Dennehy’s late heroics grabs point for Rovers

“THAT’S why we’re champions,” sang the Shamrock Rovers crowd as they watched their side snatch an unlikely point with an equaliser two minutes into stoppage time.

Trailing to a brace of well-taken goals from Marc Griffin, substitute Chris Turner began Rovers’ revival on 79 minutes when rifling home from outside the box after Dundalk goalkeeper Peter Cherrie punched a cross.

The stadium then erupted into relief on 92 minutes when winger Billy Dennehy got his head to a Pat Sullivan cross to loop the ball over Cherrie and into the net to rapturous celebrations.

The result keeps Rovers just a point clear at the top with big games at Sligo Rovers and St Pat’s up next.

An unconvincing display it may have been, but early impressions augured differently as, with two changes from the side that steamrolled Galway United on Friday night, Rovers started with a spring in their step and opened up Dundalk a little too easily twice inside the first three minutes.

Gary O’Neill feinted to make space some 20 yards out but his weak shot was easy for Cherrie. A one-two with Dennehy then saw O’Neill head wide.

But Dundalk had a prompt response on six minutes when a neat one-two of their own saw Mark Quigley put Griffin through on goal. The finish was poor, though, as the youngster’s flick was straight at Alan Mannus.

In a bright start, Rovers threatened again at the other end within three minutes. O’Neill was again not picked up as his downward header, from Gary McCabe’s right wing delivery, bounced over Cherrie’s bar.

It was open, though, and a terrific ball in from the left by Ross Gaynor picked out Quigley to gift Dundalk perhaps the first real chance of the game on 20 minutes. But Quigley undid his delightful first touch by placing his shot wide.

But there was no reprieve for Rovers’ square defence which was breached three minutes later. Keith Ward interchanged passes with Quigley to put Griffin in on goal and the 20-year-old made amends for his earlier miss to tuck the ball past Mannus.

Griffin again exposed the flat Rovers defence three minutes into the second half. Latching onto Quigley’s pass, he skipped past Hoops’ captain Dan Murray only to plant a feeble shot into the arms of Mannus.

With Craig Sives on for Murray to sort out that defence, Rovers enjoyed a decent spell with Dennehy drilling narrowly wide following McCabe’s low cross on the hour. But two minutes later further poor defending by Rovers saw them concede a second.

Ross Gaynor whipped in a superb free kick from the right and Griffin out-jumped his marker to head home.

Then came Rovers’ late heroics.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Sullivan, Oman, Murray (Sives, 54 mins.), Stevens; McCabe, Finn, O’Donnell (Turner, 64 mins.), Dennehy; Twigg (Sheppard, 67 mins.), O’Neill.

DUNDALK: Cherrie; Madden, Bennett, Hawkins, Murphy; Kearns, Ward, Bolger, Gaynor; Quigley, Griffin.

Referee: Alan Kelly (Cork).