Premier Division: Shelbourne 1 (Wood 2) Shamrock Rovers 1 (McEneff 16)
Honours even in an instant classic at Tolka Park. Harry Wood’s early goal was cancelled out by Aaron McEneff as Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers showed a crowd of over 5,000 why they have shared the last five Premier Division titles.
Virgin Media’s new television deal with the League of Ireland needed this Dublin derby to grab hold of the channel surfers and refuse to let them go.
A surge of electricity was required. Mipo Odubeko obliged with a vicious shot inside the first minute that forced Rovers defender Lee Grace out of the game.
From the resulting corner, Shelbourne rocked Rovers when Kerr McInroy picked out Kameron Ledwidge on the edge of the box. A crisp effort was blocked by the indomitable Pico Lopes but Wood swept the loose ball into Ed McGinty’s goal.
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One-nil to the champions and Odubeko was only getting started. Switching his attention to Daniel Cleary, the usually unflappable centre-half lost three aerial duels before Odubeko nutmegged him. Unplayable in the early exchanges, even blocking a McGinty clearance, “Mipo” threatened to score hat-trick.
It will come.
Rovers understood the rules of engagement. Eight days since their 16-match European run ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Molde of Norway, they weathered the Drumcondra storm like they had handled European opposition from Cyprus to Austria.
It is established that Stephen Bradley teams will counter any onslaught with calm, possession football. Rovers kept the ball and crafted an equaliser in the 16th minute when McEneff finished after Shels goalkeeper Conor Kearns could not hold Josh Honohan’s arcing cross.
The spectacle surpassed the hype. As the action refused to abate, a chess match broke out between the managers, Bradley and Damien Duff.
Subplots galore, just before kick-off, Liam Burt branded Bradley’s staff “disgraceful” on social media after claiming to have organised his own surgery and rehabilitation. Burt’s contract was terminated by Rovers on February 20th “by mutual agreement” according to a club statement.
“I sincerely hope yous [sic] treat other people with a lot more respect going forward,” said Burt after highlighting the lack of contact from the Rovers coaches for “well over a year.”
“I wish Liam the best of luck,” said Bradley in response to Burt’s remarks.
The former Scotland under-21 winger only made 16 appearances for the Hoops since moving to Tallaght in January 2023 despite two outstanding seasons at Bohemians.
Currently without a club, and having spent last season on loan to Shelbourne, his last game was the title clinching victory over Derry City at the Brandywell last November.
Since that historic night, Duff has brought 4-4-2 back into fashion. Common sense told him to throw Boyd and Odubeko, his rangy centre forwards, at all comers.
Lopes and Cleary met the challenge head on.
Up the other end, 16-year-old Andrew Noonan kept the Shels defence honest with Duff also forced to reshuffle when Sam Bone pulled up after 10 minutes.
Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson was not in attendance, but his assistant coach John O’Shea was an interested spectator. And there were plenty of rangy athletes in the VIP seats, with former Dublin midfielder Brian Fenton sporting his Shelbourne bobble hat.
Shoot first, think later, Odubeko slashed a volley over the crossbar as the second-half took up where the first left off. Next, Lopes made two interventions to deny the former West Ham striker when Wood and Evan Caffrey combined to cut through the Rovers midfield.
It increasingly felt like a moment of quality would snatch all three points. Graham Burke was quietly exceptional for 74 minutes but his curling, left foot shot headed off the goal line by Paddy Barrett.
“We are disappointed to drop points,” said Barrett. “Rovers are a great side, but we are a great side, so two great sides coming together.”
Bradley also finished with two up front as Rory Gaffney and Aaron Greene, with a combined age of 70, replaced Burke and Noonan.
Only a spectacular winner was absent.
SHELBOURNE: Kearns; Gannon, Bone (Norris, 11 mins), Barrett, Ledwidge; Wood (Chapman, 68), Coyle (Martin, 77), McInroy (Lunney, 68), Caffrey; Boyd (Coote, 77), Odubeko.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty; Cleary, Lopes, Grace (C O’Sullivan, 3 mins); Honohan, Watts (O’Neill, 79), Healy, McEneff, Grant; Burke (Greene, 74); Noonan (Gaffney, 79).
Referee: N Doyle.
