Shaw and Miele get Rovers back to winning ways

GOALS in either half from Gary Shaw and Brandon Miele got Shamrock Rovers back to winning ways as Galway United’s sevenmatch unbeaten league run came to an end at Tallaght Stadium.

In a scrappy opening, the visitors’ 3-4-3 formation frustrated Rovers and it took the hosts half-an-hour to seriously threaten Conor Winn’s goal, Shaw hooking the ball over the top after they finally worked Simon Madden free down the right flank to deliver a cross.

Minutes later, Miele registered Hoops’ first shot on target before they took the lead on 36 minutes.

Luke Byrne whipped over a superb cross from the left and Trevor Clarke got a touch to pop the ball up for Shaw, who volleyed it home on the turn.

Gary Shanahan spurned a chance to level for Galway on 42 minutes, flashing his volley just wide.

Rovers upped the tempo on the resumption, with the influential Graham Burke curling a powerful drive narrowly wide seconds after the restart before his cross on 57 minutes was headed over the bar by Shaw.

Clarke then scampered through onto goalkeeper Tomer Chencinski’s long clearance to bring a diving save from Winn.

Well on top now, Shaw blasted the ball wide from Miele’s cross on 66 minutes as Rovers pressed for a second goal. That duly arrived two minutes later. Burke found Miele who held off a defender to smash a fierce shot into the net.

Chencinski was finally troubled on 73 minutes when he tipped over Kevin Devaney’s shot from distance.

But Rovers finished the stronger. with Miele inches from a second goal as his low shot clipped the outside of a post.