Rovers  (0) 2  - Turner 79' Dennehy 90+2'      
Dundalk (1) 2 - Griffin 22' 62'                
 

Airtricity League - Tallaght Stadium - Tuesday 21st June 2011 

Hoops Line out
1 Alan Mannus
2 Pat Sullivan
3 Enda Stevens
5 Dan Murray (c)
17 Ken Oman
7 Gary McCabe
8 Stephen O'Donnell
21 Ronan Finn
20 Billy Dennehy
9 Gary Twigg
19 Gary O'Neill

Substitutes
4 Craig Sives
for Murray 54'
18 Chris Turner
for O'Donnell 64'
10 Karl Sheppard
for Twigg 68'
6 Stephen Rice
11 Ciaran Kilduff
16 Ryan Thompson
22 Conor McCormack

Billy Dennehy...late late goal

It looked all over for Rovers when Mark Griffin headed the visitors into a 2 goal lead in the second-half but Rovers battled on and first Chris Turner and then, in added-on time, Billy Dennehy found the net at a rain soaked Tallaght Stadium.

A lively start to the game saw chances at either end and when Enda Stevens lost possession on the left Mark Griffin found himself in front of goal but Alan Mannus stood firm to save.

Two minutes later it was Rovers turn to go close McCabe's cross found Gary O'Neill but the Hoops number 19 headed the ball into the ground and over the bar from 10 yds out.

Bolger shot just wide on 13 minutes from long range before 'keeper Cherrie beat Dennehy to a through ball. The Hoops defence looked porous again as Murray was beaten by Quigley but his shot went wide.

Another McCabe cross saw O'Neill stretch to meet the ball but he couldn't get his effort on target. The Hoops went behind on 22 minutes when the defence was breached again and this time Griffin side-footed the ball past Mannus.

Gary Twigg thought he had equalised on 35 minutes when he ran on to O'Neill's flick but the Linesman ruled the goal out for offside. A good cross from Dennehy saw both Twigg and Oman fail to connect with the ball as the half ended.

The second-half was two minutes old when Dennehy fired a free-kick from 20 yards straight at Cherrie. Griffin had a chance to extend the Lilywhites lead a minute later when he beat Murray in the box but his shot was weak and Mannus saved.

On 56 minutes a McCabe cross saw substitute Sives head the ball down for Oman but his shot on the turn went wide. A good spell of pressure from Rovers just before the hour finished with Dennehy shooting narrowly wide.

Tallaght was stunned when Griffin rose to head Quigley's free-kick past Mannus from six-yards out to make it 2-0.

Rovers tried to get back into the game but were frustrated by a strong Dundalk defence and didn't create much until the 77th minute when the ball fell to Gary McCabe from Dennehy's free-kick but a defender blocked his shot from 8 yards out.

Rovers were given a life-line in the 79th minute when Stevens cross was only punched away by Cherrie and Chris Turner's fine first time strike from outside the box sailed into the net.

Rovers at last began to put the visitors defence under real pressure and Sheppard set-up Finn to shoot from just inside the box but his effort went over the bar. With five minutes remaining Sheppard couldn't direct his header on goal from McCabe's cross.

Alan Mannus kept the Hoops hopes alive when he got down well to save Quigley's low drive with just two minutes left. A minute later Dennehy's ball was flicked on by O'Neill and the ball fell for Oman on the right hand side of the box but Cherrie beat away his shot.

The game was well into the three minutes of added-on time when a Pat Sullivan long ball was flicked on into the area and Dennehy stole in to head the ball past a static 'keeper and into the net for a dramatic equaliser.

However with seconds left on the clock a Quigley free-kick went right across the face of the Hoops goal and fortunately no Dundalk player could get a touch.