Bohemians 1
Shamrock Rovers 0
BOHEMIANS EARNED a deserved 1-0 victory to dump Shamrock Rovers out of the FAI Cup this evening.
A second-half Dayle Rooney penalty was the difference between the sides to send Alan Reynolds’ men into the third round.
It was a game of relatively few clear-cut chances, but the rare moments of attacking ingenuity mostly came Bohs’ way.
Particularly as the game wore on, a tired-looking Rovers struggled to deal with their opponents’ energy and the 1-0 result reflected the hosts’ superiority.
Both sides came into the game on the back of below-par seasons, with the Hoops sitting fourth and their rivals eighth in the Premier Division table.
However, Rovers received a major morale boost in the week thanks to their dramatic Champions League win guaranteeing a minimum of €1.7 million from at least three more European ties.
The hosts made four changes from last week’s 2-0 loss to Sligo Rovers.
Paddy Kirk, Danny Grant, James Clarke and James Akintunde all dropped to the bench.
Into the team came Leigh Kavanagh, Filip Piszczek, Alexander Greive and Dawson Devoy, who was making his second debut for the club after re-joining from MK Dons during the week.
Rovers also made four changes from their midweek victory over Vikingur Reykjavik.
Sean Hoare, Trevor Clarke, Dylan Watts and Johnny Kenny were named among the substitutes, and Conan Noonan, Richie Towell, Darragh Nugent and Sean Kavanagh featured in the starting XI.
Bohs were fortunate to avoid conceding early on. A curling Jack Byrne free kick from out wide went just over the head of namesake Cian Byrne and hit the post, with Daniel Cleary heading the rebound over from close range.
Otherwise, it was a relatively uneventful opening 20 minutes with not much between the sides.
Bohs gradually began to take control and offer more in attack. Midway through the first half, a Dayle Rooney corner was headed across goal by Jordan Flores, Richie Towell half cleared it before Leigh Kavanagh’s hooked finish on the turn went wide.
Yet neither side was seriously testing the goalkeeper. A mis-hit Richie Towell effort towards the end of the opening period drew ironic cheers from the home support and summed up an uninspired 45 minutes.
On the brink of the break, another Rooney corner caused a brief panic in the Rovers area as it eluded a couple of players at the front post before bobbling across the goal and drifting away to safety.
The second half began in a similarly cagey fashion with the game badly needing a goal.
Rooney threatened to deliver the much-needed moment of magic 10 minutes after the re-start, but Leon Pohls was alert to parry away his dipping free kick.
It had been tepid display by Rovers and a dissatisfied Stephen Bradley responded by making a quadruple switch just before the hour mark.
Towell, Byrne, Kavanagh and Aaron Greene made way, with Trevor Clarke, Neil Farrugia, Johnny Kenny and Darragh Burns introduced.
Yet it was still Bohs applying most of the pressure, with Devoy’s low shot deflecting just wide from a Rooney short corner.
Shortly thereafter, the crowd came alive as the Gypsies won a penalty.
Rooney’s through pass found Tierney, who got his body ahead of Honohan, with the defender adjudged to have taken him as he threatened to run clear.
Rooney stepped up and converted down the middle, with Pohls diving to the left.
It was certainly deserved on the balance of play.
Rovers were under the cosh now. Rooney threatened to score again, but Pohls comfortably saved his header from a Ross Tierney corner.
As the minutes ticked on, the home fans might have been anticipating a Rovers onslaught but it scarcely arrived.
The substitutions had little impact and Bohs saw out the game convincingly, with Kavanagh, a recent signing from Brighton, impressing at the heart of the defence.
Bohemians: 30. Kacper Chorazka 19. Martin Miller 24. Cian Byrne 6. Jordan Flores (captain) 20. Leigh Kavanagh 17. Adam McDonnell (Clarke 84) 9. Filip Piszczek (Akintunde 46) 21. Alexander Greive (Grant 70) 26. Ross Tierney 8. Dayle Rooney (Kirk 89) 10. Dawson Devoy
Substitutes: 1 James Talbot 3. Paddy Kirk 4. Aboubacar Keita 7. Declan McDaid 11. James Akintunde 12. Danny Grant 15. James Clarke 23. Archie Meekison 38. Jevon Mills
Shamrock Rovers: 1. Leon Pohls; 2. Josh Honohan 6. Daniel Cleary 4. Roberto Lopes (captain) 11. Sean Kavanagh (Clarke 58) 29. Jack Byrne (Farrugia 58) 17. Richie Towell (Burns 58) 16. Gary O’Neill 34. Conan Noonan (Watts 70) 15. Darragh Nugent 9. Aaron Greene (Kenny 58)
Substitutes: 25. Lee Steacy 3. Sean Hoare 5. Lee Grace 7. Dylan Watts 14. Cian Barrett 18. Trevor Clarke 21. Darragh Burns 23. Neil Farrugia 24. Johnny Kenny
Referee: Ron Hennessy (Limerick).
Attendance: 4,431
