The game was played in very bad conditions with incessant rain and a swirling wind but the Hoops battled hard to take a much needed win from Oriel Park. The task was made more difficult by the sending-off of Stephen Bradley just before the break.
Robert Duggan
Robert Duggan started in goal for Rovers but he had little to do in the opening 10 mins as both sides tried to get used to the conditions. A Bradley free-kick on 11 mins was headed clear but Stephen Rice followed up at the edge of the box to score with a shot right into the corner of the net through a crowd of players. The home-side were stunned and the Hoops almost made it 2-0 on 23 mins when Cameron and Twigg combined to send Amond in on goal but his left-footed shot hit the side-netting.
Dundalk gradually started to get back into the game with O'Callaghan trying to find the killer pass in midfield. Rovers were fairly comfortable until the 38th minute when Duggan let the ball slip out of his hands and Turner followed up to place the ball into an empty net but luckily he slipped and Duggan made a brave attempt to block his effortas it went across goal and away to safety. Mansaram went close with a header a minute later and then Stephen Bradley received his marching orders following a second yellow card for something he said to the Linesman. A Mansaram cross went dangerously across the Hoops goal before another header went narrowly wide. The half ended with Turner lucky to receive only a yellow card for a late tackle on Rice.
The second-half was barely a minute old when Duggan had to tip over Mansaram's cross. A fine blocking tackle from Webb after 58 mins prevented Dundalk from piercing the Hoops defence and from the resultant corner O'Callaghan's shot went across goal.
Dundalk were relying on high balls into the area to try break the Hoops defence and Webb's clearance was headed just wide on 64 mins. From another corner Duggan did well to push away a shot that looked destined for the corner of the goal. Daragh Maguire was defending solidly and his fine header in front of goal on 70 mins relieved the pressure.
Substitute Purcell won a free-kick on 71 mins but Cameron's delivery was cleared. Rovers were finding it difficult tokeep possession and the introduction of O'Brien for Dundalk provided another target man. On 73 mins Duggan had to dive to his left to push away O'Briens's fine curling strike. Purcell almost got on the end of Duggans long kick-out on 76 mins and three minutes later at the other end O'Brien connected with a long ball but couldn't direct his header on goal.
As the game entered the last ten minutes the pressure mounted and when O'Briens header deflected of Treacy it almost caught Duggan off guard but he recovered well. Dundalk continued to throw high balls into the area and the Hoops defence continued to defend their goal. Turner tried his luck from 25 yards on 90 mins and his shot just shaved the Hoops cross-bar. Two late corners in the 93rd minute where duly defended and the Ref's whistle allowed the battling Hoops to celebrate victory.
