Shelbourne come from behind to down Dundalk

COMEBACK KINGS: Daniel Kelly of Shelbourne, left, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Shelbourne and Dundalk at Tolka Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Shelbourne 2 Dundalk 1

Shelbourne came from behind to earn a huge three points against Dundalk in a scintillating encounter at Tolka Park.

JR Wilson had put the visitors ahead before Daniel Kelly and Harry Wood's three-minute double salvo turned the game on its head.

While their search for a permanent boss continues, the Reds, under current under-20’s gaffer Lorcan Fitzgerald, rallied to rescue a point at the Showgrounds last weekend and showed the same battling spirit to narrow the gap on their fourth-place rivals to just a point.

The visitors, who suffered a surprise blip in their fine season when losing to bottom side Waterford at Oriel Park, included new signing Trevor Clarke on the bench. And despite the breaking news of Eoin Kenny’s impending transfer to Portsmouth, the visitors started like a house on fire grabbing the lead after just four minutes.

Daryl Horgan's deadly delivery from the right was powered home brilliantly at the near post by JR Wilson, who certainly enjoyed netting against his former side.

Missing the attacking trio of Mipo Odubeko, John Martin and Sean Boyd, the home side looked light up front but the man tasked with the goal scoring mantle, Rodrigo Freitas, really should have levelled following a free-flowing move down the left which ended with Kelly slipping the Portuguese front man clear through on goal, but he just couldn't sort his feet in time and scuffed his shot high and wide.

Uproar erupted around Tolka Park moments later when Ali Coote went down under the challenge of goalscorer Wilson who looked clumsy challenging the Scottish attacker, but referee Aaron O’Dowd waved away the vociferous protests.

But two goals in three minutes turned the game on its head for the hosts, first levelling through Daniel Kelly, who reacted quickest to a loose ball in the area. The flying winger then found Freitas at the back post who cleverly put the ball on a plate for Wood who couldn't miss.

It was the visitors turn then to have big penalty claims waved away when Artubi burst into the area, going down under the challenge of Reds skipper, Barrett, but again the referee saw nothing doing.

The hosts were then served up a glorious opportunity to extend the lead when Minogue cleared the ball straight at Freitas, but with the keeper in no man's land, the 24-year-old opted for power shooting straight at the grateful Dundalk stopper.

Despite a late onslaught it was the hosts who held firm to get over the line.

Shelbourne: Speel; Mbeng (Gannon 72), Barrett, Casey (Ledwidge 61), Norris; Coote (Moore 72), Caffrey, Henry-Francis (Bone 82), Kelly; Wood, Freitas (Jarvis 82).

Dundalk: Minogue; JR Wilson, Burns, Cornwall, T Wilson (Animasahun 63 (Groome 74)); Buckley (Tracey, 74), Dervin; Horgan, Teahan, McDaid (Clarke 63); Arubi.

Referee: Aaron O’Dowd.