Even with ten players, Shelbourne managed to maintain their position at the top of the Premier Division by keeping Shamrock Rovers at bay in a highly competitive match. Shelbourne’s lead is now reduced to three points as both Rovers and Derry City, sitting in second and third places respectively, each with 19 points, are closely trailing them.
This was far from a lacklustre zero-zero. The stakes were high in a match between teams all too familiar with each other. As the Dublin derby was gaining momentum 48 minutes in, the crowd in Drumcondra unfurled a banner celebrating the lives of the 48 Stardust victims. A respectful silence fell over the field as the ball was passed around until the clapping ended.
Just at the moment when it appeared that Damien Duff’s Shelbourne might be running low on energy, Stephen Bradley’s Shamrock Rovers showed up at Tolka Park with the intention of wresting the top spot from them. Traditionally, the champions shift gears in late April.
This focused the attention of Shelbourne, both players and supporters. A respectable crowd of 4,628 attended the match on a Monday evening, with an array of rival coaches present in the VIP section, along with FAI’s Marc Canham and temporary CEO David Courell.
Keith Long, Alan Reynolds, Jim Crawford, Dundalk’s recently displaced manager Stephen O’Donnell, and his replacement Noel King were all pictured together under the grandstand at half-time, with Canham seemingly leading the conversation.
There were no goals in the initial 45 minutes, but the game was full of action. Pico Lopes’ headshot off Conor Kearns’ crossbar couldn’t be stopped by the sandy, heavy surface of Tolka. At the other end, Rovers’ keeper Leon Pohls managed a low save from a snapshot by Paddy Barrett assisted by Matty Smith.
Smith was a formidable presence for Shelbourne on the right flank until Joshua Honohan kept him tethered to the edge. If Rovers clinch the consecutive five league titles, their young defender from Cork City, signed last winter, might make all the difference.
Honohan’s absence could see the veteran group steer the team in the green and white hoops back home. But, they only started to show some mettle when the attacking duo, Rory Gaffney and Aaraon Greene, were brought on from the bench.
Marred by the prospect of a hat-trick of defeats, Duff took a different strategy with the Shels team, employing a 4-3-3 formation that congested the midfield. This triggered some intense tackles, forcing the match official, Rob Hennessy, to remain vigilant. The linesman was even presented with a yellow card by Duff, 15 minutes into the match, for receiving tactical directions.
Stephen Bradley’s name was also inked into the referee’s caution list, being booked 15 minutes before the conclusion of the game.
An awkward episode unfolded during the rather edgy moment of the game. Amid an injury-induced water break for Kearns, it seemed that Darragh Burns was trying to overhear the strategies shared in the Shels congregation. Additional guidance was dished out thereafter.
As the game entered a calmer phase, Shane Farrell was given marching orders for accumulating two yellow cards within his short 12-minute spell on the pitch. Daniel Cleary seemed to have been at the receiving end of Farrell’s aggressive play.
The situation turned chaotic as heated altercations broke out following each robust tackle. David Dunne, the fourth official, struggled to maintain order with Duff and Bradley at a spitting distance from each other.
Eventually, the managers called a truce and embraced, confirming a sharing of the spoils.
The squads were as follows:
Shelbourne: Kearns, Gannon, Barrett, Molloy, Ledwidge, O’Sullivan, Lunney, Wilson (subbed for Caffrey at 64th min), Smith (replaced by Boyd at Minute 74), Martin (Farrell came on at 64), Jarvis (Williams brought on at 92).
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls, Cleary, Lopes, Honohan, Clarke (substituted by Kavanagh at 72), Watts, Noonan, Burns, Towell (Greene substituted at 64), Nugent, Kenny (Gaffney replaced at 64).
Game overseer: Rob Hennessy.
Shels have another uphill task ahead as they face St Patrick’s Athletic on the upcoming Friday.