Shamrock Rovers 2 Waterford 0
In a game from which he might have had at least a hat-trick, Danny Mandroiu’s brace was more than sufficient to get Shamrock Rovers back in tune after their four-match losing streak.
And on a good night for the champions, second placed St Patrick’s Athletic losing at Sligo Rovers meant Stephen Bradley’s Hoops regained their three-point lead at the top of the table with the cushion of two games in hand.
Mandroiu’s good night should have begun as early as three minutes when, perhaps not realising the time and space afforded him, he saw his tame downward header from Dylan Watts’s cross saved by the feet of goalkeeper Brian Murphy.
Four minutes later Mandroiu’s clever feet resulted in him shooting against the crossbar.
Despite their dominance it was 36 minutes before Rovers seriously threatened again, Rory Gaffney volleying wide from captain Ronan Finn’s cross.
Despite having been predominantly on the back foot, Waterford might have snatched the lead in the minutes before the interval. Shane Griffin had a shot cleared by Watts before Anthony Wordsworth drilled into the side netting.
Playing into the home faithful in the south stand, Rovers ramped up the pressure on the visitors’ goal from the resumption.
It was almost the hour mark, though, before Murphy was troubled again, Watts’s surging run and shot forcing a fine save.
But Waterford did succumb on 61 minutes, in somewhat controversial circumstances.
The visitors were livid at the award, and yellow card, for a handball from substitute Aidomo Emakhu’s shot.
A dreadfully assembled wall was then clinically punished by Mandroiu’s superbly struck free-kick that curled round it to give Murphy no chance.
Waterford’s appeals that Gaffney had strayed offside just before it was struck weren’t entertained.
It should have been 2-0 six minutes later. Brilliantly threaded through on goal from Watts’s pass, Mandroiu drew Murphy only to shoot into the side netting.
But he made no mistake on 80 minutes. Defender Greg Halford dallied on the ball allowing Mandroiu to all too easily nick it from him to skip through and slip his shot past Murphy.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Gannon, Lopes, Cotter; O'Neill (Noonan, 87); Finn, Towell, Watts (McCann, 82), Greene (Emahku, 55); Mandroiu, Gaffney.
WATERFORD: Murphy; Evans (Stafford, 81), Halford, Nolan; Power, O'Keeffe, Wordsworth, Griffin (Quitirna, 66), Mutswunguma (Tshimamba, 76); Patterson, Martin.
Referee: Rob Harvey (Dublin).
Sligo Rovers 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 0
Sligo Rovers claimed their first win in eight games to dent St Pat’s title hopes at the Showgrounds.
In-demand striker Johnny Kenny scored a penalty and Ryan de Vries fired home a brilliant second to secure a win that still leaves third-placed Rovers eight points off their second-placed visitors.
It could not have started much better for the hosts, with a spot-kick awarded inside the first two minutes.
Greg Bolger – back in the team following injury – won a free on the left and swung it into the area for Lewis Banks to flick on. John Mahon chased the breaking ball but went to ground under the challenge of Paddy Barrett and referee Paul McLaughlin went straight to the spot.
Youngster Kenny – a rumoured target for Celtic – showed impressive confidence to step up and fire the ball high to the net for the opener.
It was a blistering start to the game, and the intensity remained high as David Cawley saw a corner bounce off the St Pat’s crossbar, and Garry Buckley blocked a free-kick from Barrett in a good position.
Billy King was becoming a central figure for the visitors, and his effort from the edge of the box on 20 minutes was only parried by Ed McGinty to Mattie Smith, but the midfielder couldn’t keep his first-time strike on target.
McGinty did well to deflect Alfie Lewis’s swerving shot from distance, while Mahon had to slide in to prevent Ronan Coughlan getting on the rebound.
But with St Pat’s still upset of the awarding of a free to Bolger inside his own half, Rovers grabbed a brilliant second.
It was all from De Vries, who claimed possession at the edge of the box and worked enough space to fire an unstoppable effort past Vitezlav Jaros and inside the post.
St Pat’s needed a response early in the second half, but Darragh Burns saw an effort inside the area blocked, and Chris Forrester was unable to cut in from the right when in a good position.
And De Vries nearly doubled his contribution 20 minutes into the half, when he raced onto Andre Wright’s backheel, but powered his shot straight at Jaros.
St Pat’s redoubled their efforts after this let off with Burns and Forrester both getting sights of the Rovers goal within the next few minutes, but neither was able to hit the target, and the Saints left empty-handed.
SLIGO ROVERS: McGinty, Banks, Buckley, Mahon, McCourt, Bolger (Morahan 77), McDonnell (Horgan, 88), Cawley (Keogh, 88), Wright, De Vries (Lorenzen, 72), Kenny (Figueira, 77).
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Jaros, Hickman (McCormack, 67), Barrett, Bone, Burns, Birmingham, Smith, Lewis (Lennon, 88), Forrester, King (Melvin-Lambert, 77), Coughlan.
Referee: P McLaughlin.
Drogheda 3 Bohemians 2
Liam Burt’s extraordinary 50-yard strike counted for nothing in the end as Drogheda United’s three first-half goals was enough to see them leapfrog Keith Long’s side in the Premier Division table.
The Scottish midfielder scored a stunning 50-yard volley just 14 seconds into the second half to bring Bohs back into the contest as memorable a fashion imaginable.
A Mark Doyle penalty and further goals from Joe Redmond and Jordan Adeyemo put the hosts in total control before Burt’s strike. Georgie Kelly’s 89th-minute penalty was a mere consolation.
That was only due to David Odumosu’s fine injury-time save to deny the striker and the large travelling contingent of Bohs fans something from the match.
The hosts comprehensively exacted revenge for their 5-0 loss at Dalymount Park the last time the two sides met. Their three first-half goals may have been overshadowed by Burt’s memorable strike but the points never really looked like being stolen away from Tim Clancy’s team.
Burt’s goal was the moment of the game, perhaps of the season. Just 14 seconds of the second half had elapsed when he beat Odumosu with the volley from 50 yards.
He plucked a header clearance from the sky and touched it around the defender before letting fly. Goals don’t come much better but it couldn’t quite inspire a turnaround as Drogheda stood firm.
DROGHEDA UNITED: Odumosu; Brown, Redmond, O'Reilly, Kane; Phillips, Deegan; Markey (Heeney, 58), Murray (Massey, 65), Doyle, Adeyemo (Corcoran, 89).
BOHEMIANS: Talbot; Lyons, Feely, Kelly, Wilson; Buckley (Ward, 63), Levingston, Tierney (Devoy, 46); Coote (Omochere, 75), Burt; Kelly.
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).
Derry City 2 Finn Harps 2
Finn Harps were denied what would have been sensational back-to-back wins over their great rivals as Joe Thomson’s 90th-minute equaliser spared the blushes of the Candystripes.
However, the temperature rose after the equaliser when Thompson was impeded by Harps goalkeeper Mark McGinley, both players sent off by referee Neil Doyle.
And making matters worse for Harps, who had used their allocations of subs, Johnny Dunleavy was forced to don the No 1 jersey for the duration of added time.
Having knocked Derry out of the FAI Cup in Ballybofey a few weeks ago, the Donegal side were on their way to a memorable win before Thomson let fly with a right-foot shot which crashed into the net.
And while the finish certainly had the attendance of 1,400 on their toes, few could argue that the result was probably a fair one.
Derry broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, a superb strike which was shrouded in controversy.
Harps striker Tunde Owolabi had been challenged for possession on the right flank in front of the visiting dugout and when the player had been brought to ground, the visiting dugout let their feelings be known as the referee failed to react.
And when the loose ball broke to Derry’s Joe Thomson his perfect delivery met the head of Junior Uzokwe who powered the ball home from 14 yards.
In the 38th minute as the Donegal side pressed, the home defence failed to close down the space. When the ball was squared to Jordan Mustoe, he made the necessary space for his speculative effort, the ball curling high into the far corner of the net and Harps were back on track.
On the stroke of half-time, Will Seymore was well placed to head a Ronan Boyce effort off the Harps goal-line.
Following the change of ends, the game ebbed and flowed with Derry youngster Evan McLaughlin dragging his shot wide in the 53rd minute while Owolabi drove his shot into the Derry side netting having burst into the penalty area minutes later.
However, it was Harps who moved into the driving seat in the 61st minute and again the Derry defence struggled to avoid the danger.
Seymore moved the ball forward into the path of Ryan Rainey and with no shortage of space around him the midfielder had time to pick his spot, the ball finding the net off the base of the upright.
Seven minutes later the home side moved well on the front foot but McGinley did superbly well to parry Jamie McGonigle’s shot having just entered the fray as a substitute.
Derry continued to exert pressure but the alert Harps goalkeeper pulled off two top-drawer stops in the space of as many minutes.
McGonigle was set free into a one-on-one situation with McGinley, the goalkeeper doing well to block the striker’s thunderous drive and the Derry striker was denied again when another goalbound effort was deflected wide off the goalkeeper’s body.
Then came that sensational finish which saw both sides having to settle for a share of the spoils.
DERRY CITY: Gartside; McJannet, Toal, Coll (Fitzgerald, 71); Boyce, Thomson, Harkin (Hery, 71), McLaughlin (McGonigle, 62), Lafferty; McAkintunde (Malone, 94); Ogedi-Uzokwe.
FINN HARPS: McGinley; Boyle, McEleney, Sadiki, Mustoe (Boyd 76); Seymore, McNamee; Foley (O'Sullivan, h-t) , Coyle (Dunleavy, 86), Rainey; Owolabi (Connolly, 79).
Referee: N Doyle (Dublin).
