Bohemians 3 Shamrock Rovers 1
A wonderstrike from Promise Omochere lit up a fiery Dublin derby as Bohemians took another step towards sealing European football for another year.
Rob Cornwall was also on target for Keith Long’s side after Danny Mandroiu had cancelled out Lee Grace’s own goal late in the first half.
Both managers were sent to the stands following a melee after Mandroiu’s equaliser, which may well lead to repercussions for Long ahead of the FAI Cup final in two weeks’ time.
The Gypsies can guarantee fourth spot and a Europa Conference League place with victory at Sligo Rovers next week.
The game took a while to get going as the onfield action took time to catch up with the atmosphere off it, a near-capacity home crowd as Rovers fans weren’t allocated tickets.
Tyreke Wilson had the fans off their seats with a spectacular free kick but Leon Pohls produced an equally good fingertip save to turn it onto the post.
Bohs hit the front thanks to a stroke of fortune as Ali Coote’s inswinging free kick was turned into his own net by the unsighted Grace.
Rovers hit back when Dylan Watts dug out a cross from the right and Mandroiu arrived at the back post to head home against his former side.
The drama was only beginning as the two benches clashed and both Long and Stephen Bradley were shown red cards.
Bohs hit back inside four minutes as Omochere produced a wonderful solo goal, nicking the ball away from Seán Hoare before rounding Pohls and finishing expertly into the roof of the net.
He controlled the ball with his first touch and raced around the onrushing Pohls before sending an inch-perfect finish into the roof of the net.
It got better for Bohs on the stroke of half-time as a corner was only cleared as far as Cornwall, and the defender controlled well before volleying into the corner.
BOHEMIANS: James Talbot; Tyreke Wilson, Rob Cornwall, Ciarán Kelly, Anto Breslin; Keith Buckley, Conor Levingston, Keith Ward (Stephen Mallon 81); Ali Coote (Roland Idowu 90+3) Liam Burt, Promise Omochere.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Leon Pohls; Joey O'Brien (Dylan Duffy 75), Sean Hoare, Lee Grace (Max Murphy 40); Sean Gannon, Gary O'Neill, Dylan Watts, Neil Farrugia (Richie Towell 46); Graham Burke, Danny Mandroiu, Aaron Greene.
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Donegal).
St Patrick’s Athletic 2 Finn Harps 2
Despite a brace of goals from Seán Boyd, Finn Harps’ automatic Premier Division survival has slipped from their grasp as they finished with 10 men, and had manager Ollie Horgan also sent to the stand at Richmond Park.
The result guarantees FAI Cup finalists St Pat’s second place in the table, their highest finish since winning the title in 2013.
Without a win now in seven games, Harps will slip into the promotion/relegation place if Waterford win at Longford Town on Saturday night.
After a tame start, the game exploded to life to delivered its four goals inside eight minutes.
Jamie Lennon’s superb long ball found Darragh Burns in space on the right and his low cross picked out the untracked run of Billy King to give St Pat’s the lead on 15 minutes.
Harps levelled within two minutes as Boyd rifled his free-kick through the wall to the net leaving 18-year-old debutant goalkeeper Josh Keeley rooted to the spot.
In a manic period, the visitors then snatched the lead with a fine goal on 20 minutes.
Collecting Ethan Boyle’s throw, Barry McNamee dinked a delightful ball into the area for Boyd to find the net with a glancing header.
Harps’ delight quickly turned to fury two minutes later, though, as they conceded an equaliser.
They appeared to have a case as Burns looked offside getting on to Lennon’s fine ball to head past Mark McGinley with the Harps bench incensed at the lack of an assistant’s flag.
In a no less frantic second half, Harps had defender Kosovar Sadiki sent off late on for a second booking for stupidly kicking the ball against Burns after fouling him.
St Pat’s might then have won it on on 83 minutes, substitute Chris Forrester’s shot headed off the line by Will Seymore.
Harps manager Horgan, booked for disputing St Pat’s second goal, was sent to the stand in stoppage time for dissent, with St Pat’s head coach Stephen O’Donnell also booked.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Keeley; Bone, Desmond, Griffin (Nwoko, 84), McClelland; Lewis, Lennon (Forrester, 74); Burns, Benson, Smith; King.
FINN HARPS: McGinley (Doherty, 43); Boyle, Webster, Sadiki, Mustoe; Coyle, Seymore; O'Sullivan (Foley, h-t), B. McNamee, Hawkins (Dunleavy, 77); Boyd (Owalabi, 90+3),
Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin).
Derry City 2 Sligo Rovers 0
Jamie McGonigle was hailed a hero at the Brandywell, the Derry striker netting a brace to put Sligo to the sword.
And the win for the ‘Candystripes’ will see the race for the final European place go down to the wire as Bohemians defeated Shamrock Rovers at Dalymount Park.
McGonigle netted his goals on either side of half-time in front of an estimated final home attendance of 3,700 fans.
While the home side certainly did enough to win the match, an understrength visiting side certainly played their part making the home side work hard for the win.
Derry’s intentions were clear from the outset and they started on the front foot going close to scoring in their opening attack.
Will Fitzgerald worked his way up the right flank and his teasing delivery into the danger area was met by Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe who headed the ball recklessly wide from eight yards.
And 10 minutes later a cross from Derry’s Danny Lafferty was met by Fitzgerald but the Limerick native headed the ball high over the bar.
However, the home side’s persistence was finally rewarded in the 18th minute when McGonigle volleyed home his sixth goal of the season after Joe Thomson produced a delicate flick past a Sligo defender.
Sligo, however, refused to be intimidated and in the 37th minute the lively Mark Byrne threatened.
Having displayed great pace and skill on the right flank, he cruised past two Derry players before his shot was blocked by Derry goalkeeper Nathan Gartside.
Within minutes, Byrne charged down a defensive clearance by Gartside, the ball rebounding over the Derry crossbar when it could easily have entered the net.
Sligo continued to push and Gartside produced a superb save to deny Garry Buckley following an Adam McDonnell corner.
However, the side were presented with a superb chance to double their lead during added time at the end of the first half.
Thomson did well to send McGonigle scampering clear and while he did manage to dink the ball over the advancing goalkeeper, Lewis Banks got back to whip the ball off the goal-line, a superb clearance.
In the 55th minute McGonigle went close to netting his second goal, his header following another Fitzgerald cross sailing narrowly wide of the Sligo upright.
A double substitution by Sligo on the hour saw Romeo Parkes going close having wriggled his way into a shooting position when inside the box.
But back came Derry with McGonigle denied yet again when Banks blocked the Dungiven man’s effort on the goal-line.
Always dangerous on the break, Sligo’s Walter Figueira went close to equalising when his shot from 30 yard shaved the Derry upright with Gartside beaten.
However, three minutes later Derry doubled their lead when McGonigle smashed another superb shot to the net after Fitzgerald’s cross had rebounded off a defender and into his path on the edge of the penalty area.
DERRY CITY: Gartside; Boyce, Toal, Coll, Lafferty; Harkin, Thomson; Fitzgerald (Malone, 87); Akintunde (Malone, 76), McGonigle, Ogedi-Uzokwe.
SLIGO ROVERS: Brush; Banks, Mahon, Buckley, McCourt (Donelon, 31); Morahan, McDonnel (Keogh, 59), Byrne, De Vries (Heaney, 85); Figueira; Wright (Parkes, 59).
Referee: D Tomney (Dublin).
