League Report: Dundalk 2 - 0 Shamrock Rovers

Dundalk struck early and then withstood long periods of Rovers dominance until a second half goal sealed the tie at 2-0 in Oriel Park.

The Lilywhites were far from having it all their own way in this fixture but they possessed enough quality to hurt Rovers where and when it mattered and successfully withstood assaults which had all the force of Rovers’ fleeting title aspirations behind them. Sean Gannon was one of a number of notable performers, but his effectiveness going forward and solidity at the back personified Dundalk’s successful approach on the night.

After a weekend that saw neither one of these glory hungry sides gain any ground on the other, this match had an air of expectancy. A feeling something had to give. And after a bright Dundalk start, Rovers caved on 16 minutes.

The move began with Ronan Finn who nipped the ball to Towell inside the centre circle, Towell proceeded to plough through the Hoops midfield and made the yards before freeing McMillian on the left who returned the ball to Finn who coolly side-footed it round Barry Murphy from just inside the box. Only his third league goal of the season, one other of which came against his former club and the other in a 8-1 rout of Bray.

Dundalk had previously come close when the game was not even two minutes old. David McMillian won a free deep in the Rovers half; Daryl Horgan’s delivery was met by Brian Gartland and it took a reflex save from Barry Murphy to deny the centre back his 7^th league goal of the season.

The Lilywhites were playing crisp neat football with a touch of panache in the opening quarter, but Rovers did get a grip on the game thereafter, although in a very different kind of way. Despite plenty of possession, their efforts were confined to distance efforts.

Michael Drennan, Brandon Miele and Gary McCabe all tested Rogers from afar approaching the half hour mark - the former a bread and butter save, but the latter ones were a little more taxing on net minder Rogers’ reflexes - Initially, the shoot-on-sight policy seemed born of frustration but it increasingly became an asset in a game where chances were becoming increasingly hard to come by.

Shamrock Rovers closed out the half the stronger side and it didn’t take them long to assert themselves in the second half. The Hoops forced three consecutive corners on the hour mark and had the Oriel crowd positively unnerved.

It seemed as if a Rovers goal was on the way, but Stephen Kenny introduced Chris Shields to stamp some order on what was becoming a frantic game.

It seemed to do the trick. Within five minutes of Shields’ introduction, Dundalk orchestrated their second score of the contest. Meenan (who also came on and had an immediate impact) set Sean Gannon off on a gallop down the right and after a lung-busting run, he cut in to poke it past a hapless Murphy as the Oriel Park crowd celebrated.

For Rovers, it spells the end of hopes of a title charge. They now trail Dundalk by 15 points, albeit with a game in hand. Speaking to ExtraTime.ie after the game, Pat Fenlon was disappointed with the score and indicated that his side would have to accept a European berth as their target for the season:

“We created enough chances to get something from the game. Now we’ve got to make sure we finish in a good position to get Europe as it makes a massive difference to clubs”.

Dundalk: Gary Rogers, Sean Gannon, Brian Gartland, Andy Boyle, Dane Massey, Stephen O’Donnell, Richie Towell, Ronan Finn (Chris Shields 61), John Mountney (Darren Meenan 66), Daryl Horgan, David McMillian (Ciarán Kilduff 73)

Subs not used: Gabriel Sava, Shane Grimes, Kurtis Byrne, Paddy Barrett, Sean Maguire.

Booked: Finn (15), O’ Donnell (41)

Shamrock Rovers Barry Murphy, Simon Madden, David Webster, Luke Byrne, Maxime Blanchard (Ryan Brennan 75), Gary McCabe (Pat Cregg 75), Michael Drennan, Gavin Brennan, Conor Kenna, Danny North, Brandon Miele (Gareth McCaffrey 75)

Subs not used: Craig Hyland, David O’Connor, Kieran Marty Waters, Damian Duff.

Booked: Drennan (9), Byrne (56), Brennan (75).

Referee: Paul McLaughlin

Attendance: 3,956

ExtraTime.ie Man of the Match: Sean Gannon (Dundalk).