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The Irish Sun
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Super substitute Rory Gaffney sends Shamrock Rovers 11 points clear at top of Premier Division with win over Waterford
RORY GAFFNEY came off the bench to give Shamrock Rovers a huge three points in their bid to regain the Premier Division title. The hosts had looked to be steamrolling their way to the trophy by going 11 games unbeaten before falling to defeat in the 2 Rory Gaffney scored the winner for Shamrock Rovers against Waterford Credit: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile 2 Shamrock Rovers are not 11 points clear at the top of the Premier Division Credit: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile But Stephen Bradley's men got back on track thanks to Gaffney's second-half finish. Before the match, Bradley claimed the Bohs loss could prove to be a 'kick up the a***' for his men. And this seemed the case as his side went close to opening the scoring within the first five minutes. Graham Burke got to the endline before standing up a deep cross to the back post to Danny Grant. Read More on Shamrock Rovers The wing-back chested the ball down under pressure before hitting the foot of the near post, with his effort somehow staying out. Having been sidelined since April with a calf problem, Andy Boyle was welcomed back to the He was booked for hauling down Michael Noonan near the halfway line as the teenager — 18 years his junior — looked to be clear through on goal. In his first trip to Tallaght as Blues boss, John Coleman made one enforced change to the side that drew 2-2 at home to champions Shelbourne on Monday, with Conan Noonan unavailable against his parent club. Most read in Football And his side responded well to the early onslaught. Wing-back Jesse Demspey found space down the left and cleverly cut back to the edge of the area into the path of James Olayinka. Shamrock Rovers snap up Northern Ireland Under-21s goal-getter as Stephen Bradley gives exciting verdict Attempting to sweep the ball home, his strike was well turned away by Ed McGinty before Josh Honohan cleared under pressure. Both sides exchanged strikes from range as they sensed an opener was within touching distance. Honohan's right-footed curler, as he cut inside from the left, was brilliantly tipped around the post by Stephen McMullan at full stretch. The impressive Olayinka then showed awareness to turn two men and drill a powerful effort straight into McGinty's midriff. The visitors fashioned one of the clearest chances to break the deadlock just after the half-hour mark when Tommy Lonergan got in behind the Rovers rearguard. Dan Cleary came across to force the frontman wide, leaving poacher supreme Pádraig Amond free inside the six-yard box. But with the angle against him, Lonergan opted to go himself, shooting straight at McGinty as Amond looked on in disbelief. TEN OUT OF TEN The hosts, roared on by the majority of the 4,014 in Tallaght Stadium, continued to prod for an opening but were met by a well-organised sea of blue that carried a threat on the break. With nothing between the sides as the second half wore on, the introduction former PFAI award winners Jack Byrne and Gaffney showed the strength in depth at Bradley's disposal. Seeing them coming into the mix also lifted the crowd. And Gaffney took just ten minutes to have a crucial impact. The 35-year-old rolled back the years as he showed lightning-quick reactions to race on to a spill by McMullan — who had initially failed to hold a stinging Danny Mandroiu strike from 25 yards — and tap home with 15 minutes to go. Rovers pushed for a second and Maxim Kovalevskis, impressive again off the bench, showed great feet to cut inside and square to Gaffney. But he saw his thunderous effort bravely blocked to safety . Rovers held on for what could be a pivotal win in the title race as attention turns to another European adventure and the start of an FAI Cup tilt over the month of July. SUN STAR MAN Danny Mandroiu (Shamrock Rovers) SHAMROCK ROVERS : McGinty 7; Cleary 7, Lopes 8, Grace 7: Grant 7 (Kovalevskis 76, 7), Watts 7 (Gaffney 65, 9) Healy 7, Mandroiu 9 (Nugent 88, 7), Honohan 7; G Burke 7 (Byrne 65, 7), Noonan 7 (O'Neill 88, 7). WATERFORD : McMullen 7; Boyle 7, Leahy 7, Burke 7 (Coyle 80, 7); Horton 7, McDonald 7 (McMenamy 69, 7), Glenfield 7, Olayinka 8, Dempsey (White 71, 7): Lonergan 7, Amond 7. REFEREE : P Norton (Dublin) 6.
BreakingNews.ie
16 hours ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
LOI: Shamrock Rovers 11 points clear after beating Waterford
Shamrock Rovers' lead at the top of the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division table is now 11 points. The leaders beat Waterford 1-0 tonight, while Bohemians required a late equaliser to draw 1-1 with Sligo Rovers. Advertisement Derry City are now level on points with Bohs after their 3-0 win over Drogheda United, while Galway United and Shelbourne played out a 1-1 draw. At Turner's Cross, it finished Cork City 0-0 St Patrick's Athletic. Dundalk edged out Cobh Ramblers 1-0 in their top of the table clash in the First Division tonight. Elsewhere, Wexford beat Kerry 4-3, Bray were 4-0 winners away to Athlone Town and Treaty United lost 1-0 at home to Finn Harps.
Irish Examiner
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Dundalk edge Cobh Ramblers to extend lead at top of the First Division
DUNDALK 1 (Gbemi Arubi 13) COBH RAMBLERS 0 Moving week in the League of Ireland didn't end with Cobh Ramblers usurping Dundalk for top spot thanks to Gbemi Arubi's early winner. Dundalk have risen from the ashes of near extinction last September to holding within their control an immediate return to the Premier Division through a four-point cushion. Cobh, with the transfer window opening on Tuesday, will still fancy reeling in Ciarán Kilduff's Lilywhites with 15 games left but look certain to at least have a playoff shot at returning to the Premier stage they last graced in 2008. Whereas one set of fans demanded promotion, the other in Cobh were able to dream of a Premier Division. That optimism originated from the fan-owned club being taken into private ownership, international consortium F32 vowing to elevate Cobh to 'new heights.' That was evident in the arsenal of funds new manager Mick McDermott was supplied with, facilitating the recruitment of several players part of Cork City's First Division title winning team. In fact, adding in former Waterford duo Niall O'Keefe and Shane Griffin, only two of the outfield starters at Oriel hadn't tasted promotion over the past two years. It wasn't long, however, before fears grew over the sustainability of that spend when the multi-club mothership encountered financial difficulties. Funds were guaranteed to a certain juncture, by which the custodians required a replacement to maintain levels. Assiduous work in the background ensured continuity. That potential turbulence didn't detract from results, the Rams joining Bray Wanderers in providing the competition for the pacesetters in Co Louth. A haul of 28 points from a possible 33 over the last 11 games, allied to Dundalk encountering their first blip of the campaign, lifted them to within a point of the leaders. Momentum was on their side in the psychology of being able to leave Oriel with top spot but their plan to be patient by quieting the home crowd went askew after only 13 minutes. Cobh's defensive partnership of Cian Coleman and Shane Griffin – First and Premier Division winners respectively last year – were tested by lofted crosses early and their failure to deal with Luke Mulligan's delivery from the right cost them. Eoin Kenny was involved in the build-up too and his presence in the box caused hesitancy but Arubi still had to execute a brilliant acrobatic volley to send the ball zipping past Timothy Martin. Arubi was a graduate of Damien Duff at Shelbourne in his teens and at 21 inhabits the middle section of the age-scale across Dundalk's team. Vinnie Leonard turned 17 in March while at the other end of the spectrum of Keith Ward. Having the 34-year-old, along with former Ireland winger Daryl Horgan two years his junior, is vital to navigating the chase for the only and only direct ticket to next year's Premier Division. Dean Ebbe is another thirty-something wh0's been around the block and was close to converting Horgan's dinked cross to the back post just past the half hour mark. Arubi could have had more by the end of a half in which Cobh were second best, unable to reproduce their recent form. Home 'keeper Enda Minogue was busier after the break, denying Barry Coffey from an acute angle and turning over a long-range shot by Jonas Häkkinen. Dundalk also fashioned openings to extend their buffer. Ebbe was brushed off the ball by O'Keeffe as he was poised to convert Horgan's cutback while Kenny saw his raking drive hacked off the goal-line by Coleman. Horgan himself raced clear in stoppage time, only to be foiled by Luxembourg native Martin in the visitors' goal. Two late bookings incurred for Coleman saw him suffer a similar red card fate to what he suffered on his last trip to Oriel with Cork City. Elsewhere 10-man Wexford produced a sensational comeback from 3-1 to secure a memorable 4-3 victory against Kerry, who saw Sean McGrath net a first half hat-trick on his 100th appearance for the club. Meanwhile Bray Wanderers secured an impressive 4-0 win away at bottom side Athlone Town to climb up to third and above Treaty United in the table, following their 1-0 loss at home by Finn Harps, who grabbed the winner when Gradi Lomboto struck 15 minute's from time. DUNDALK: E Minogue; L Mulligan (S McHale 71), M Animasahun, V Leonard, S McHale, S Keogh; A Dervin, K Ward (A Paraschiv 60); E Kenny, D Ebbe (H Groome; 59), D Horgan; G Arubi. COBH RAMBLERS: T Martin; J Häkkinen, C Coleman, Shane A Griffin, L Le Bervet (J O'Donovan 86; N O'Keeffe (J Abbott 71), Shane Griffin; D Holland (S Bellis 65), B Coffey, M Whelan; C Murphy (B Frahill 86). Referee: Oliver Moran (Dublin). Attendance: 1,487.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cork City star Seani Maguire pleads with dismayed Rebels fans to back the team
Seani Maguire has pleaded with Cork City fans not to turn their back on the struggling team in their hour of need. The Rebels remain rooted to the foot of the Premier Division table going into tonight's televised home clash with St Patrick's Athletic. Turner's Cross saw a season-low attendance of 1,815 for Monday's clash with Drogheda, when City dominated possession but settled for an injury-time equaliser and a point. Fans protested against Cork City owner Dermot Usher - chiefly over the raised €25 ticket prices he introduced - with chants of the club being 'in the wrong hands'. Such low gates are a far cry from what Maguire was used to during his previous spell with City, when they won the double in 2017 in front of sell-out crowds of 6,000 - 7,000. Now, the Ireland international accepts it's a two-way street and the players need to put on a show to ensure supporters stay loyal to the team. But desperate times call for desperate measures and Maguire is urging the Rebel Army not to bail on the basement side. Yesterday, the striker said: 'Look, I can sense their frustration, it's their club, they've supported them for years, they go to every game, they spend their well-earned money. And when they see the club they love at the bottom of the league, it's not going to be nice. 'I don't think it's coming from a lack of effort, every single player is working their socks off every week to make sure we're getting points on the board. We're really trying to turn this around. I've been at the club through the best days and best years, and it's not nice seeing the club in that position. If we can get the crowd behind us, it will do a lot because when you have Turner's Cross rocking, it can give us that edge, it can be the 12th man." Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. But Maguire continued: 'The only way to get the fans happy and optimistic is getting performances on the pitch and winning games. That's the only thing that's in our hands - we can't control anything off the pitch or the fans' frustration. We can only control it by winning games and good performances. 'Was it just under 2000 the other night? They weren't happy drawing the game. I think it's the whole season as a whole, and the position we find ourselves in. I'm a Liverpool fan, if I find Liverpool not winning games, I'm going to be frustrated as well.' Maguire continued: 'It can become a mental thing, mind over matter, when things aren't going your way, you can start to feel sorry for yourself. And especially with a young group. "There are not a lot of players in the group that have played a lot of games at a high level. It's up to us senior players to help them move forward because we don't have enough time to feel sorry for ourselves. We need to start winning games because we've only won two and we haven't kept a clean sheet. We need to start picking up points because we don't, it could be too late.' City are yet to see a new manager bounce on the back of Ger Nash's arrival as Tim Clancy's successor, but Maguire knows it can't be easy taking over a struggling team. 'You're coming into a group that's low on confidence and sometimes it's hard to get that confidence back within two or three weeks,' he continued. 'But I think the manager has done really well. He's set standards and is holding people accountable for their actions off the pitch. 'We need the group to come together because we need players who are going to get us out of this position. Winning two games in the last 21 is just not good enough. We haven't been good enough this year and it's why we're in this situation. But it's not like we've got five games to go and we need to win four. We've still got 15 games left where we can get ourselves out of this position.' For his part, Nash admits it's a difficult challenge trying to turn Cork City's fortunes around - but insists it's one he's up for. This is his first senior job in management, as the 38-year-old was underage boss at Ipswich Town and Aston Villa before an assistant role in Sweden's top flight. Nash said yesterday: 'It's definitely not an easy situation. The passion of the fans and the people in this area, they want their football club to be successful and I can identify with that. We all want the same things. I've experienced it before in my career but maybe not as a head coach. I've been at clubs when certain things have happened. But my focus, is solely on preparing the team and trying to get the most out of the players we have.' And addressing the Cork City fan base, Nash added: 'My message is to come and support the team. They can have a huge impact on the younger players especially. We need to give them something to cheer about, that's my job. There's not many places better than Turner's Cross when the fans are with us and it's a tough place to come when it finds its voice.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley says Bohs defeat was a "kick up the a***"
Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley feels Monday's derby defeat to Bohemians was 'a kick up the arse'. And he is calling on his Premier Division leaders to get back on track against Waterford tonight. Bohs battered the Hoops 2-0 with a first-half double whammy and Bradley accepted that Rovers deserved nothing from the game. Yesterday, he said: 'Sometimes in life and football, you need a kick up the arse, you know? Sometimes it's not a bad thing. 'Would you prefer it not to be in games like that? Of course you would. But such is life. Sometimes you think it's going right and then you get a slap in the face. Sometimes it's a good thing, but it's only a good thing if you put the wrongs right and that's up to us to do that.' But Bradley insists there was no big enquiry or overreaction to Monday's defeat to their arch rivals. 'We're not like that here - and never have been. We don't react to results and be all emotional with our week, that's not how we do things. The players still get their time off. 'The've been excellent for a large part of the season. It's more a staff point of view, and what we could have done better and why we came so far off our levels like we did.' Dylan Watts was worth his weight in goals last season, chipping in with decisive strikes at pivotal times for Shamrock Rovers. But the midfielder has yet to break his duck this year and would love to open his account against Waterford tonight. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Watts banged in four in the league as the Hoops fell short in the title race, but his European goals were priceless as Rovers banked the big bucks on their historic run. The former Leicester City man slotted home from the penalty spot in the Europa League home-leg win over Celje of Slovenia. He then came off the bench to score a rare headed, injury-time equaliser against APOEL in the Conference League league phase, before scoring in the win over TNS. Yesterday, Watts said: 'No, I've not scored yet this year. Hopefully I can start a scoring run now. I think last year was the same, I didn't score for the first lot of games and then scored a few big goals towards the end of the season. 'It's something that I'm really looking to add to my game. It's something that I'm capable of doing so hopefully I can get a few towards the end of the season. 'We're in a good position in the league, certainly in a better position than we have been in the last few years. We have Europe to look forward to as well. It's an exciting time and hopefully we'll kick on now in both.' Watts has been building his minutes off the bench of late after missing four matches with a hamstring issue. And he wants to impact tonight's clash with the Blues after Rovers were bossed by arch rivals Bohemians in Monday's 2-0 defeat at Dalymount. Watts said: 'It obviously wasn't a very good performance, we didn't play well. Bohs pressed aggressively and controlled most of the game. But one thing that's never been an issue with us is never getting too comfortable or anything like that. 'The performance and result was what it was, but so long as we bounce back tonight I think we'll be alright. We're still in a strong position. Monday wasn't good enough but we need to put it in the past and move on.' Meanwhile, Bradley has hailed teenager Victor Ozhianvuna for how he dealt with the racist incident in Waterford in May. The 16-year-old Rovers ace was warming up during the first-half of Waterford's home game with Shamrock Rovers when a Blues fan racially abused him. On Wednesday, the FAI fined Waterford following a probe into the matter but An Garda Siochána's investigation is still ongoing. Hoops boss Bradley said: 'Gardai from Tallaght have been here quite a bit with a few of our players and staff, taking statements and going over Gardai have been really good with how they have dealt with it and the sensitivity dealing with this considering Victor is a minor.' And Bradley said of the teenager, who is on Arsenal's radar: 'He's a strong fella. There's no doubt it had an effect on him. Something like that would have an effect on anyone. 'We have Mary (Larkin, club psychologist) who is working with our players on a weekly basis so they get the tools to deal with this sort of stuff. But it still doesn't make it right. He's a 16-year-old who had to hear that in his place of work, which is not acceptable. 'He's been okay but I'm quite sure it's had a negative effect on him as we're all human at the end of the day.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
