Bohemians 0 -

Rovers 1 - Twigg 66'            
 

Airtricity League - Dalymount Park - Friday 5th August 2011

Hoops Line out
16 Ryan Thompson
13 Pat Flynn
3 Enda Stevens
4 Craig Sives
5 Dan Murray (c)
14 Dean Kelly
21 Ronan Finn
22 Conor McCormack
20 Billy Dennehy
6 Stephen Rice   
9 Gary Twigg

Substitutes

11 Ciaran Kilduff
for Twigg 90+1
19 Gary O'Neill
for Finn 74'
7 Karl Moore
for Dennehy 86'
1 Richard Brush
13 Pat Flynn
15 Paddy Kavanagh

A second half headed goal from Gary Twigg was enough to claim all the points in Phibsboro tonight. The Hoops dominated the first-half but had to ensdure some late Bohs pressure to hold on to the lead. 

Rovers almost took a shock lead in the first minute when Gary Twigg headed down into the path of Billy Dennehy who got behind the Bohs defence but Barry Murphy advanced to save. After only 3 minutes a misplaced pass from Pat Flynn gave Fagan a shooting chance but he fired wide of Thompson's goal.

On 9 minutes a Dennehy free-kick saw Dean Kelly head the abll towards Twigg but Ger O'Brien made a vital interception. Gary Twigg then headed the resultant header straight at Murphy. Enda Stevens almost put Billy Dennehy inon goal on 13 minutes but once again Murphy advanced to save.

The Hoops were holding possession well and the home side couldn't get into the game. On 20 minutes a Dennehy cross saw Twigg take a touch but he fired his shot wide of goal.

Rovers should have taken the lead on 26 minutes when Dennehy and Stevens swapped passes and the Hoops number three fired in a great cross that Dean Kelly met at the back post but his powerful header crashed off the crossbar and Steven Rice saw his follow-up shot go over the bar.

Rover continued to make all the running and on 32 minutes Billy Dennehy saw his low cross palmed away by Murphy to safety. Dean Kelly skipped past Cronin in the Bohs defence but saw ex-Hoop Aidan Price head away his cross.

A bizarre mix-up between Ryan Thompson and Dan Murray saw the two Hoops players exchange angry words just before half-time but Billy Dennehy had the last chance before the whistle when he chased Kelly's cross and forced a save from Barry Murphy.

Five minutes after the break a Conor McCormack free-kick was headed towards goal by the hard working Craig Sives but Murphy tipped the ball over the bar. The home side were seeing more of the ball in the second period and Ryan Thompson showed his class when he rose to claim Brennan's freepkick on 55 minutes.

The game became a little scrappy with Rovers unable to hold onto the ball as they did in the first half but Dean Kelly livened things up on 65 minutes when he ran past two defenders and into the box but Murphy advanced to push his shot out for a corner. Billy Dennehy took the kick and the ball landed between Gary Twigg and Dean Kelly but it was the Scotsman that got the vital touch to knock the ball past Murphy and into the net.

There was huge relief in the Hoops section of the ground as Rovers had at last gained an advantage but they almost threw it away just three minutes later when substitute Downes skipped past Murray and crossed low for Ger O'Brien who couldn't hit the target from 9 yards out.

Another Bohs substitute Ollie Cahill beat Pat Flynn to cross for Downes but he glanced his header across goal. Aidan Price then headed over from Heary's cross as the home side at last sprung into life. Cillian Brennan wasted a dangerous free-kick from the right-hand side of the box on 79 minutes but Rovers then showed some composure to defend the Bohs attack with Sives and Murray winning everything that was thrown at them.

New signing Karl Moore was introduced late in the game and he went on a run into the bohs box in injury time but the home side conjured up one final attack and they almost equalised in the dying seconds when Brennan sent in a curling shot and although Thompson did well to push the ball away it was returned quickly and O'Brien got his head to the ball but it fortunately went over the Hoops bar and Rovers could celebrate a much needed win.