‘ROCK AND A HARD PLACE..
A very different story at Tallaght as Rovers avenge loss to Seagulls
FIRST half strikes from Brandon Miele and Gary Shaw gained sweet revenge for Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium last night. Hoops boss Stephen Bradley said before the game that his team’s 4-2 loss in Bray last month needed to be put right. And Rovers looked hungry from the first whistle last night, gratefully availing of a dreadful defensive error to take a fourth minute lead. Home skipper Ronan Finn’s ball forward came off Shaw then fall into the path of Bray’s Conor Kenna. But, under no pressure whatsoever, the Seagulls skipper let the ball run to the lurking Miele, who clinically punished the blunder to rifle his shot past Peter Cherrie. Save for a Gary Mccabe effort comfortably gathered by Tomor Chenccinski, Rovers continued to boss the game, with Graham Burke off target with a shot and then a header. Such was their positive play, it was no surprise that the Hoops added to their lead on 20 minutes. Finn weighted the perfect ball through for the run of Shaw down the inside right channel and the striker displayed admirable composure to sidefoot past Cherrie and watch the ball trickle over the line. It might have been 3-0 just before the half hour as Bray simply hadn’t turned up. Simon Madden crafted a one-two with Miele to cross for Burke, who glanced his header wide with the goal gaping. Bray finally threatened from their first corner of the game minutes later. Hoops’ defender Dave Webster was forced to head Mccabe’s in-swinger off the line at the back post. Finn then did even better to head clear under pressure at the same upright from Mccabe’s free-kick just before the break. After the resumption, Ger Pender turned neatly only to volley high over the top for Bray. Rovers might then have scored again at the other end on 50 minutes. Trevor Clarke out-muscled John Sullivan to send in a cross that was just missed by the diving Madden, with Miele’s drive then flashing over the bar. Miele was there again on 71 minutes only to be thwarted by a goal-line clearance from sub Derek Foran after Clarke got away on the left to pull the ball back. The woodwork then rescued Bray 11 minutes from time as sub Michael O’connor, sent away by Clarke, saw his shot come back off a post. The victory moves Rovers level on points with fourth-placed Derry City, two points behind Bray in third.