Tony Cousins shrugged off a back injury to delight the Shamrock Rovers faithful at Tolka Park yesterday with a brace of headed goals to maintain his side's unbeaten start to the season and push them up to third in the Premier Division. Rovers eventually wore down a Finn Harps side who, in fairness, came to try and play, but, ultimately, were left ruing the chance they wasted.

Rovers more direct approach paid dividends in a second-half that was a big improvement on a mistake ridden first 45 minutes in which both sides had chances cleared off their respective lines.

Cousins and Finn Harps' striker, Jonathan Speak, swapped chances at either end soon after the resumption before a goal finally came in the 54th minute.

Harps' goalkeeper Darren Nash tipped a Jason Colwell header from Mark O'Neill's unorthodox cross onto the crossbar and Cousins scampered in to score with a stooping header.

Harps were level within 11 minutes when John-Gerard McGettigan's cross-shot eluded several defenders and the unfortunate Derek Tracey stuck out a foot to turn the ball into his own net.

But the raucous Rovers fans were in raptures once more on 70 minutes when Tracey sent O'Neill away down the right. Declan Boyle appeared to have won the ball back, but gave it away again, and O'Neill's driven cross was met by Cousins again and his header went into the top corner past Nash.

Cousins was denied his hat-trick with a misdirected header from a Marc Kenny corner on 81 minutes.