League Report: Shamrock Rovers 4 - 1 Drogheda United

From Macdara Ferris in Tallaght Stadium

The teenagers ran riot for Shamrock Rovers in the second half as the Hoops got their eighth win in a ten home game unbeaten sequence as they defeated Drogheda United 4-1 at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night.

Gary Shaw opened the scoring before three teenagers Trevor Clarke, James Doona and Aaron Bolger got on the scoresheet for the Hoops. United did manage to score for the first time in seven matches but Sean Brennan’s strike was mere consolation.

The Hoops certainly created the bulk of the chances in the first half but the home team couldn’t prosper from the superior possession or from their four first half corners. Having said that Drogheda themselves had chances and a number of times forced saves from Tomer Chencinski with Adam Wixted being particularly wasteful with his chance on the half hour mark.

There has been speculation on the possibility of Clarke making the move across to England in the transfer window and as per usual Clarke was a lively contributor to proceedings. Both Colm Deasy and Ciaran McGuigan left their mark on Clarke with tackles and McGuigan went in the book before the break for too robust a challenge on Clarke.

Drogs 'keeper Stephen McGuinness was tested in the opening few minutes. He had to gather a Roberto Lopes header on four minutes before a minute later he prevented the Hoops going 1-0 ahead.

When Michael O’Connor picked up a Ryan Connolly pass and stepped inside his marker, he freed up space to play his strike partner in on goal. Gary Shaw should have done better from the one-on-one situation but McGuinness had been lively to the danger. United did go close through Mark Doyle when his shot from an acute angle was pushed around the post by Chencinski just after the quarter hour mark.

It took until the last ten minutes of the opening half though for Rovers to really get going. The Hoops should have gone a goal ahead, but couldn’t make their multitude of chances count. The visitors weren’t helped by having to rejig their side as Stephen Elliot went off injured.

Brandon Miele, who switched wings with Clarke, skinned Deasy and his centre was toe poked onto the bottom of the post by O’Connor. Next the striker nipped in between defender and McGuiness who was out of his area but O’Connor’s cross came to Shaw whose acrobatic effort resulted in a free out. Miele, with a shot wide, and Clarke, with a low driven effort, both went close on the half time whistle but it remained scoreless at the break.

After all that pressure before the pause in proceedings, the Hoops took the lead within a minute of the restart with a really well worked goal. Miele’s run and cross down the right was beautifully controlled by O’Connor into the path of Shaw who rifled home his sixth of the season as he moved to top of the Rovers goalscoring charts.

Hoops Head Coach Stephen Bradley brought on 17-year-old Aaron Bolger for his first league appearance of the season. Clarke went close moments later when Shaw’s pass played the teenager in but he pushed his effort went just wide of the post as Deasy did enough to put him off.

Clarke made no mistake on 63 minutes though as the two teenagers linked up. Bolger’s beautiful through ball allowed Clarke another run on McGuinness and he played the ball through the ‘keeper’s legs to score his third goal of the season.

It looked like it was going to be plane sailing for Rovers from there but they allowed United get a foothold back in the game on 69 minutes. A Ryan Masterson cross found Sean Brennan all alone in the box who did his best to miss. His poor effort beat Chencinski but not the post. However, the ball fell back kindly to him to bundle over the line.

Two substitutes then got on the scoresheet. James Doona scored with nine minutes remaining as the 19-year-old had time and space on the edge of the area to find the bottom corner of the net. Shaw almost scored in injury time - however happily for the Hoops his saved shot eventually fell to Bolger who made no mistake to score his first senior goal for the club.

That final strike meant the Hoops won a league game by three clear goals under Stephen Bradley for the very first time. Rovers will carry some momentum with them into Europe when they travel to Iceland next week for the first leg of their Europa League qualifier with Stjarnan. United meanwhile must wonder where the next win will come from as they are without a victory in nine matches.

Shamrock Rovers: Tomer Chencinski; Simon Madden, David Webster, Roberto Lopes, Luke Byrne; Brandon Miele, Ryan Connolly (Aaron Bolger 60), Ronan Finn, Trevor Clarke (Darren Meenan 76); Michael O’Connor (James Doona 65), Gary Shaw.

Subs not used: Kevin Horgan, Dan Devine, Sam Bone, Sean Boyd.

Booked: Simon Madden (85).

Drogheda United: Stephen McGuinness; Colm Deasy, Luke Gallagher, Ciaran McGuigan, Stephen Dunne (Conor Kane 84); Adam Wixted, Richie Purdy, Ryan McEvoy, Mark Doyle; Ryan Masterson (Stephen Meaney 70), Stephen Elliott (Sean Brennan 36).

Subs not used: Ryan Coulter, Kevin Farragher, Sean Thornton, Jamie Hollywood,

Booked: Ciaran McGuigan (39).

Referee: Sean Grant.

Attendance: 2,047.

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Trevor Clarke (Shamrock Rovers).