Shamrock Rovers 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 2
Goals from Billy Dennehy and Christy Fagan handed St Pat's the points from this fiercely-contested Dublin derby at Tallaght Stadium.
Dennehy put Pat’s ahead just before half-time with Fagan netting Pat’s second early in the second half. Rovers will be extremely disappointed though because they dominated for long periods of the game and deserved to take something from it.
Rovers started well and looked threatening every time they went forward. Pat’s were able to deal with what Rovers offered but were lucky on more than one occasion.
On 10 minutes Pat's Ian Bermingham cleared a Brandon Miele corner but the ball found its way to Simon Madden on the wing. Madden darted forward and whipped a dangerous low cross into the six-yard box but there was no Rovers man quick enough to react with Pat's having enough time to clear their lines.
Rovers continued the pressure and Pat's goalkeeper Brendan Clarke was forced to dive at full stretch to save a Gary Shaw rocket on 13 minutes. Shaw had another opportunity on 30 minutes but his first-time strike from 25 yards smashed high and wide.
Pat’s were improving and took the lead on 45 minutes when Graham Kelly’s corner took a touch before falling to Dennehy to nod past Barry Murphy.
Pat's continued their good work into the second half and increased their lead on 52 minutes when Fagan headed in from a Mark Timlin cross.
Referee Tomás Connolly signalled for a penalty for Rovers on 57 minutes when Madden was taken down in the box by Bermingham but changed his mind after consulting with his assistant.
Rovers threw everything at Pat’s after that but couldn’t find a way to break them down.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy; Madden, Blanchard, O'Connor, G Brennan; Drennan (T Clarke 78 mins), Cregg, McCabe, Miele; North (D Clarke 72 mins), Shaw.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Clarke; O'Brien, McEleney, D Dennehy, Bermingham (Hoare 90+1 mins); Treacy (Verdon 77 mins); Timlin (Byrne 75 mins), Cawley, Kelly, B Dennehy; Fagan
Referee: Tomás Connolly (Dublin).
Bohemians 3 Wexford Youths 3
Mark Quigley scored a late penalty to cruelly deprive Wexford Youths of a deserved first Premier Division victory at Dalymount Park.
In late drama to match a hectic first half, Bohemians failed to deal with Craig McCabe’s long throw and central defender Gary Delaney ended a scramble by heading over the line to put Youths 3-2 up with 10 minutes to go.
But a rash foul by Danny Ledwith on Roberto Lopes got Bohemians out of jail on 88 minutes. Youths goalkeeper Graham Doyle got a strong hand to Quigley’s spot kick, pushing it onto a post. But the ball spun into the net.
Bohemians were twice behind in an eventful opening half that saw both sides guilty of poor defending.
Youths were ahead on nine minutes. Home left back Lorcan Fitzgerald gave the ball away cheaply to Youths striker Paul Murphy who careered into the area before being pulled down by Dean Delany.
The Bohemians goalkeeper received a yellow before being sent the wrong way by Danny Furlong from the penalty spot.
The response was immediate, though, as Bohemians were level two minutes later. Ayman Ben Mohamed’s sublime deep cross from the left was headed to the net by Quigley.
But further negligent defending saw Bohemians ship a second goal on 20 minutes.
McCabe’s long throw skimmed off the head of a defender to find midfielder Chris Kenny unmarked to head past Delany.
The end-to-end action almost saw Bohemians level again within a minute.
Quigley threaded a ball through for strike partner Kurtis Byrne who contrived to blast wide when he should have scored.
Furlong then had a chance to extend Youths’ lead eight minutes later, volleying wide with only Delany to beat.
The Youths striker then ended a surging run in from the left on 37 minutes by working Delany with a low drive as Bohs continued to struggle.
But in a mad-cap first half, Keith Long’s side equalised again in the first minute of added time with a goal out of nothing.
Winger Paddy Kavanagh made room to let fly from some 25 yards and see his stunning right-foot shot arrow to the corner of Doyle’s net.
BOHEMIANS: Delany; Pender, Murphy, Prendergast (Byrne 34), Fitzgerald; P Kavanagh (Kelly 78 mins), Mulcahy, Lopes, Ben Mohamed (Evans 90+2 mins); K Byrne, Quigley.
WEXFORD YOUTHS: Doyle; McCabe, G Delaney, Grace, R. Delaney; Friel, Bonner (Wall 87 mins), Kenny (Last 90+2 mins), Molloy (Ledwith 57 mins); Furlong, Murphy.
Referee: James McKell (Tipperary).
Derry City 2 Galway United 1
Nathan Boyle was hailed a hero at the Brandywell after Derry City's super sub presented the home side with their third win on the spin with a late brace of strikes.
Having equalised in the 74th minute, the bustling striker netted the winner in the 91st minute when breaking free from the half-way line to stun a Galway United side which had led since the 24th minute.
In fact, it was a trio of second half Derry substitutions proved pivotal in this victory which delighted the Brandywell faithful.
Having taken time to settle into their rhythm, Galway stunned Derry with the opening goal in the 24th minute and it was a soft strike to concede from the home side’s point of view.
A throw-in on the right from Colm Horgan saw Gary Shanahan outwit Derry full back Dean Jarvis and the Galway winger's low cross was prodded home by the alert Kevin Devaney from six yards.
The visitors could have doubled their lead six minutes later when former Derry striker Enda Curran attempted to catch goalkeeper Ger Doherty off his line the ball but clipped the top of the crossbar.
However, the goal served to sting the home lot into action and but for the performance of goalkeeper Conor Winn Galway held their lead at the interval.
Winn did well to deny a curling free from Gareth McGlynn, tipping the ball over his crossbar while both Ryan McBride and Barry McNamee also had efforts saved by the alert Galway custodian.
Ten minutes after the break Rory Patterson was played in thanks to a superb pass from Derry's Danish full back, Niclas Vemmelund, the Galway defending doing well to block the pass.
However, Derry finally levelled matters in the 74th minute. Conor McCormack floated a free-kick into the danger area and after McBride’s shot had been block,substitute, Nathan Boyle drove the loose ball home.
Another Derry sub, Josh Daniels, went so close during the final five minutes, when Winn turned the shot around his post at the expense of a corner.
But as the game moved into three minutes of added time, Boyle raced clear and into the Galway penalty before producing a superb finish with his left foot to send the crowd of 2,000 home in a happy frame of mind.
DERRY CITY: Doherty; Vemmelund, McBride, Barry, Jarvis; McCormack, Monaghan (Boyle, 56 min); McGlynn (Daniels, 65 mins), McNamee, Curtis (McEneff, 70 mins); Patterson.
GALWAY UNITED: Winn; Horgan, Sinnott, Folan, Walsh; Shanahan, Sullivan, Connolly, Devaney (K. Horgan, half-time); Curran (Cantwell, 75 mins), Faherty.
Referee: A Reale (Kildare)
