Shamrock Rovers 3 - 1 Dundalk

Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk in Pictures - by Fergus McNally

Shamrock Rovers opened their account for 2011 with a convincing 3-1 win over Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night. Gary Twigg scored a brace in what was a rousing second half performance by the Hoops while Gary McCabe celebrated his league debut with a cracker from 18 yards.

But, up until the 23rd minute of this game, it was the visitors who had looked the more likely to open the scoring against their more vaunted opponents. After a scrappy opening period had been worked through it was Dundalk who were the first team to control a significant passage of play.

A Greg Bolger free kick on 11 minutes found only Gary Twigg in defensive mode while Mark Quigley wasted a more promising free two minutes later. But this was the start of something and, after 17 minutes, Dundalk could have claimed an opener.

Deep in midfield, Jason Byrne picked up the ball and thrashed an exquisite 50 yard pass to Daniel Kearns wide on the right flank. He cut inside and, although his shot was blocked, Quigley nicked the loose ball to Simon Madden who had enough time from eight yards out to do better than see his shot parried away by Alan Mannus.

Both Ross Gaynor and Quigley looped headers narrowly over the Rovers bar in the following minutes while, at the other end, Gary McCabe glided a shot from 15 yards just over Peter Cherrie’s bar after a delicately placed pass from Ronan Finn.

Then, with 23 minutes played Dundalk’s hopes suffered a cruel blow. Colin Hawkins let a through ball run towards his ‘keeper and Gary O’Neill closed the ground to block Cherrie’s attempted clearance. The ball squirted out in O’Neill’s favour some 30 yards from a now empty goal and, as he went to pursue it, Cherrie blocked his progress. Alan Kelly had no hesitation and Cherrie walked.

Rovers looked a good deal more comfortable with the extra man and O’Neill was working hard to fashion a breakthrough. Ronan Finn also came more into the game as the balance of play edged towards the Hoops.

But in the 44th minute a lapse in concentration allowed Jason Byrne to dispossess Rover’s captain Dan Murray inside his own box. Murray scooped the legs from under the Dundalk striker and Byrne smashed the resultant penalty low to Mannus’ left.

It was a blow that Rovers recovered from two minutes into added time when an Enda Stevens cross from the left was chested into Gary McCabe’s path by Gary O’Neill. The ex Sligo man hit it first time from the edge of the box and Paul Murphy could only palm the ball onto the post and in.

Within five minutes of the restart the champions were ahead. Another cross from Stevens was misdirected by Hawkins and arch poacher Gary Twigg was on hand to head the dropping ball over Murphy and into the net.

If that was a soft goal for Dundalk to concede, there was nothing questionable about the quality of Rover’s third just five minutes later. As the ball broke from midfield O’Neill touched a pass through for Twigg, advancing on the left, and his shot from 15 yards arrowed past Murphy and into the far top corner.

At this point Rovers looked as if they might run riot and only a fine one handed save from Murphy denied Twigg a hat-trick in the 64th minute after he was set free by yet another clever ball from O’Neill. One minute later Stevens found Twigg in the box and a superb touch and turn gave him momentary sight of goal. His smart side-footed shot was cleared from the line by Simon Madden.

With eleven minutes remaining Twigg had another chance to claim the match ball when he was sent through from the halfway line by substitute Stephen Rice. Twigg rounded Murphy and would have rolled in Rovers’ fourth but for the presence, yet again, of Simon Madden who had raced back to clear off the line.

In the end 3-1 did not flatter Michael O’Neill’s men who, without having had a perfect evening, showed more than enough to confirm that they are worthy favourites to lift another league title in 2011.



Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Pat Sullivan, Dan Murray, Ken Oman, Enda Stevens; Gary McCabe, Ronan Finn, Chris Turner (Stephen Rice, 78), Billy Dennehy (Paddy Kavanagh, 71); Gary Twigg, Gary O’Neill (Dean Kelly, 83).
Subs not used: Ryan Thompson, Pat Flynn, Conor McCormack, Colm Corcoran.
Bookings: McCabe (66).

Dundalk: Peter Cherrie; Simon Madden, Colin Hawkins, Shane Guthrie, Eoghan Osborne (Michael Hector, 61); Daniel Kearns, Dean Bennett, Greg Bolger (Stephen Maher, 81), Keith Ward; Jason Byrne, Mark Quigley (Paul Murphy, 24).
Subs not used: Nathan Murphy, Ross Gaynor, Mark Griffin, Johnny Breen.
Bookings: Bennett (40).
Sendings off: Cherrie (23).

Referee: Alan Kelly.
Attendance: 5,263

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Gary O’Neill (Shamrock Rovers).