), Gareth McElroy (67).

Sent off: Jack Henry Francis (56).

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan. 
Attendance: 4,571 
extratime.com Player of the Match: Sean Hoare (Shamrock Rovers)