Josh Honohan makes amends to secure Shamrock Rovers win over Shelbourne
When Josh Honohan's football career eventually stops rising, he will remember the month of June in 2025.
Called into the
Republic of Ireland
squad for friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg, a muscular injury sustained in training conspired to deny him a dream debut.
An own goal appeared to cap a miserable week for the Cork man, until he blasted a late winner to silence the Tolka Park crowd and maintain
Shamrock Rovers
six-point lead at the top of the
Premier Division
.
Shelbourne
, the defending champions, are stranded in sixth, an gaping 12 points adrift of Rovers.
READ MORE
'They know we're here, they know we're back,' said Shelbourne manager Damien Duff before kick-off.
Maybe so, but it feels like Rovers' league to win again.
Shelbourne manager Damien Duff during the game at Tolka Park. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/INpho
Following a dreary international break, there were a bundle of stories bouncing around the scene this week.
The managerial rivalry between Stephen Bradley and Duff has become as potent as the Ringsend derby itself, but the gaffers agreed on Friday that the break has refreshed their squads ahead of a busy summer of European football.
Initially, Duff branded the pause as amateur.
'It came at the right time. The lads have had a chance to get fit, rest and focus on attacking the second half of the season.'
They barely attacked the first half of this game.
On 12 minutes, Shels' zonal marking at the set-piece was exposed by Jack Byrne's sumptuous free-kick as Dan Cleary timed his run across Mark Coyle to nod the ball into Conor Kearns' net.
The goal silenced a lively full house and put Rovers firmly on course to capture a fifth title in six seasons.
'It's June,' Bradley reminded anyone willing to listen prematch.
A long way to go, but still, the Hoops looked unbreakable with Pico Lopes taking no prisoners in defence. A lunging intercept by the Cape Verde international on 30 minutes denied John Martin a run on goal.
Seconds later, the title race turned into a battle between Rovers and Bohemians, as Alan Reynolds' men were beating Cork City 2-0 at Turners' Cross.
Shamrock Rovers' Dan Cleary celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Shelbourne equalised before half-time when a decent cross by Kameron Ledwidge led to Honohan's unforced error.
If he was trying to score, it would have been a fine finish.
Until Honohan's match winner, it had not been a great week. A random Galway United fan thought the defender was fair game for abuse during his solo session on the Stade de Luxembourg pitch after Ireland's 0-0 result last Tuesday.
He reacted to that disappointment and the own goal by storming past Evan Caffrey into the Shels box, only for referee Robert Harvey to miss a blatant jersey tug by Caffrey.
At 1-1, John Martin typified the game's intensity by chasing down a lost cause and denying Lee Grace from guiding the ball for a goal kick. Martin hurt himself making the tackle but he recovered to earn a yellow card for disrupting the subsequent throw-in.
Duff was spitting fire on the line. By the turn, he had his sixth yellow card of the season after reacting to Coyle's booking for a foul on Danny Mandroiu after Lopes thundered through Kerr McInroy.
That paragraph belongs in an All-Ireland Hurling final report. The unbridled passion might have something to do with Bradley being impressed by a recent leadership talk from Brian Cody.
'It was gold dust' said Bradley of the message imparted by the 11-time winning Kilkenny manager.
Byrne continued to sprinkle his magic dust on the occasion, with a spinning delivery for Danny Grant to force a smart save by Kearns.
Shamrock Rovers' Aaron McEneff. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/Inpho
Shels maintained the pressure in the second half, with Byrne the latest to be cautioned for upending McInroy after Caffrey's shot was blocked by a clump of Rovers defenders.
That was Shelbourne's first shot of the night. Rovers were already up to 11 efforts on goal, five finding the target.
The lack of chances prompted Duff to unleash his usual strike force, Mipo Odubeko and Sean Boyd, but the tall forwards struggled to wrestle control from Cleary and Lopes.
Cleary had a second headed goal disallowed on 70 minutes. Bradley and his players struggled to understand the match officials' reasoning.
By then, Rovers had turned to Dylan Watts and Graham Burke to break the deadlock but it was Honohan who came forward to secure all three points.
SHELBOURNE:
Kearns; Gannon, Barrett, Wilson (Wood 69), Ledwidge, Norris; McInroy (Coote 81), Coyle (Lunney 69); Caffrey, Chapman (Boyd 58); Martin (Odubeko 58).
SHAMROCK ROVERS:
McGinty; Grant, Cleary, Lopes, Honohan (Clarke 86), Matthews (Grace 6); Healy, McEneff, Mandroiu (Burke 69), Byrne (Watts 69); Gaffney (Greene 69).
Referee:
Robert Harvey.
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