Shamrock Rovers 4 UCD 0
Shamrock Rovers moved six points clear at the top of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division with a comfortable victory over basement side UCD at Tallaght Stadium.
Rovers predictably dominated possession from the word go and the deadlock was broken on 15 minutes when UCD defender Harvey O’Brien turned the ball into his own net following an initial cross by Neil Farrugia.
It seemed like only a matter of time before Stephen Bradley’s men doubled their lead and a second goal duly arrived in the 26th minute as Jack Byrne scrambled home after the UCD defence failed to deal with a Graham Burke delivery from the left wing.
Farrugia was having a huge impact against his former side and he provided the spadework for Burke to score the goal that guided the Hoops towards a 3-0 interval cushion.
Despite Bradley making a triple substitution on the resumption – to supplement Rory Gaffney’s introduction for the injured Aaron Greene in the opening period – Rovers continued to dictate affairs.
Kieran Cruise made a sizeable impact off the bench by grabbing his first goal in senior football on 56 minutes and the defending champions will now enter the forthcoming two-week break knowing their quest for a fourth successive top-flight title is very much on course.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Pohls; Hoare, Lopes (Noonan, 46), Grace; Farrugia, O’Neill, Poom (Nugent, 46 mins), Kavanagh; Byrne (Cruise, 46), Burke (Burt, 61); Greene (Gaffney, 35).
UCD: Moore; O’Brien (Bowden, 78), Gallagher, Wells; Babb, Keaney, Barr (Donoghue, 88), Osam; Nolan, Doyle, Norris (Bishop, 59).
Referee: D Dunne (Dublin).