3 v 1 
St. Pat's AthDetails
| Date | Time | League | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 July 2021 | 8:00 pm | LOI Men's Premier Division | 2021 |
Match Report
Rovers deliver win over Pat’s
A brace of goals from man of the match Danny Mandriou and a clinical header from Roberto Lopes ensured that Shamrock Rovers lead at the top of the table intact as they overcame a resolute St. Patricks Athletic in Tallaght tonight.
The league leaders took the lead thanks to a clinical finish from Mandriou only for the Saints to pull one back courtesy of a John Mountney free-kick.
Any indication of Stephen O’Donnells going back to Inchicore with the full points was dashed with second-half goals from Roberto Lopes and Mandriou adding a second to his tally.
Athletic made most of the early running as they deployed a strong midfield set up with Robbie Benson taking on the role as a ‘false nine’ as O’Donnell looked to take it to the hosts.
The first chance of note fell to the visitors as a cross from Paddy Barrett was almost met by Billy King at the back post but the ball evaded him at the vital moment. It was the hosts who took the lead as a defence-splitting pass from Dylan Watts saw the ball fed to Mandriou who slotted his effort home with a well-placed strike.
Rovers continued to press for a second and the Hoops had a series of chances with Richie Towell and Ronan Finn going close however it was St. Pats who would get an equaliser right on the stroke of halftime.
John Mountney, known for his set-piece prowess; struck a low hard free-kick that took the slightest of touches off Watts en-route to goal that left Alan Mannus flat-footed and powerless to stop it. Game on.
Shamrock Rovers took the game to the visitors from the restart and Rory Gaffney had an early opportunity to put the Hoops back in the lead however Sam Bone made a crucial block in the goal area. They did however restore their lead on the hour mark as a Watts corner was met at the near post by Roberto Lopes and his header gave Jaros no chance.
Darragh Burns went close to equalising as he broke down the right and cut inside his curling effort did go wide but it left Mannus racing to cover his far post.
The next attack for the hosts all but sealed the tie for Rovers as Watts was once again instrumental as he set a through ball to Mandriou who chipped the ball over the advancing Jaros to get his second of the game.
While St. Pats continued to attack it was all in vain as Shamrock Rovers cement their place at the top with a busy week in Europe awaiting them.
Timeline
| 14. Daniel Mandriou | 29' | |
| 5. Lee Grace | 41' | |
| 43' | 29. Paddy Barrett | |
| 45' | 23. John Mountney | |
| 57' | Paddy Barrett Ronan Coughlan | |
| 4. Roberto Lopes | 60' | |
| 4. Roberto Lopes | 63' | |
| 14. Daniel Mandriou | 71' | |
| Lee Grace Sean Kavanagh | 74' | |
| 74' | Alfie Lewis Ben McCormack | |
| 74' | Billy King Nahum Melvin-Lambert | |
| Ronan Finn Sean Gannon | 77' | |
| Dylan Watts Sean Hoare | 82' | |
| Gary O'Neill Aaron Greene | 82' | |
| 86' | Sam Bone Kyrian Nwoko |
Past Meetings
Ground
| Tallaght Stadium |
|---|
| Tallaght Stadium, Whitestown Way, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 XC9W |
Ciaran Callan
Ciaran Callan is a part-time sports journalist based in Dundalk, Co. Louth. He has more than 10 year’s experience working with media companies including both extensive radio broadcasting experience along with print and digital media reporting for the SSE Airtricity League as well digital media work with the national sports company eirSport. He joined FinalWhistle in February 2021 as is their main correspondent for Dundalk Football Club.
FULL TIME: A brace of goals from man of the match Danny Mandriou and a clinical header from Roberto Lopes ensured that Shamrock Rovers lead at the top of the table intact as they overcame a resolute St. Patricks Athletic. The league leaders took the lead thanks to a clinical finish from Mandriou only for the Saints to pull one back courtesy of a John Mountney free-kick. Any indication of Stephen O’Donnells going back to Inchicore with the full points was dashed with second-half goals from Roberto Lopes and Mandriou adding a second to his tally.
Kyrian Nwoko comes on to make his league of Ireland debut he replaces Sam Bone
Dylajn Watts and Gary O'Neill comes off
Sean Hoare and Aaron Greene come on.
Finn comes off and gives the armband to Roberto Lopes.
Gannon comes on and he replaces Ronan Finn.
Grace comes off.
Kavanagh comes on for the last 15 minutes of the game
Double sub for St. Patricks Athletic: Nahum Melvin-Lambert and Ben McCormack replace Billy King and Alfie Lewis
Well, this could be it, a brilliant through ball from Watts to Mandriou who breaks free of the St Pat's defence and he chips it over to Jaros to add Rovers third.
What a chance, Darragh Burns hits an effort from the right and it left Mannus scrambling and it just went wide.
Another corner from Dylan Watts and Roberto Lopes looks to repeat the double act however it goes wide.
For a foul on Coughlan, Lopes is booked for the challenge.
A corner sent in from Watts and Roberto Lopes at the near post heads it past Jaros. Rovers back in front!
Barrett comes off, he is on a yellow card so maybe that was the reason for the decision.
Coughlan comes on to replace Barrett. This is a tactical switch as O'Donnell reverts to two centre backs.
Some good build-up play from St. Patricks Athletic which relieves some pressure on the St. Pats defence however Shamrock Rovers clear the lines.
What a chance! Mandriou feeds the ball into Gaffney and the striker looked as he was set to score only for Sam Bone to block his effort
Richie Towell restarts the second half for Shamrock Rovers.
HALF TIME: In a game in which both sides had possession, Danny Mandriou opened the scoring after Shamrock Rovers absorbed a lot of early pressure from the visitors. They had a series of chances with Richie Towell and Ronan Finn going close however they are on level terms as John Mountney hits a well-taken free-kick right on the stroke of halftime to make it honours even at the break.
What a strike! John Mountney from a free-kick hits a low hard effort that flies past Mannus and St Pats are level!
In the lead, up to the free-kick Barrett was booked.
Mandriou with the free-kick is hit off the wall and Watts hits it the first time on the follow-up but it goes over the bar.
Grace gets a yellow card for a foul on Mountney.
Ronan Finn goes close to adding a second as Richie Towell broke down the left and got away from Lee Desmond and he squared the ball to Finn but Jason McClelland clears the danger.
A brilliant ball in by Ronan Finn and it finds Mandriou who has a free header and the ball just goes wide.
A free-kick sent in was met by Barrett at the edge of the area and his header on goal has Mannus scrambling but it goes wide.
A brilliant cross from Gaffney and Towell was at full stretch at the back post but it goes wide of the post.
What a strike! Dylan Watts opens St Pats up with a clinical pass and Mandriou slots it home from just inside the area to open the scoring.
Ronan Finn lays the ball off to Towell and his standing foot just goes from under him at the crucial time and it's easy for Jaros to gather.
While we might be cosy here in FinalWhistle HQ it has begun to absolute pour out of the heavens in Tallaght.
Shamrock Rovers starting to press a little further up the pitch, they are getting some room down the left and will look to exploit that.
A fantastic ball from Paddy Barrett is sent into the back post and Billy King was not too far away from it. Close for the visitors.
Good passing, tight press and not many opportunities on goal. This is exactly what you would expect from a top of the table clash. St Pat's looking the brighter with Robbie Benson deployed as a 'false 9'.
The first corner of the game sees Mountney send it in, its played short but the ball falls to Mandriou and he clears it.
A clever layoff from Billy King and Benson who was off balance a little skies his effort over the bar.
KICK OFF: We are underway at the Tallaght Stadium and Robbie Benson - who has a knack for scoring goals against Shamrock Rovers kicks us off.
And her comes the teams, St. Patricks Athletic in the red and of course Shamrock Rovers in the familiar green and white hoops.
We are less than ten minutes from kick-off, Shamrock Rovers with a game in hand will be looking to hold onto that lead at the top of the table.
The team news is in full from the away sides camp: Tonight’s team shows four changes from last weekend coming into the team is Mountney, Benson, Forrester & Burns and out of the starting eleven is Bermingham, Lennon, McCormack, Smith. Stephen O'Donnell's new signings Melvin-Lambert & Nwoko are on the bench. Matty Smith is suspended for tonight's game.
Ronan Coughlan leads the goalscoring trial for St. Pat’s with seven league goals this term.
When it comes to goals Graham Burke is the top scorer in the league for Rovers with eight goals.
It was back in May 2018 the last time the Saints beat the Hoops and the Athletic have not beaten the Hoops in Tallaght since 18 March 2016. That day a 2-0 win for the Saints was secured thanks to goals from Billy Dennehy and Christy Fagan.
This is what St. Patricks Athletic boss Stephen O'Donnell had to say before tonight's match: "We're going to Tallaght which is a great place to play, it's lovely surface and a great arena so it's a match we are really looking forward to, it's a really good game to play. We are 21 games in, and in a good position in the league and probably nobody expected us to be there apart from ourselves internally, we knew what we were capable of in the group, but the lads are exceeding expectations and the way they are working week on week is great.
Stephen Bradley, manager of Shamrock Rovers spoke ahead of tonight's game: “Pat's have had a good season so far, They're up and around the top and have been from the start so we know they're a good side. We know what they'll bring to Tallaght. We've got to be ready for that and I'm sure we will."
News from the Shamrock Rovers camp for tonight's match is: Danny Mandroiu returns to the starting eleven with Liam Scales and Ronan Finn out wide. Tonight Rory Gaffney will lead the line.
Good Evening from Final Whistle HQ, Ciaran Callan is here to take you through tonight's action as Shamrock Rovers take on St. Patricks Athletic in a top of the table clash of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division.