Shelbourne 2
Shamrock Rovers 1
MARK COYLE AND Will Jarvis produced two moments of magic to earn Shelbourne victory over champions Shamrock Rovers.
And just for good measure, it was manager Damien Duff’s first win in this Dublin derby since taking charge ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Shels were made to work for the three points when Rory Gaffney halved the deficit early into the second half, but after delivering the quality to punish Rovers they then showed the grit and tenacity to hold them at bay.
A win like this, even after two weeks, can cause a ripple effect for a club like Shels.
For Rovers, one point from their opening two games is not the start they’d have wanted, or envisaged.
Duff said things felt too calm among his players heading into their opening night draw away to Waterford last week and that he would make sure there would be no repeat for the first home game of 2024.
In front of a sold-out Tolka Park – all 4,700 – Shels started with a flurry.
They were two goals to the good by the 26th minute and it should have been three considering Tyreke Wilson saw his fourth-minute penalty flash wide of the post after Leon Pohls guessed the correct way with a dive to his right.
The award of the spot kick may have been soft but Daniel Cleary gave referee Rob Harvey a decision to make by leaving his arm on Paddy Barrett’s shoulder a fraction too long.
The Shels defender would soon play another key role from a similar position in the box.
Their confidence wasn’t knocked by missing such an opportunity so early and continued to play on the front foot. It was one such incisive passing move that led to the corner which they took the lead.
Coyle started the move near the right of midfield with a first-time pass that set John O’Sullivan free. His cross to the back post was met by Jarvis whose shot was parried for a corner.
Barrett picked up the second ball when it arrived in the area and showed composure to wait for the right pass under pressure. He set Coyle 20 yards out and the Shels skipper picked his spot with a sublime curled effort that left Pohls rooted to the spot.
Rovers didn’t have an immediate reaction as the hosts continued to impose themselves. John O’Sullivan ran off the shoulder of Sean Kavanagh to find space in the box, taking Wilson’s pass with his left foot and shooting with his right only for Pohls to save well with his feet.
Then Jarvis doubled their lead in the 26th minute with a sublime bit of control to take goalkeeper Conor Kearns’ long punt forward out of the air and take it through a two-yard gap between Cleary and Josh Honohan.
He drove into the box from his left flank, opened his body and slotted low across Pohls into the opposite corner.
It was magic and Shels were in heaven.
Darragh Burns could have brought them back down to earth out of the blue when he made a sweet connection with a volley over his shoulder after a clever run behind.
The effort went inches over but Rovers were beginning to rally.
Graham Burke, introduced for the injured Sean Hoare, almost made the most of a defensive mix up just before half-time but his attempt at a scoop over Kearns was cleared off the line by the retreating Barrett.
Gaffney then had a decent chance entering injury-time only for his back-post header to be well saved by Kearns.
But at least they carried some intent and when Markus Poom was introduced for Kavanagh at the break they started the second half with a bang.
The super Dylan Watts rifled a 25-yard shot off the bar when he was allowed to get turned centrally and drive forward. Now Rovers had an edge, and on 49 minutes they were back in the game.
Burke drifted wide on the left and delivered an inviting ball across the six-yard box where Gaffney was on hand to tap home.
Watts was pulling the strings at this point and Rovers looked a far more threatening from the middle to the final thirds.
But Shels held firm through the pressure. Jarvis and Matty Smith tired and were withdrawn after the hour for John Martin and Shane Farrell respectively.
The latter almost made the game safe on 77 minutes when he was picked out with a clever pass in the box by another sub, Evan Caffrey, only for his shot to be somehow tipped around the post by Pohls.
Aaron Greene had also been introduced for the Hoops by this stage and two minutes after Farrell’s chance he was denied from close range by Kearns.
There seemed to be life in the game entering the last 10 minutes and Gaffney almost snatched a draw in the fifth minute of stoppage time only for Kearns to tip his fierce shot over the bar.
The whistle blew seconds later and a packed, buoyant Tolk Park erupted.
Duff pointed to his crest as the Shels players headed towards the Riverside Stand where they posed for a celebratory photo that tells you all you need to know about what they felt about this win’s significance.
Shelbourne: Kearns; Gannon, Barrett; Molloy, Ledwidge; Wilson, O’Sullivan (Caffrey 53), Coyle (captain), Lunney (Hakiki 90), Jarvis (Martin 66), Smith (Farrell 66).
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary (Greene 71), Hoare (Burke 36), Grace; Honohan, O’Neill, Nugent (Kenny 79), Watts, Kavanagh (Poom HT); Burns, Gaffney.
