High-flying Hoops shake off the Saints

Shamrock Rovers 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 0

The Hoops could even afford yet another missed penalty as they made heavy weather at times of seeing off their opponents but, in the end, goals from Chris Turner and Ken Oman were enough to send the champions two points clear in the Airtricity Premier Division.

Ex-Hoop Stephen Bradley was making his league debut in Tallaght for a St Pat’s side who were surprisingly turned over by Bray last week. But it was no change for a Rovers team looking to build on the momentum of a six-point start to the league season.

And they appeared set to extend their winning ways when, in the 11th minute, Ronan Finn laid the ball off outside the box for Chris Turner, who took one touch to bring it under control and a second to rifle a perfect low drive which beat Gary Rogers’ full-length dive and crashed into the net off the inside of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.

With Dan Murray and Ken Oman in commanding form at the back for Rovers, their number one Alan Mannus had little to do until the 25th minute when, in trying to cut out Daniel North’s high ball across the face of goal, he briefly threatened to turn it over his own goal line before cradling it safely at the second attempt.

In truth, there wasn’t much else in the first half to engage the crowd until, almost on the stroke of half-time, Evan McMillan appeared harshly judged to have pulled back Gary O’Neill as the Rovers striker chased a high ball into the box, referee Tom Connolly wasting no time in pointing to the spot.

But this time Gary Rogers did what he’d been unable to do for Rovers’ goal, diving full-length to his right and pushing Gary McCabe’s shot to safety.

That kept Pat’s in the game. Indeed, despite being a goal behind, the Saints would have gone to the dressing room with a feeling of reprieve that could only have been good for morale.

Sure enough, after Gary O’Neill had spurned another Rovers chance when failing to make decent contact right in front of the Pat’s goal, it then took a full-blooded block at the other end from Ken Oman to prevent Shane McFaul from getting his shot on target after Anto Murphy pulled a ball back across the face of the Rovers goal.

Suddenly, Pat’s were in the ascendancy, as the Rovers rearguard came under its first sustained spell of pressure. And it was the visitors’ turn to hold their heads in their hands just shy of the 70th minute mark when, from a Bradley free on the right, slack marking allowed Dave Mulcahy a free header, which he wasted by flicking wide of the Rovers goal. And just minutes later the Hoops had Mannus to thank as the keeper reacted brilliantly to tip an Ian Daly thunderbolt over the top.

As Pat’s forced a succession of corners, the Rovers goal lived something of a charmed life but, with the experienced Stephen Rice on for Ronan Finn, the Hoops regrouped and made the game safe eight minutes from time, when Ken Oman scored his first goal for the club with a flashing near-post header from Billy Dennehy’s corner.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus, Sullivan, Murray , Oman , Stevens, McCabe, Turner, Finn (Rice 73), Dennehy, Twigg (Sheppard 84), O’Neill (Kilduff 65)

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Rogers; Bermingham, E McMillan, Pender; Murphy, D McMillan (Keegan 84), Mulcahy, McFaul (Harney 84), Bradley; North (Kavanagh 69), Daly.

Referee: Tom Connolly (Dublin).