On a cold evening at the Tallaght Stadium, Shamrock Rovers got back to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Finn Harps, courtesy of first half strikes by Roberto Lopes, Dylan Watts and Aaron Greene. The Hoops jumped ahead after just ten
On a cold evening at the Tallaght Stadium, Shamrock Rovers got back to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Finn Harps, courtesy of first half strikes by Roberto Lopes, Dylan Watts and Aaron Greene.
The Hoops jumped ahead after just ten minutes. After a well-worked short corner, Aaron McEneff fired in a shot which Harps netminder Peter Burke parried but Lopes pounced to stab home.
As Rovers assumed complete control, Dylan Watts spurned a 27th minute penalty, awarded after McEneff was upended in the Harps’ area. Within ten minutes though, Watts atoned for his miss, capitalizing on Dan Carr’s pass to fizz a low drive past Burke.
Greene made it three deep into first half stoppage (Harps’ woes compounded as skipper Gareth Harkin was stretchered off before the break), storming on to a Sean Kavanagh through ball to blast an unstoppable angled shot into the far corner.
It could and perhaps should have been more for Rovers, who made five changes from the 0-0 draw with Dundalk. Greene was unlucky with a 63rd minute shot that cannoned back into play off the underside of the bar.
Greene was set-up for that effort by a superb run from inside his own half by the robust Carr who hustled and harried the Harps defence all night long.
The visitors were restricted to some speculative shots and when boss Ollie Horgan incurred the wrath of referee Ben Connolly and was dispatched to the stands midway through the second half, it summed-up a disappointing night for the Donegal men.
