Soccer

Inspirational Waters helps Rovers move to within four points of Dundalk

Hoops tale advantage of early Derry City red card to win with something to spare in Tallaght

Shamrock Rovers striker Mikey Drennan celebrates with Simon Madden after scoring the first goal of the game against Derry City at Tallaght Stadium. Photo: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Shamrock Rovers striker Mikey Drennan celebrates with Simon Madden after scoring the first goal of the game against Derry City at Tallaght Stadium. Photo: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Tue Jun 09 2015 - 00:55

Shamrock Rovers 4 Derry City 1

Adding a well-taken goal to two assists, Marty Waters helped give Shamrock Rovers a second successive comfortable home win as Derry had captain Ryan McBride sent off after just 13 minutes at Tallaght Stadium.

Rovers, whose striker Mikey Drennan was also shown a red card late on, remain unbeaten in the league after 16 games.

They are now a point behind second in the table Cork City and four off leaders Dundalk.

First goal

Rovers, buoyed by their big win over Sligo Rovers on Friday, weren’t long in taking a grip on the game and they scored a fine first goal on 11 minutes. Right-back Simon Madden put Waters away on the right and the winger skipped to the end line to put over a low cross which gave Drennan a tap in for the easiest of his 10 league strikes this season.

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It got worse for Peter Hutton’s Derry two minutes later when McBride thundered into Rovers’ midfielder Patrick Cregg in the middle of the field.

Referee, Ryan Matthews, eventually showed McBride a straight red card after a bout of shoving from both sets of players which also resulted in Rovers’ captain Conor Kenna getting a booking. Rovers all but put the game beyond Derry after 49 minutes with a sublime goal from Gary McCabe.

Waters did the initial work with a crossfield run before threading a pass through for the run of McCabe whose quick feet took him around Ger Doherty to slide the ball to the net.

A deserved goal for Waters arrived six minutes later as he again cut in from the right and beat Doherty with a low drive.

Brandon Miele got a somewhat bizarre fourth goal on 65 minutes. Looking well offside from Kenna's headed through ball, the midfielder side-footed the ball past Doherty, to leave Derry protesting in vain.

Rovers' Drennan saw red on 80 minutes for reacting aggressively to a challenge by Senan Clucas. Sub Ryan Curran got Derry's goal a minute after his 84th minute introduction.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Hyland; Madden, Kenna (Clancy, 73), Webster, Byrne; Cregg, McPhail (G. Brennan, 66); Waters (McCaffrey, 84), Miele, McCabe; Drennan.

DERRY CITY: Doherty; Sharkey, McBride, S. McEleney, Barry; Clucas, McNamee (Curran, 84), Lowry; Daniels (Curtis, 74), P. McEleney (Morrison, 61), Jarvis.

Referee: Ray Matthews (Westmeath)