Rovers  (0) 3  -  Sives 49' Twigg 56' 61'   
Drogheda Utd (0) 0 -              
 

Airtricity League - Tallaght Stadium - Friday 20th May 2011 

Hoops Line out
1 Alan Mannus
22 Conor McCormack
3 Enda Stevens
4 Craig Sives
5 Dan Murray (c)
7 Gary McCabe
21 Ronan Finn
18 Chris Turner
20 Billy Dennehy
19 Gary O'Neill
9 Gary Twigg

Substitutes

6 Stephen Rice
for Turner 61'
10 Karl Sheppard
for O'Neill 66'
11 Ciaran Kilduff
for Twigg 73'
13 Pat Flynn
15 Paddy Kavanagh
16 Ryan Thompson
14 Dean Kelly
 

Craig Sives..opened the scoring

Three second-half goals by Scotsmen Sives and Twigg in a 16 minute period at the beginning of the 2nd half ensured the points for Rovers after a lacklustre first 45 mins.

Rovers had two enforced changes with Ken Oman and Pat Sullivan suspended with Chris Turner and Gary Twigg returning and Craig Sives making his debut for the season. 

Rovers started the game brightly enough with O'Neill and Twigg causing some problems and Billy Dennehy went close on 8 mins when he skipped past O'Brien into the box on the left but just missed the top right hand corner of the post.

The Hoops lost their way a little after that with the next chance falling to McCabe on 16 mins but he shot straight at 'keeper Trimble.

The visitors first foray forward after 19 mins saw Stevens deny McNamara a run into the box. On 25 mins a good run by O'Brien down the right needed Mannus to cut out his dangerous low cross.

The Drogs forced three corners in the 33rd minute with the last corner punched clear by Alan Mannus. On 38 minutes a Conor McCormack ball almost got Twigg in but Gannon got across to clear. Gary McCabe then shot over the bar on 41 minutes and a good tackle by Stevens denied Corcoran a run into the box.

The last action of the half saw Finn shoot wide when the ball dropped to him just outside the box.

The second-half saw Rovers up their game and Ronan Finn tested Trimble before Gary Twigg took the ball from McCabe to shoot just wide of Trimble's right-hand post.

There was relief all around the Stadium in the 49th minute as Craig Sives rose the highest to head home Conor McCormack's free kick from the right.

Corcoran just failed to get a head on a good cross by McCrosson on 53 mins but three minutes later Chris Turner burst forward to find Gary O'Neill and he laid the ball off for McCabe on the right and he crossed low to the near post for the irrepressible Gary Twigg to prod the ball past Trimble and into the net.

Chris Turner's last contribution to the game saw him send Twigg on a run past the Drogs defence and although Trimble seemed to get to the ball first he fluffed his clearance and the Scotsman gleefully ran on to slip the ball into the empty net.

Finn had a goal ruled out for offside a couple of minmutes later and the Drogs lost Keith Murray when he was stretchered off after a collision with Stephen Rice.

The visitors kept battling but Rovers had chances to extend their lead especially when Dennehy raced forward and got the better of Ekanem but Trimble saved with his legs.

Sheppard went close with a shot on 82 minutes but a minute later Corcoran tested Mannus with a shot from Gaul's cross. Corcoran thought he had bagged a consolation for Drogheda on 88 minutes when O'Brien's cross fell to him in the box but again Mannus got a decisive touch to his shot.

Ciaran Kilduff and Billy Dennehy both had chances to add to the Hoops lead in the dying minutes but in the end Rovers were happy just to claim the three points.

The game was preceded by a fantastic tribute to Philip Greene who passed away earlier in the week.