Shamrock Rovers 4 St Patrick’s Athletic 1
St Patrick’s Athletic came to spoil a momentous season for Shamrock Rovers but the champions refused to bend as two Graham Burke penalties, in between a brace by centre backs Seán Hoare and Daniel Cleary, puts them within touching distance of their third successive title.
It can be sown up on Sunday week when Derry City come to Tallaght Stadium. Or sooner, if Derry fail to beat Sligo Rovers on Monday night.
This live television event got plenty of fireworks on and off the grass as 1,100 of the 7,469 attendance travelled from Dublin 8 to celebrate Serge Atakayi’s early goal, which threatened an upset before Rovers’ quality rose to the surface.
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Rob Hennessy was having an anonymous night. Sure, some Pat’s players, Eoin Doyle in particular, were increasingly incensed by Pico Lopes tackles from behind going unpunished but it was a derby without incident until the first of three penalties.
Despite making the right call, the experienced referee was dragged into the flames. Replays confirmed that Burke was fouled in the box by Ireland under-21 centre half Joe Redmond with 34 minutes played. Burke buried the spot kick, low to the right corner, to level a combustible match under Tallaght lights.
Rovers had relentlessly hunted the equaliser ever since Atakayi finished at the back post, following Sam Curtis’s expert delivery, which Hoare fresh-aired when he should have cleared, with just three minutes clocked.
Soon after, Curtis got under a Richie Towell’s cross to clear off St Pat’s goal-line as the 16-year-old continued his assured introduction to professional football, mixing it up and down the right flank with Andy Lyons, before he makes the move to Blackpool in January. On this evidence Curtis won’t be long for the League of Ireland either.
At least Burke and Chris Forrester appear to be going nowhere. The silky midfielders embellished the occasion, but it was Jack Byrne’s subtle promptings that allowed Rovers grab hold of the game and lead 2-1 at the turn.
Cleary almost sliced a Mark Doyle cross into his own net before scoring up the other end in first-half injury-time. The second Rovers goal was swamped in controversy as Cleary’s initial header was saved by Danny Rogers, before Burke clearly pushed Forrester to allow his team-mate to blast home at the second attempt.
Eoin Doyle and Rogers swallowed yellow cards for remonstrating with Hennessy as matters began to boil over. Rovers manager Stephen Bradley was also booked following a clash between Curtis and Lyons.
St Pat’s struggled without suspended manager Tim Clancy in the dug out as Bradley made a decisive call five minutes into the second half, replacing Byrne with Dylan Watts. The return was instant as the latter’s corner was driven back into the box by Chris McCann, where Forrester blocked Lopes’s shot before Hoare side-footed home.
Leading 3-1, and with Derry City held by Shelbourne at the Brandywell, Rovers were eight points clear at the top.
The Hoops cup spilled over in the next few seconds as word filtered down that Jack Moylan had put Shels ahead before Alan Mannus saved a poor penalty from St Pat’s sub Tunde Owolabi. This particular handball looked harsh on McCann, who was booked by Hennessy, but the Mannus save felt like the climax of an entire campaign.
The third penalty of the night was dispatched by Burke as Anto Breslin received a straight red card for heading the ball on to his arm after Rogers parried Lyons’s rasping effort.
Derry equalised in their FAI Cup final dress-rehearsal against Shels and while they have a game in hand to play on Monday, Rovers can put them to the sword on October 30th.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Hoare, Lopes, Cleary; Finn (Farrugia, 62), Byrne (Watts, 50), McCann (Kavanagh, 76), Lyons (Gannon, 76); Burke (Power, 76), Towell; Gaffney.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Rogers; Curtis, Barrett, Redmond, Breslin; Forrester, Timmermans (King, 64), O’Reilly; M Doyle (Brockbank, 78), E Doyle (Owolabi, 60), Atakayi (Lipsiuc, 78).
Referee: Rob Hennessy.
