Robbie Keane prepares for another homecoming

Shamrock Rovers 0 LA Galaxy 1: The crowd of 6,000 gave Robbie Keane a warm ovation when he was called ashore with a couple of minutes to go in Tallaght Stadium on Saturday.

In truth, there was precious little else for the big attendance to cheer about as a dull game on a poor surface saw LA Galaxy beat Shamrock Rovers 1-0, the visitors’ winner — a deflected Mika Vayrynen shot — coming just before the half-time break.

Keane’s own goal threat might have been comprehensively snuffed out by the Hoops defence but, for the homecoming son, already with one eye on the visit of Poland to Dublin on March 29, the value of the exercise was all about getting more pre-season game-time.