Shamrock Rovers 2
Galway United 0
SHAMROCK ROVERS RETURNED to winning ways tonight in Tallaght Stadium, and closed the gap on leaders Dundalk and Derry, who both drew, with a 2-0 win over Galway United.
With Danny North injured, Mikey Drennan got his chance up front for Rovers, and the Tallaght men instantly looked more dynamic than in previous games, especially with Brandon Miele playing more centrally.
And it was from that position after eight minutes that he scored when he drove towards goal before finding the bottom corner with a clean left-footed strike.
Not short on confidence themselves, Galway responded well, and Padraic Cunningham was unlucky to see his shot from inside the box blocked on 20 minutes, while Vinny Faherty’s volley licked the top of the crossbar shortly after that.
Gary Shanahan played his part in that chance too, and from the right he was a constant danger, while Drennan should have doubled the home side’s lead on the stroke of half time when Miele landed the ball on his head, but he guided his effort wide.
Both Shanahan and Devaney had the beating of their men in the wide areas, and they combined on the hour mark, with the latter sending a deep cross to the back post where Shanahan headed off the crossbar.
Galway continued to impress as the second period unfolded, quelling much of the Rovers attack, and Shanahan maintained his presence in the game and set up Ruari Keating with a superb cross, but the substitute headed just past the post with 10 minutes remaining.
And that missed opportunity came back to haunt Tommy Dunne’s men as Trevor Clarke made the points secure late on, smashing home Gareth McCaffrey’s cross that was missed by Paul Sinnott who swung wildly at the ball in the six-yard box.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy, Madden, Blanchard, D O’Connor, G Brennan, Cregg, McCabe, K Brennan (Webster, 89), D Clarke (T Clarke, 69), Miele, Drennan (McCaffrey, 73) SUBS: Hyland, Webster, Cornwall, Heaney, T Clarke, McCaffrey, Purdy.
GALWAY UNITED: K Horgan, Walsh, C Horgan, Cantwell, Sinnott, Shanahan, Devaney, Sullivan (Foley, 83), Connolly, Cunningham (Keating, 75), Faherty (Curran, 75). SUBS: Dillon, Melody, Foley, Raftery, Curran, Ludden, Keating.
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