Heroic Hoops falter as Spurs battle back

“TO Dare Is To Do” reads one of the inspirational slogans picked out in blue letters against a white background inside White Hart Lane.

And, for one brief, giddy moment against Spurs last night, Shamrock Rovers dared and did as, entirely against the run of play, a Stephen Rice goal early in the second half put the underdogs ahead against the hot favourites.

The huge and noisy Rovers support behind Carlo Cudicini’s goal roared its approval and dared to dream. But, after a sweltering day in London and an hour of monumental resistance on the pitch, the Irish champions suddenly found their Premier League opponents simply too hot to handle, as Harry Redknapp’s team turned the game on its head with a blistering three-goal salvo in the space of just six minutes.