Soccer
Rovers look to out Bohs derby behind them as they square up to Drogheda United
By Daire Walsh
SHAMROCK Rovers will be aiming to leave the disappointment of a derby defeat to Bohemians behind them when they face Drogheda United at the Tallaght Stadium tomorrow evening (kick-off 8pm).
As a consequence of their 1-0 reversal at the hands of cross-city rivals Bohs at Dalymount Park on Monday, Stephen Bradley’s champions found themselves dropping down to second in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table. Despite having an identical points tally (34) and score difference (+13) to that of St Patrick’s Athletic, they are currently missing out on top spot by virtue of having scored fewer goals than their fellow south Dubliners.
Whereas the Hoops have found the net on 26 occasions this season, a 4-1 triumph at the expense of Finn Harps on Monday brought the Saints up to 29 for the term. Rovers recorded victory by the same margin against Waterford at the Regional Sports Centre last Friday and appeared to be back in the groove for their short trip to Phisborough three days later.
Bohs were buoyed by their own 5-0 thumping of Drogheda, but it was Rovers who came closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening period. The in-form Rory Gaffney twice went close, while Graham Burke was desperately unfortunate to see a fierce drive rebounding off the post.
The game ultimately remained scoreless at the break, however, and Bohs struck the decisive blow of the contest 11 minutes into the second half. Having spent the majority of 2020 on loan at St Pat’s, Georgie Kelly transferred to the Gypsies from his previous parent club of Dundalk during the off-season.
Capitalising on excellent build-up play from Dawson Devoy and Liam Burt, he unleashed a superb shot to the back of the net for his 11th goal of the campaign.
Although there was plenty of time for Rovers to work their way back into the game, Bohs netminder James Talbot held firm. Danny Mandroiu was close to conjuring an equaliser against his former club, but it wasn’t to be for the Hoops.
It remains tight at the summit of the top-flight as Liam Buckley’s Sligo Rovers missed out on a golden opportunity to go level on points with Rovers and Pat’s when they played out a 1-1 draw with Derry City at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
Despite following up their heavy loss to Bohs with a narrow reversal to neighbours Dundalk on Monday, Drogheda could be sticky opponents for the Hoops tomorrow. Tim Clancy’s newly-promoted outfit have already recorded seven wins on their return to the Premier Division and are safely nestled in fifth place.
When the two sides met at Head In The Game Park back on April 20, it took a 95th-minute Mandroiu goal to decide the outcome of the tie.
There is set to be a powerful atmosphere in Tallaght tomorrow, with 1,000 supporters set to be in attendance as part of the latest test pilot for the safe return of supporters to outdoor sporting events.