Bohemians 0 Shamrock Rovers 2
Goals from Brandon Miele and Trevor Clarke gave Shamrock Rovers victory over bitter rivals Bohemians in this entertaining game at Dalymount Park.
A crowd of 3,622 saw Rovers take the lead on six minutes when Miele met a low cross from Graham Burke and fired a brilliant shot that beat Shane Supple in the Bohs goal.
Bohs had a chance to get back on level terms on 13 minutes. Faud Sule did very well to lose his marker and pass to Paddy Kavanagh on the edge of the Rovers box. Kavanagh picked out Oscar Brennan to his left and slotted the ball over but the inrushing David McAllister made it just in time and cleared the danger.
A minute later Bohs were awarded a free kick on the right of the box near the goal line. Lorcan Fitzgerald, normally spot on in a dead-ball situation, wasted the opportunity though – his strike floating high and wide over the packed six yard box.
Kavanagh was proving a handful for Rovers and he was the provider again on 21 minutes when he fed Derek Pender, who in turn whipped a glorious cross into the box but it was just too high for Kaleel Simon at the far post.
Bohs were left to rue those missed chances though, because Rovers went straight up the other end and doubled their advantage. A move down the right saw Clarke cut in and unleash an unstoppable left-footed strike past Supple and into the far corner.
Rovers went close to getting a third goal on 44 minutes when Gary Shaw got his head to an excellent curling cross from Luke Byrne but his powerful effort could only find the side netting.
Brennan had the first chance of the second half, on 50 mins, when he picked up the loose ball after a corner from Ian Morris had been cleared by the Rovers defence. Brennan turned and shot but his effort flashed high over the bar.
It was all Bohs at this stage and a decent through ball from Kavanagh on 57 minutes found Simon in the box but Luke Byrne stopped him in is tracks.
There was a large garda presence at the game following crowd trouble when the clubs met at the same venue last year. But apart from one solitary pitch invader from the home section on 75 minutes things passed off without a hitch.
BOHEMIANS: Supple; Pender (Hayes 70 mins), Cornwall, D Byrne, Fitzgerald; Morris; Kavanagh, Sule, Brennan, Simon (Doyle 70 mins); Corcoran.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Chencinski; Madden, Lopes, Webster, L Byrne; McAllister; Clarke, Burke, Finn, Miele (Boyd 76 mins); Shaw (O'Connor 90+4).
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Donegal).
