Shamrock Rovers hold the lead as season reaches its halfway point – what we learned from Friday's League of Ireland

Irish Times

31-05-2025

Mid-season break may have its benefits
Damien Duff
questioned the merit of the
League of Ireland
's mid-season break this week, but results on Friday night suggest a small rest might be appropriate.
Eight goals were scored across the five games, with half of them coming in Waterford and Drogheda's 2-2 draw at the RSC. Even the imperious league leaders,
Shamrock Rovers
, looked lethargic as they played out a 0-0 against an admittedly impressive
Galway United
defensive unit.
Duff's comments disregarded that the break coincides with a round of international fixtures, for which the league pauses at other points throughout the year.
Joseph Anang
was on the bench for Ghana against Nigeria on Wednesday and flew back to take part in a 1-0 victory for
St Pat's
in Sligo. Others, including Josh Honohan, have games to look forward to in a week's time.
Regardless of international commitments, this interval has been part of the league's schedule for years. Still, on the evidence of last night, some sides could use a small rest.
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Shamrock Rovers finally held but lead remains intact
You have to go back to March to find the last game in which Shamrock Rovers failed to score a goal, but the league leaders were frustrated by a resilient Galway side in Tallaght on Friday night.
The Tribesmen seemed to take a lot from their hard-fought victory over Cork City last week, coming out with a confident zip to their play belying a run of four defeats in five. Gradually, the Hoops did take control, but aside from one impressive save to deny Danny Grant, Evan Watts didn't look overly stretched in Galway's goal.
Rovers' lead at the top stays at six points, and confidence will be high heading into the second half of the campaign. Galway will hope to build off an organised, disciplined performance – the sort of foundation that John Caulfield and Ollie Horgan demand.
Late goal specialists flip the script
Bohemians
have developed a reputation for winning games late on this season, with memorable victories arriving at the death against the likes of Shamrock Rovers, St Pat's and Galway United.
The moment of consequence in their game against Derry City, however, arrived within 30 seconds. James Clarke's strike from the edge of the area hit Mark Connolly's arm, and referee Rob Hennessy pointed to the penalty spot. It felt harsh in the moment, and Connolly would argue he had no time to adjust. As he did against Shelbourne two weeks ago, Dayle Rooney converted.
Bohemians' Dayle Rooney scores a penalty against Derry City. Photograph: INPHO/James Lawlor
Bohs deserved their victory and should have scored more. Derry were unusually disordered, emphasised by Tiernan Lynch making four substitutions by the time the second half began. To make matters worse, his fifth change Robbie Benson managed to collect two yellow cards in 20 minutes – neither the product of particularly harsh challenges.
The home side can now look back on an impressive first half of the season. If they manage to wholly avoid a repeat of the poor form they showed in the opening seven games, European football looks likely.
Drogheda remain tough to beat
Drogheda United's scintillating early season form may have cooled, but their cockroach qualities are going nowhere.
Like many sides before them, Waterford discovered how difficult it is to bury the Drogs, who twice scored from corners to escape the RSC with a point. Conor Keeley's injury time goal, smashed in from all of two yards, will haunt John Coleman as he looks to address his side's Achilles heel – set pieces.
Pádraig Amond, who set up Tommy Lonergan early on, looked to have won the game when he cleverly diverted Dean McMenamy's drive past Luke Dennison. The away side though, despite a late red card for Elicha Ahui, remain in second place thanks to a valuable draw.
Nash's Cork City show signs of life
Ger Nash claimed his first point as Cork City manager but may feel as though his side could have taken more in an impressive showing against the champions.
Damien Duff talked up the weight of Shelbourne's trip to Cork in the build-up, but his side struggled to echo his message on the pitch in a lacklustre first-half performance. Cork were the better side, with Djenairo Daniels and Seani Maguire looking like a cohesive pairing and playing into each other's strengths. Shels looked solid but docile.
Shelbourne's JJ Lunney and Djenairo Daniels of Cork City. Photograph: INPHO/Bryan Keane
Despite his best efforts, Mark Coyle has looked understandably uncomfortable at times in his makeshift centre-half position this season. Another such occasion arrived near the hour mark – Maguire, making his first start since suffering a hamstring injury against Waterford at the beginning of March, leapt high above the Shels captain to head home a looping cross from Milan Mbeng.
Plenty of times this season, Shelbourne have patiently controlled the ball and struggled to unlock well organised defences. Here though, Cork looked comfortable at 1-0 and may have gone on to win had there not been a moment of inspiration from Ali Coote. On as a substitute, Coote twisted on the edge of the area and arrowed a low strike in off Tein Troost's far post.
Neither side will be thrilled with a point, and both have plenty to improve on in the second half of the season. Still, with David Meyler now in alongside Nash as Cork's number two, there may be something to build on.
Looking ominous for Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers
didn't play badly but came away with nothing on Friday night, in a familiar and disheartening story for the league's bottom-placed side.
Like Bohemians, St Pat's took advantage of an early penalty (converted by Aidan Keena) and never needed to build on their lead. The Bit O'Red had decent half-chances without ever mounting a barrage on their visitors.
Sligo now have one win in eight games and sit 11 points behind eighth place Waterford. With the constraints of their fully supporter-owned model, it is difficult to imagine much can be solved in the July transfer window. Still, games like last night's make it feel like the gap on the pitch is only marginal.