TRALEE DYNAMOS 2 SHAMROCK ROVERS 1
Padraig Harnett - Tralee Dynamos media officer.
Burrows brace rocks Rovers:
Half the season over, 9 A Championship League games played, 18 points and second place in the table plus three from three in the FAI Ford Cup so far – not bad for the first campaign.
In this game, Dynamos once again showed great resilience and heart in coming back from a goal down. Not just going behind but having a penalty saved and a goal disallowed and still the team gets the result and another three points.
All the action in this game was in the second half, following a dour first period. The game was played in a strong crosswind and Dynamos were first on the attack. Peter McCarthy who kept his place having come on as a sub for the injured Chris Kerins last week, was a constant threat down the wing and he swung in a few dangerous early crosses that Eoin Cassidy was unlucky not to get on the end of.
Rover’s first real attack came in the 16th minute when Victor Ekanem went on a good run but over-hit his cross.
Both sides were playing at great pace at this stage but in the final third were unable to make that telling pass. In the 25th minute Dynamos almost managed it when James Sugure put in Peter McCarthy but good defending by Paul Sherry just got the ball away. Five minutes later Sugure again combined with McCarthy who got to the by-line and swung in a low cross that Cassidy managed to get to but couldn’t direct his shot on target.
Rovers were proving dangerous on the break and Jason Oladelle went close in the 27th minute. He skipped past a few Dynamos defenders but shot tamely in the end.
Coming into the closing stages on the first half Dynamos were putting on a lot of pressure. Sugure, Cassidy and Fitzgerald all went close and in the 43rd minute a Cassidy / Sugrue combination saw a Rovers defenders clearance falling to Adrian Quirke just outside the box. His volley was on target but Conlon in the Rovers goal saved well down to his left.
As if to remind Dynamos that this was not going to be one way traffic Garreth Edwards got in behind the Tralee defence but Maurice O’Rahilly and Jonathan Burrows recovered quickly to snuff out the danger and so the first period ended 0-0.
Anyone in the good sized crowd who was not back in their place for the start of the second half missed an amazing two minutes.
Dynamos went on the attack straight from the kick off. Sugrue, Cassidy and McCarthy combined to set up Burrows whose run into the box was halted by Thomas Hyland and referee Brian Healy had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
Peter McCarthy stepped up and hit a powerful shot but Conlon did very well diving low to his right and pushing the ball away with a powerful right hand.
Dynamos were shell-shocked for a minute and that’s all that Rovers needed to take the lead. Darren Good knocked a ball through to Micheal McLoughlin who beat a hesitant defence and chipped the ball over the advancing Guthrie to put the visitors 1-0 in front and all this inside two minutes of the second half.
Dynamos battled hard to get back into the game and levelled matters on the 19th minute. Eoin Cassidy’s quick thinking over a free kick in the centre of the pitch almost put Peter McCarthy in but Rovers scrambled the ball away for a corner. Jonathan Burrows rose highest to head the ball powerfully home to level matters.
It was all Dynamos now and they looked to have taken the lead when Eddie Duggan, who had come on in a double change with David Hayes for Jamie McIntyre and David O’Leary, headed home yet another expertly delivered Sugrue set piece but it was ruled out for off side.
Rovers were doing all in their power to slow the game down as it always looked for here on that there was only going to be one team to score again.
Rovers cause certainly wasn’t helped when they were reduced to ten men following the sending off of Keith O’Neill for a second yellow card.
The vital goal came in the 86th minute and it was Burrows second of the day. This time Sugure slightly over hit his cross but Brian Fitzgerald managed to head the ball back across goal. Keeper Conlon was unable to hold it and Burrows was on hand from two yards to wrap up all three points for Dynamos and move them into second in the table.
This young Rovers side made Dynamos work very hard for their victory but it was the experience of the home side that saw them through and the Reds now move to within two points of Bray Wanderers with a game in hand.
Bray have 20 points from 10 played with Dynamos and Bohemians level on 18 points from 9 played.
Tralee Dynamos: Wayne Guthrie, Jonathan Burrows, Darren Crotty, Brian Fitzgerald, Maurice O’Rahilly, Adrian Quirke, James Sugure, Jamie McIntyre, Eoin Cassiday, Peter McCarthy, David O’Leary. Subs used Eddie Duggan, David Hayes and Theo Diggins. Not used Robert Birdsall and Eoin Fitzgerald.
Shamrock Rovers: Stephen Conlon, Karl Keogh, Paul Sherry, Thomas Hyland, Victor Ekanmen, Michael McLoughlin, Jason Oladele, Keith O’Neill, Darren Good, Garreth Edwards, Ian Byrne. Subs used Colin Daly and James Mooney.
Dynamos next game away to St. Patrick's Athletic on the week ending 26th of July
Thanks to all our supporters today.