Champions Shelbourne showed great second half fight but wasn’t enough to get all three points in the Riverside Derby.
The first opportunity of the match came from the game’s opening corner. Shelbourne took it short, with Evan Caffrey playing it to Harry Wood, who returned it. Whether it was a cross or an audacious shot is unclear, but it forced Ed McGinty into a save, crashing into his far post in the process.
Shamrock Rovers quickly responded with a chance of their own. A long ball was poorly dealt with by Sam Bone, allowing an opportunity for Michael Noonan. Although he forced a save from Conor Kearns, the youngster might have done better had he managed to get the ball out of his feet quicker.
Shamrock Rovers took the lead out of nothing. Jack Byrne played a simple pass to Matt Healy, who had plenty of space outside the box, and his first-time strike deceived Conor Kearns—who had moved to his left—while the ball found the right-hand side of the net. A very poor goal for the champions to concede, and one Kearns won’t want to see again.
The Hoops came close to doubling their lead early in the second half. Matt Healy’s clearance found Noonan, who carried the ball into the Shelbourne box, but his shot was blocked by the feet of Conor Kearns.
Ellis Chapman played a beautiful cross-field pass to James Norris, who had plenty of time to deliver a cross that found Harry Wood, who smartly headed the ball across goal, setting up Ali Coote to tap it into the Shamrock Rovers net with his first touch of the match.
Once again, Shelbourne found space attacking down the left-hand side. This time, Cameron Ledwidge delivered a world-class cross, with Mipo Odubeko there to give Shelbourne the lead.
Damien Duff’s side’s lead didn’t last long. A Jack Byrne corner was poorly defended by Shelbourne, allowing Rovers several touches inside the box before the ball eventually fell to Dan Cleary, who tapped it into an open net to bring his side level.
Danny Grant had a chance to win it for Shamrock Rovers in the final minutes. After being slipped in by Graham Burke, he controlled the ball well and got a decent shot off, but Conor Kearns made a solid save.
Match Summary: Shamrock Rovers 2-2 Shelbourne
Both sides will take positives and negatives from this game. Shelbourne were below average in the first half and conceded a poor goal, but showed great fight after the break.
Shamrock Rovers certainly had chances to win but were exposed too easily in the second half, with Shelbourne finding time and space down the left—where both of their goals originated. It was a game either team could have won or lost, so a draw will ultimately feel like a fair result.
LOITALK MOTM
Jack Byrne was at the heart of everything for Shamrock Rovers tonight, proving he’s still one of the best players the League of Ireland has to offer. He set up the Hoops’ first goal and registered five key passes. When Byrne is fit, he’s a major threat to the rest of the league.