St Patrick’s Athletic 3 Bohemians 1
While John Delaney was on the radio tonight describing the League of Ireland as a “problem child,” that’s “a difficult sell on the back of the Premier League,” there was further evidence the people he employs to run the competition are undaunted, with four rescheduled games getting to go head to head with a programme of Champions League football.
For those in Inchicore, at least, there was something positive for the locals to take from the Delaney interview. In answer to criticism from Liam Buckley at the weekend regarding his support for the redevelopment of Dalymount Park as a Euro 2020 legacy project, the FAI chief revealed that he has also been lending a hand to the campaign to have their home overhauled.
With a place of their own in Europe to be nailed down for next season, though, those supporters who had passed up City or Chelsea on the box had rather more immediate concerns to be getting on with.
Dalymount, of course, is just one of the places last season’s champions dropped points on the road this year and with Owen Heary’s side also having dumped their hosts out of one cup and run them close in another, they might have been expecting another tough night.
This, though, was at least as comfortable in the end as the previous league meeting here when Liam Buckley’s men also won 3-1.
Bohemians were edged only slightly in the early exchanges but eventually pretty well beaten with Christy Fagan, Aaron Greene and Conan Byrne getting the goals that make their side’s grip on third spot look that bit more secure.
Both sides had had chances to score over the course of the opening half an hour but even then St Patrick’s looked by far the more likely to take one. Aaron Shanahan, for instance, did well to save with his legs from Fagan a quarter of an hour in, whereas the visitors struggled to test Brendan Clarke before eventually beating him in the closing stages and after Dinny Corcoran had seen a shot deflected high and wide their best chance was his free header that flew well wide of the mark on the stroke of half-time.
By then, the home side were two in front with Fagan finishing coolly to move ahead of Pat Hoban on the league’s top scorer table, when Shanahan committed himself a fraction too early. The striker then sent in a heavily deflected cross that the unmarked Greene had little trouble heading home from a couple of yards.
Chris Forrester might well have made it three after the break but Shanahan did well again. Byrne, though, left the goalkeeper no chance with his angled shot and though Buckley, and Clarke, will be disappointed with the late goal conceded to a tame enough Anto Murphy shot, not to mention the slackness of some of the home side’s play, they were still well worth their win.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Clarke; McCormack, Hoare (Oman, 83 mins), Browne, Bermingham; Bolger (Chambers, 70 mins); Forrester, Fahey (Brennan, 75 mins), Greene; Fagan.
Bohemians: Shanahan; Pender, Lopes, Price, Memery; Beattie, Wearen (Murphy 73 mins), Buckley, Moore (Evans, 66 mins); Hyland (Kavanagh, 57 mins) Corcoran.
Referee: D McKeon (Dublin).
Bray Wanderers 1 Derry City 1
Bray Wanderers picked up another precious point to keep very much alive their hopes of staying in the Premier Division with a deserved draw against FAI Cup semi-finalists Derry City at the Carlisle Grounds.
The Seagulls were desperately unlucky not to take the lead on 22 minutes when a long ball from Dave Webster found Jake Kelly in the clear. His effort from the edge of the box rebounded off the crossbar with goalkeeper Ger Doherty beaten and Shaun Kelly then clearing the danger.
David Cassidy then had a shot on the turn for Bray well blocked by Doherty after the chance had been created on the right by David Scully.
Derry threatened on 35 minutes when striker Rory Patterson had a long range effort just over the bar after Barry McNamee had set up the chance from midfield. But it is was Bray who deservedly took the lead in first half injury time when a cross from Adam Hanlon on the right allowed Adam Mitchell to get in a powerful diving header from close range.
Bray should really have stretched their lead on 51 minutes when another clever cross by Hanlon on the left was blazed just wide of the target by Jake Kelly.
Perhaps against the run of play, Derry were level on 62 minutes after McNamee was taken down in the box by Dave Webster. Patterson made no mistake with the resulting penalty sending goalkeeper Stephen McGuinness the wrong way.
Mitchell again went close for the homeside when shooting wide after a miskick by Josh Tracey.
More drama was to follow on 78 minutes when goalkeeper Doherty was adjudged to have taken down Jake Kelly in the area after a chested pass back from Shaun Kelly. But Jake Kelly blazed the ensuing spotkick wide.
Derry defender Shaun Kelly and Bray’s Niall Cooney were then sent off late on for separate second yellow card offences late on as both sides seemed happy to settle for a share of the spoils.
Bray Wanderers: McGuinness; Cooney, Webster, Mitchell, Barker; Cassidy, G.Kelly, Zambra (Hughes 88), Hanlon; Scully, J.Kelly.
Derry City: Doherty; S.Kelly, S.McEleney, Barry (McBride 88), Jarvis; Tracey (Boyle 96), McNamee, Houston, Timlin; Lowry (Curran 45), Patterson.
Referee: Robert Rogers (Dublin)
Shamrock Rovers 3 UCD 0
Shamrock Rovers sent UCD further into relegation freefall at Tallaght Stadium.
After going nine games without a win, the Students came to Dublin 24 desperately seeking victory from this game in hand to swell the single point buffer over basement side Athlone. Their sluggish start, however, deepened the task.
On seven minutes, Ryan Brennan grabbed his third goal of the campaign by ghosting in to steer Luke Byrne’s left-wing cross home from six yards.
While Gary McCabe was wasteful with the next chance, Sean O’Connor was deadly accurate with his on 19 minutes. When the winger cut in from the right past Colm Crowe, his looked up and curled a delightful shot from 25 yards high into the far corner of the net.
Pat Fenlon’s crew should have increased their lead by the break such was their dominance.
Brennan forced Conor O’Donnell into another splendid stop after he shot on the turn, while McCabe blazed over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy after the goalkeeper had spilled Simon Madden’s floated cross.
Despite Robbie Benson rattling the Rovers post with a free-kick on the stroke of half-time, normal service resumed 10 minutes after the restart when Rovers were awarded a spot-kick for a handball by Hugh Douglas.
Up stepped McCabe to rifle the penalty into the top left corner.
Shamrock Rovers: Hyland; Madden, Kenna, D O’Connor, L Byrne; Cregg (Bayly 21), Robinson; S O’Connor, Brennan, McCabe (C Kavanagh 75); Kilduff (Kelly 67).
UCD: O’Donnell; Matthews, Douglas, Ryan, Coyne; Crowe (Simon 43), Creevy, Mohamed; Cannon (J Kavanagh 74), Benson, Mulhall (Belhout 69).
Ref: D Tomney (Dublin)
