LEAGUE OF IRELAND Shamrock Rovers 1 Galway United 0:THESE ARE interesting times for Shamrock Rovers Football Club, with a quietly effective team being stitched together by Michael O'Neill, and Saturday's success over a tidy Galway United brought further encouragement.

That the victory was coated in character as the Hoops responded to a third penalty miss at their new home merely added, ultimately, to the satisfaction levels.

Galway goalkeeper Barry Ryan thwarted Greg Cameron’s spot-kick three minutes after half-time, but Rovers ploughed on defiantly, with Dessie Baker’s glancing header from Seánie O’Connor’s cross on 52 proving to be the decisive blow.

Unsurprisingly, O’Neill’s post match summary was favourable. “We are delighted to win the game, we made it a small bit hard for ourselves, obviously, missing the penalty and we had a few chances to score before we actually did. But it was a fantastic goal that won it, great play from Seán O’Connor down the left, and a fantastic header from Dessie Baker.”

Now in third place in the League standings, Rovers’ return to prominence is noteworthy, and O’Neill is already plotting ahead of the July 4th joust with St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park.

“We are delighted with where we are at. We have set targets for points every quarter and we have given ourselves a chance going into the last game against St Patrick’s of hitting that target. All in all I am very pleased and it has been a very good first half to the season for us.”

SHAMROCK ROVERS:Murphy; Tracey (Flynn, 43), Sives, Price, Bermingham; Purcell, Rice, Cameron, O'Connor; Baker (Cahill, 81), Twigg (Robinson, 76).

GALWAY UNITED:Ryan; Conneely, Guthrie, Breen, Davoren; O'Shea, Cooke, McBrien, McGrath; Molloy (Edwards, 72), Faherty.

Referee:T Connolly (Dublin).