League of Ireland Premier Division: Shelbourne edges out Dundalk 1-0
A triumphant result for Shelbourne on the 4th of March was brought about thanks to John Martin’s inaugural goal for the season, securing a 1-0 triumph over Galway United. This result placed Shelbourne at the pinnacle of the Premier Division leaderboard.
Martin’s latest contribution in this campaign, his third, proved critical in securing a hard-fought three points against a reinvigorated Dundalk at Tolka Park, commanded by Damien Duff. Maintaining their place at the top was not an easy task for Duff’s side.
A disappointing defeat, exacerbated by a stalemate between Drogheda United and St Patrick’s Athletic, sent Dundalk tumbling to the bottom of the table, thanks to an inferior goal difference.
With the adrenaline still high from their recent victory over St Patrick’s Athletic, the visiting team, led by Jon Daly, faced an abrupt change in goal that saw Sean Molloy making his league debut. The change came in light of an unfortunate injury to Ross Munro during the warm-up.
Molloy, the 19-year-old substitute, showed impressive skill from the outset, handling a tricky cross from Will Jarvis with confident ease within the first few minutes.
Shelbourne, expectedly, controlled the ball from the get-go, with left-back Tyreke Wilson and Martin coming in as substitutes following an unforeseen home loss to Sligo Rovers the previous week. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until the 20th minute that they seriously challenged Molloy’s defence.
A well-directed clearance from the penalty area of Shelbourne rebuffed a free-kick from Dundalk’s winger Daryl Horgan. Jarvis quickly gathered the ball, directing it to Evan Caffrey following the clearance. Initial contact was less than perfect from Caffrey, but promptly, Horgan, blocking successfully, intercepted the ball from Caffrey’s feet.
An additional setback for Dundalk came when they had to replace injured striker Jamie Gullan with Cameron Elliott, less than 30 minutes in. Despite this, the visitors soon enjoyed their first brief spell of possession, with an off-target attempt from Ryan O’Kane.
Despite the efforts from Dundalk, Shelbourne remained the dominant team. A missed opportunity from a well-orchestrated attack, started by Martin and passed to Jarvis, left spectators holding their breath as the latter’s shot narrowly went wide. This moment marked the game’s first significant thrust into enemy territory 34 minutes in.
During the initial half of the match, Dundalk successfully kept their goal unbreached even after a near miss by Caffrey. The first half may not have been exciting, but the promise of thrill in the second half was almost fulfilled seven minutes in. Liam Burt cleverly teamed up with Shelbourne substitute Caffrey to create an opening, with his shot narrowly missing its target.
Caffrey volleyed into the side netting a few minutes later off a pass from Lunney, helping Shelbourne drive their game forward. Dundalk managed to carve out a way back into the match, similar to the first half, thanks to Eoin Kenny, who was set up by John Mountney. The side netting again came into play with Kenny’s effort.
News that Derry City had taken the lead against Galway United put Shelbourne’s 95-day table-topping run at risk. However, the skillful play of Jarvis on the left at the 71st minute helped them recover. Despite a collision with a floodlight pylon, he managed to deftly bypass Archie Davies to cross the ball to Martin for an easy goal.
In response to Jarvis’s strike, Dundalk got a nearly perfect reply from 18-year-old Kenny, who came close to scoring, hitting the crossbar. Despite their efforts, Shelbourne held on to their lead and secured a well-earned victory, allowing them to stay on top. Following a 2-0 victory over Galway United, Derry City remained two points behind in second place, with goals coming from Will Patching and Patrick Hoban, who netted his tenth of the season.
Elsewhere, Padraig Amond doubled his tally with a penalty, taking his count to 11 for the season during Waterford’s 4-1 thumping of Sligo Rovers. This victory helped Waterford solidify their fourth position, with Ben McCormack and Connor Parsons also scoring for the team. Meanwhile, Wilson Waweru managed to net a consolation goal for Sligo.
The players for Shelbourne included Kearns, Gannon, Molloy, Barrett, Wilson, Coyle, Lunney, Smith, Caffrey, Jarvis, and Martin, with substitutions made during the game.
Molloy served as the goalkeeper for Dundalk, with Johnson, Boyle, and Animasahun forming the defence. Animasahun was substituted for Benson at half-time. The midfield was manned by Davies, Muller – who was replaced by Kenny at the 63rd minute – Doyle, and Mountney. Horgan, Gullan – subbed off for Elliott at the 26th minute – and O’Kane constituted the attack, with O’Kane being substituted for Durrant in the 76th minute. The match was officiated by referee Damien MacGraith from Mayo, and was attended by an estimated crowd of 3,850. In other matches, Drogheda United and St Patrick’s Athletic played out a 0-0 draw, Derry City secured a 2-0 victory against Galway United and Waterford thrashed Sligo Rovers 4-1.