Byrne brace helps leaders Rovers past UCD

[team1]Shamrock Rovers[/team1][score1]3[/score1][team2]UCD[/team2][score2]1[/score2][/score]

Tallaght Stadium

New Ireland call-up Jack Byrne scored twice as leaders Shamrock Rovers left it late to overcome a spirited UCD side at Tallaght Stadium.

The midfielder was impressive enough in his goalscoring performance against Sligo Rovers two weeks ago that he earned a place in the squad to face Gibraltar and Georgia.

He didn’t make it on the field in either victory, but he terrorised a UCD side who easily could have sunk under the pressure and conceded four or five.

That they didn’t was testament more to the woeful state of Rovers’ finishing as Aaron Greene spurned a hat-trick of certain goals. Yoyo Mahdy had cancelled out Byrne’s opener just before half-time and the Students rode their luck throughout.

It was Byrne who made the telling contribution in the end, driving home a low shot seven minutes from time, before Aaron McEneff ran the ball into an empty net in injury time.

The home side found the top of the UCD net twice within the first ten minutes, as Byrne curled his free kick just over before Dylan Watts did the same from open play.

They should have taken the lead when the livewire Byrne slipped a perfect through-ball for Aaron Greene, but the striker shot poorly when he had just Conor Kearns to beat.

They took the lead on 19 minutes when Greg Bolger intercepted a poor pass from Mahdy and fed Finn on the left.

He passed back inside for Byrne, who dropped a shoulder for a shot that Kearns still should have saved, but the netminder allowed the ball squirm through his fingers.

It should have been two when a poor Kearns kick was volleyed into the box by Watts and, after spinning the defender, Aaron McEneff shot tamely at the keeper.

Kearns redeemed his early error on the half-hour as Byrne hunted down his second, a beautiful shot into the top corner met with an even more impressive save from the UCD stopper.

The Students made Rovers pay for their profligacy seven minutes from the break when Mahdy held the ball up despite the attention of three defenders.

He fed Neil Farrugia, who set up a goal here for Stephen Kenny’s under-21s on Sunday, who slalomed into the box before teeing up Mahdy for an easy finish.

Rovers should have regained the lead before the break but woeful finishing beset Stephen Bradley’s side once more as Greene and Finn both missed gilt-edged chances.

Sean Kavanagh’s centre should have been tapped into an empty net by Greene before Kavanagh set up Finn for a header he turned into the ground from six yards.

The Rovers pressure finally told on tiring UCD legs as Byrne smashed home his second before McEneff finished the job.

Shamrock Rovers:

Mannus; Bone (Clarke 71), Lopes, Grace, Kavanagh; Bolger, McEneff, Finn; Byrne, Watts (Coustrain 59), Greene (Vohic 78).

UCD:

Kearns; Tobin, Scales, Collins, Dignam; O’Neill, O’Farrell, Molloy; McClelland, Farrugia, Mahdy (McDonald 84).

Referee: John McLoughlin.