TURNS OUT THAT 2-0 is a very dangerous scoreline around these parts.
For the second time in 36 hours class and chaos combined at Tolka Park, and for the second time Shelbourne were the ones left disappointed.
Circumstances were very different but the feeling of regret a constant. On Friday, Shels fought back from 2-0 down against St Patrick’s Athletic only to lose in injury time.
There was no late heartache here, just a sharp reminder that you cannot switch off against Shamrock Rovers.
Harry Wood and John Martin had put the hosts into a commanding lead before John McGovern and Dylan Watts responded for the champions before the first half was out.
Had Shels maintained their early dominance they would have leapfrogged Rovers into third spot. Instead, Joey O’Brien’s side remain in sixth looking up at Stephen Bradley and others.
The coarse disappointment of Friday’s 3-2 defeat had been quickly soothed from the system.
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Shels were 1-0 up on eight minutes and doubled their lead five minutes after that. You’d never have thought they’d been hit with an injury-time gut punch just a few days earlier.
They were sprightly and confident and certainly not feeling sorry for themselves.
Even when Martin blazed over from seven yards before the deadlock was broken their heads didn’t drop. He’d at least prove lethal from a couple of feet soon after.
Joey O’Brien roared with delight at the culmination of a 14-pass move that began with Wood’s layoff from a Sean Gannon throw and ended with the Englishman arrowing a slick effort low to Ed McGinty’s right from 25 yards.
The build-up was patient and precise with Kerr McInroy injecting the necessary speed into play once they broke the lines into the final third.
Wood took one touch to set and if his mind wasn’t already made up to shoot it would have been once the picture opened up in front. His strike was a delicate yet deadly brushstroke, and Tolka Park savoured the bedlam.
It felt like there was a collective cleansing of the spirit after losing to St Pat’s with an injury-time strike.
They were posititely giddy when the advantage was doubled, although Rovers players surrounded referee Rob Hennessy afterwards insisting Kameron Ledwidge’s cross from the right had gone out of play.
They switched off as the ball looped over, Aaron Greene actually ran away from danger with his hand in the air assuming the goal kick would be given. It wasn’t, and the player he had been closest to, Wood, then crossed for Martin to score a simple tap in.
The Shels goals came in a five-minute spell and Rovers would get level during a seven-minute period. They halved the deficit in slick fashion, Greene sparking the move into life with a first-time pass that set Watts towards the penalty area.
Tunmise Sobowale crossed from the right and McGovern shot on the swivel with the ball hitting the post and finding its way in.
The forward was brought down in the box moments later in a moment of madness by Wessel Speel. The Shels goalkeeper seemed to be in control of the situation when McGovern miscontrolled a ball over the top but a rush of blood led to the spot kick.
Watts stepped up and made it back-to-back penalties after his winner against Derry City on Friday. This time he went to the goalkeeper’s left.
Rovers were back in the game, and after giving each other a good aul fright during this manic opening 30 minutes a form of order and discpline was restored.
Both sides had made changes from Friday and the depth of talent was evident not long after the hour when seven substitutes freshened thigs up.
Ali Coote, Jack Henry-Francis and Sean Boyd were sprung from the bench the hosts, while Bradley responded with a quadruple switch to breathe new life into their forward play.
Graham Burke and Michael Noonan were now leading the line with the supply line coming from Jack Byrne and Adam Brennan.
As the game entered the final 10 minutes and both defences remained resolute, Shels turned to Will Jarvis for a bit of stardust.
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Rovers were the ones probing for a winner, and while it didn’t come they had more than proved their point.
Shelbourne: Wessel Speel; Sean Gannon (Sam Bone 65), Zeno Ibsen Rossi, Kameron Ledwidge; Daniel Kelly, JJ Lunney (Will Jarvis), Kerr McInroy (Jack Henry-Francis 55), Harry Wood, James Norris; Maill Lundgren (Ali Coote 55), John Martin (Sean Boyd 65).
Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Lee Grace, Roberto Lopes (captain), Cory O’Sullivan; Tunmise Sobowale (Adam Brennan 68), Dylan Watts (Victor Ozhianvuna 77), Matt Healy, Connor Malley (Jack Byrne 68), Danny Grant; John McGovern (Michael Noonan 68) Aaron Greene (Graham Burke 68).
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More Tolka Park drama as Shelbourne throw away two-goal lead against Shamrock Rovers
Shelbourne 2
Shamrock Rovers 2
TURNS OUT THAT 2-0 is a very dangerous scoreline around these parts.
For the second time in 36 hours class and chaos combined at Tolka Park, and for the second time Shelbourne were the ones left disappointed.
Circumstances were very different but the feeling of regret a constant. On Friday, Shels fought back from 2-0 down against St Patrick’s Athletic only to lose in injury time.
There was no late heartache here, just a sharp reminder that you cannot switch off against Shamrock Rovers.
Harry Wood and John Martin had put the hosts into a commanding lead before John McGovern and Dylan Watts responded for the champions before the first half was out.
Had Shels maintained their early dominance they would have leapfrogged Rovers into third spot. Instead, Joey O’Brien’s side remain in sixth looking up at Stephen Bradley and others.
The coarse disappointment of Friday’s 3-2 defeat had been quickly soothed from the system.
Shels were 1-0 up on eight minutes and doubled their lead five minutes after that. You’d never have thought they’d been hit with an injury-time gut punch just a few days earlier.
They were sprightly and confident and certainly not feeling sorry for themselves.
Even when Martin blazed over from seven yards before the deadlock was broken their heads didn’t drop. He’d at least prove lethal from a couple of feet soon after.
Joey O’Brien roared with delight at the culmination of a 14-pass move that began with Wood’s layoff from a Sean Gannon throw and ended with the Englishman arrowing a slick effort low to Ed McGinty’s right from 25 yards.
The build-up was patient and precise with Kerr McInroy injecting the necessary speed into play once they broke the lines into the final third.
Wood took one touch to set and if his mind wasn’t already made up to shoot it would have been once the picture opened up in front. His strike was a delicate yet deadly brushstroke, and Tolka Park savoured the bedlam.
It felt like there was a collective cleansing of the spirit after losing to St Pat’s with an injury-time strike.
They were posititely giddy when the advantage was doubled, although Rovers players surrounded referee Rob Hennessy afterwards insisting Kameron Ledwidge’s cross from the right had gone out of play.
They switched off as the ball looped over, Aaron Greene actually ran away from danger with his hand in the air assuming the goal kick would be given. It wasn’t, and the player he had been closest to, Wood, then crossed for Martin to score a simple tap in.
The Shels goals came in a five-minute spell and Rovers would get level during a seven-minute period. They halved the deficit in slick fashion, Greene sparking the move into life with a first-time pass that set Watts towards the penalty area.
Tunmise Sobowale crossed from the right and McGovern shot on the swivel with the ball hitting the post and finding its way in.
The forward was brought down in the box moments later in a moment of madness by Wessel Speel. The Shels goalkeeper seemed to be in control of the situation when McGovern miscontrolled a ball over the top but a rush of blood led to the spot kick.
Watts stepped up and made it back-to-back penalties after his winner against Derry City on Friday. This time he went to the goalkeeper’s left.
Rovers were back in the game, and after giving each other a good aul fright during this manic opening 30 minutes a form of order and discpline was restored.
Both sides had made changes from Friday and the depth of talent was evident not long after the hour when seven substitutes freshened thigs up.
Ali Coote, Jack Henry-Francis and Sean Boyd were sprung from the bench the hosts, while Bradley responded with a quadruple switch to breathe new life into their forward play.
Graham Burke and Michael Noonan were now leading the line with the supply line coming from Jack Byrne and Adam Brennan.
As the game entered the final 10 minutes and both defences remained resolute, Shels turned to Will Jarvis for a bit of stardust.
Rovers were the ones probing for a winner, and while it didn’t come they had more than proved their point.
Shelbourne: Wessel Speel; Sean Gannon (Sam Bone 65), Zeno Ibsen Rossi, Kameron Ledwidge; Daniel Kelly, JJ Lunney (Will Jarvis), Kerr McInroy (Jack Henry-Francis 55), Harry Wood, James Norris; Maill Lundgren (Ali Coote 55), John Martin (Sean Boyd 65).
Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Lee Grace, Roberto Lopes (captain), Cory O’Sullivan; Tunmise Sobowale (Adam Brennan 68), Dylan Watts (Victor Ozhianvuna 77), Matt Healy, Connor Malley (Jack Byrne 68), Danny Grant; John McGovern (Michael Noonan 68) Aaron Greene (Graham Burke 68).
Referee: Rob Hennessy.
Attendance: 5,683.
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All Square League of Ireland LOI loi2026 Shamrock Rovers Shelbourne