Bohemians 1 Rovers 0

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The Hoops never really got going in this league cup semi-final and succumbed to a second-half header from Glen Crowe. This was a physical contest with not a lot of goal mouth action and after early half-chances from a blocked Cassidy shot and a Crowe header the Referee Damien Hancock took centre stage when he showed Rossiter a second yellow card in the 16th minute to reduce the home side to ten men.

The game continued to be patchy with Crowe firing over the bar and Ger O'Brien shooting weakly from just outside the box. Kelly then shot over the bar from a corner as Bohs regained their composure after the early exchanges. Rovers best move came on 40 minutes when Myler sent Cassidy in on goal at an angle but the Bohs 'keeper Murphy advanced and got down well to save.

The second-half saw Bohs again take the initiative and Kelly's ball found Crowe behind the Hoops defence with only Barry Murphy to beat but the Bohs number nine unbelievably slipped the ball past Murphy and wide. Dave McGill then blocked a Hunt shot while at the other end Rowe almost set up substitute Tyrell with a header but a defender got back to clear.

The breakthrough arrived on the hour when after good defending by O'Brien the resulting corner found Crowe unmarked and he atoned for his earlier miss by heading home. Within minutes Cassidy sent Purcell away and he got past the Bohs 'keeper at a tight angle and played the ball back to Cassidy but his cross went wide. Rovers began to push on late in the game and Purcell forced Murphy to palm away his shot from just inside the area on 74 minutes. On 81 minutes Eric McGill found space outside the box but shot straight at Murphy.

A Tyrell free-kick in the 84th minute found Rowe at the back post but he couldn't get a shot in. In the 88th minute Cassidy won a corner and Tyrell whipped in a cross that was headed out to Ger O'Brien but he fired his shot over the bar. As Bohs defended deep in the dying minutes Eric McGill found Cassidy inside the area and his cross was just too high for Padraig Amonds head. Rovers last gasp effort to equalise saw goalkeeper Barry Murphy rise to meet O'Briens cross but his header went just over.

Line-Out

1 Barry Murphy
2 Ger O’Brien
3 Derek Pender
4 Dave McGill
5 Barry Ferguson
6 Danny O’Connor
7 David Cassidy
8 Eric McGill
9 Tadhg Purcell
10 Andy Myler
11 Ger Rowe


Substitutes :

13 Dean Lawrence
14 Dave Tyrell for Myler 49'
15 Paul Shields for Pender 78'
16 Stephen O'Brien
17 Padraig Amond for D.McGill 67'