Rovers exact some measure of revenge

The build up was nice, with more presentations than at your average American trade show. But when it came to the football, Dalymount's birthday party went badly wrong, with a single second-half goal from Tony Grant enough to badly deflate the home support and send Rovers above their old rivals to the top of the Premier Division table.

It was never great stuff, although, by the end it certainly had an exciting edge. Even without producing their best, though, Bohemians could have no complaints about the result for they had created enough chances to at least maintain their unbeaten start to the new season.

Instead, Rovers scrapped every inch of the way and finished up deserving all of their three points for the effort if nothing else.

Both sides, to be fair, had been trying something resembling football from the start of the game, but neither managed it on anything approaching a regular basis.

The strong wind, of course, didn't help but even then the 5,000 strong crowd must have felt entitled to a little more from two sides whose sense of occasion appeared to have abandoned them.

Occasionally, Bohemians did produce some of the flowing moves forward that have set them apart from the rest of the pack during these early weeks of the season. But, Fergal Harkin aside, the danger men seemed to be having a bit of a night off and Tony O'Dowd had a surprisingly easy time of it.

An important factor was the much better defending in front of him where Pat Scully brought calm and composure to a back-four that sometimes lacked both during games last season.

There were still weaknesses there that the champions might have exploited on another night, however, and after Glen Crowe and Trevor Molloy had both gone terribly close to opening the scoring inside the opening halfhour it was hard to believe that Damien Richardson's side would not fall behind at some point.

Certainly, their own scoring chances were few and best forgotten with Seβn Francis and Tony Grant having to settle for hurried long-range efforts in the face of some strong and determined defensive work by Tony O'Connor and Stephen Caffrey.

Sure enough, though, it was Rovers who did make the breakthrough. Simon Webb's error suddenly plunging the home side's back-four into confusion from the midst of which Tony Grant slipped the ball between Michael Dempsey and his post.

Francis, waiting in the middle, seemed to get a touch although only after the ball had crossed the line and while he momentarily looked set to claim the goal himself, in the celebrations that followed it was abundantly clear who the players felt deserved the credit.

Just short of the hour, Crowe came within a whisker of equalising after O'Dowd spilled Harkin's low drive before recovering to block the follow up and, not long afterwards, Grant's low ball to Francis would have led to goal number two for the visitors had not been for a fine reaction stop by Dempsey.

Both sides had penalty claims, neither very impressive, and each now moved the ball around with a little more precision than had been managed during the first period.

But, for the most part, it was manic rather than magical stuff and, though the home side pressed hard for an equaliser, they might as easily have conceded a second during the hectic closing stages.

That, however, would have flattered the visitors who left having taken some measure of revenge for last season's 6-4 humiliation.

BOHEMIANS: Dempsey; Shelley (Meade, 81 mins), Caffrey, O'Connor, Webb; Morrison, Harkin, Hunt, Rutherford; Crowe, Molloy.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Costello, Scully, Palmer, Dunne; Kenny (Robinson, 60 mins), Colwell, Tracey, Woods; Francis (Deans, 90 mins), T Grant (S Grant, 75 mins).

Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).