Turner strikes as Hoops make hard work of win

AT the 15th attempt in Europe’s premier club competition, Shamrock Rovers finally registered their first victory last night but celebrations in Tallaght were tempered by the realisation that the home side had made unnecessarily hard work of beating patently inferior opposition.

Rovers even had goalkeeper Alan Mannus — who has been linked with St Johnstone — to thank for a penalty save just before Chris Turner nabbed the match-winner but, in truth, the Hoops should have been home and hosed well before the interval.

Instead, they proceeded to lose their way in the second half and their failure to trouble the scoreboard again means next Tuesday’s return leg in Estonia now looks a much trickier test.

In a pulsating start for the home side, Turner was booked for a dive after tumbling over keeper Stanislav Podek’s outstretched leg before Ronan Finn’s driving run and shot from 25 yards produced a flying save from the Estonian netminder.

In the 11th minute, the keeper again had to be strong to beat back a Billy Dennehy piledriver as Rovers repeatedly threatened to make their early superiority count.

Only some ominous sloppiness in possession by Rovers offered Tallinn a chance to press at the other end but, judging by his colleagues’ reluctance to get up in support of lone frontman Henri Anier, the visitors were content as long as they kept a clean sheet.

In the 27th minute, the overworked Podek was in action again to turn a left-footed Gary Twigg effort away for a corner before Billy Dennehy had an hooked attempt cleared off the line by Nikita Baranov after Pat Sullivan’s deep cross from the right had eluded the nervy Tallinn defence.

But just past the half-hour Rovers suffered a game-changing setback and reprieve all in a couple of minutes.

In a rare sortie into the Rovers box for Flora, Markus Jurgenson was hacked down by Craig Sives but, after the Danish referee had unhesitatingly pointed to the spot, Valeri Minkenen stepped up to hit the tamest of penalties into the grateful arms of Mannus.

Rovers made the most of the let-off, going straight up the other end where Ronan Finn’s low, driven ball across the face of goal caused panic in the Flora defence and, when the ball popped up invitingly for him, Turner was perfectly placed at the far post to blast into the unguarded net.

The goal should have been the platform on which Rovers built a commanding lead in this tie but a lack of momentum, sloppy ball retention and some poor decisions in promising positions meant an increasingly frustrating second half for the home support in a crowd of 5,125.

Half chances came and went for Rovers but, actually, it could have been worse. With five minutes left on the clock, Flora forced a succession of corners as the Rovers goal lived dangerously for the first time in the game.

Then, in time added on, inspirational sub Gary McCabe flashed a free-kick just wide of the Tallinn post, as Rovers belatedly came within inches of giving themselves a much more comfortable cushion for the journey to Estonia next week.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Sullivan, Sives, Oman, Stevens; Turner (McCormack 70), Finn, O’Donnell (O’ Neill 83), Dennehy, Kelly (McCabe 76), Twigg

FLORA TALLINN: Pedok, Kams, Palatu, Baranov, Jurgenson, Alliku (Mashichev 70), Minkenen, Mosnikov, Beglarishvili (Herrem 45), Luts, Henri Anier (Hannes Anier 88)

Referee: Jakob Kehlet (Denmark).