League Report: Shamrock Rovers 2 - 1 Waterford
Tallaght Stadium Credit: Thomas Flinkow (ETPhotos)
Patrick O Connor reports from Tallaght Stadium
It was a case of so near and yet so far for Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night as they relinquished the league title to Shelbourne despite winning their last home game against Waterford 2-1.
There was an audible gasp of disbelief around the stadium when news of Shelbourne’s goal at the Brandywell came through and there was a huge sense of anticlimax for the last ten minutes or so as Rovers fans and players alike began to face the reality that there would be no fifth title in 2024.
Shamrock Rovers got off to the best possible start in this game with a goal inside the first four minutes. Graham Burke scampered down the left wing before sending a defence splitting pass between two Waterford defenders. It seemed to take a deflection off a Waterford boot and into the path of Johhny Kenny who took a step before coolly lobbing the ball over Sam Sargeant for a superb goal.
The Hoops went on to mesmerize the visitors for the next 15 minutes with their intricate passing moves and for a short period it looked like an easy night at the office for the home side.
Waterford to their credit however regrouped from the 20th minute and traded blows with Rovers from there until half time.
Barry Baggley was pulling the strings for them in midfield and he almost equalised in the 19th minute only for Leon Pohls to get a hand on the ball and parry it away to safety.
Kenny also had a great chance to add to his tally in the 24th minute when he was set up by Darragh Burns but he struck the ball with the outside of his foot and diverted it away from goals, much to his own frustration.
Both sides traded half chances up to the half time whistle but there was to be no further goals and it finished one nil at the break
Early in the second half Rovers looked to have wrapped up all three points when they made it two nil in the 54th minute. Darragh Burns fired in a great cross with his right foot, it fell to Neil Farrugia whose shot came off the bar and fell to Dylan Watts who slipped it past Sargeant for what looked like the insurance goal.
The Blues did not lie down however and to their credit they got a deserved goal in the 69th minute when Ben McCormack’s great cross was flicked to the net by Padraig Amond.
Rovers seemed to be happy with their single goal lead and were on course for the league title until that hushed silence that accompanied Shelbourne’s 85th minute goal up in the Ryan McBride Brandywell.
Shamrock Rovers: Léon-Maurice Pöhls; Lee Grace, Joshua Honohan, Pico; Graham Burke (Aaron Greene 65), Darragh Burns, Jack Byrne (Aaron McEneff 65), Gary O'Neill (Markus Poom 79), Dylan Watts; Neil Farrugia, Johnny Kenny (Marc McNulty 80).
Subs not used: Lee Steacy, Seán Kavanagh, Trevor Clarke, Darragh Nugent, Conan Noonan.
Booked: Pico (4), Dylan Watts (48), Darragh Burns (79), Léon-Maurice Pöhls (90).
Waterford: Sam Sargeant; Shane Flynn (Ryan Burke 60), Grant Horton, Darragh Leahy, Darragh Power, Kacper Radkowski; Barry Baggley, Ben McCormack, Dean McMenamy (Rowan McDonald 71), Connor Parsons (Christie Pattisson 79); Padraig Amond.
Subs not used: Louis Jones, Joseph Forde, Kacper Skwierczyński, Niall O'Keeffe, Gbemi Arubi, Samuel Bellis.
Booked: Ben McCormack (83), Kacper Radkowski (84).
Referee: Neil Doyle
Attendance: 9,522
extratime.com Player of the Match: Dylan Watts (Shamrock Rovers)
