Rory Gaffney hits double as Shamrock Rovers move 10 points clear with 10 to go in League of Ireland title race

The Irish Sun

2 days ago

The veteran striker bagged both goals in dominant win over 10-man Derry as Hoops close in on fifth title in six years
TEN STARS Rory Gaffney hits double as Shamrock Rovers move 10 points clear with 10 to go in League of Ireland title race
RORY GAFFNEY'S 10th goal of the season against 10-man Derry City moved Shamrock Rovers 10 points clear with 10 games to go.
And the Candystripes have now gone 10 matches without a win against the Hoops.
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Rory Gaffney landed his tenth goal of the season for Shamrock Rovers in the win over Derry City
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Rovers' win gives them a ten-point lead in the Premier Division as Derry City are winless in ten
Rovers were on the back foot for most of the first half but were a different animal after the break as they put Derry City to the sword.
Gaffney, 35, was taken off midway through the second half and replaced by 17-year-old Michael Noonan but he had already done more than enough.
If his first goal was a tap-in, from Josh Honohan's cross, his second was anything but.
Played in down the right by Dylan Watts, he cut inside Alex Bannon before unleashing a thunderous left-foot drive into the far corner.
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The Tuam native only re-signed for the Hoops a week into the league season after proving his fitness after an ankle injury which had sidelined him last year.
But how glad Rovers are to have him as he has now netted four times in his last five games and is their top scorer with 10 goals in all competitions.
With Bohemians and Derry City both taking just one point from their last two outings, the Hoops have stretched their lead to double digits.
And, even if they find themselves in a prolonged European campaign, it is hard to envisage the kind of drop-off in domestic form which would be required for anyone to catch them and prevent Stephen Bradley's side from winning a fifth league title in six years.
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After they sleepwalked their way through a 0-0 draw against St Joseph's on Thursday - having earned the right to do so after a 4-0 win in Gibraltar - this represented a serious step-up in intensity.
Lee Grace, Daniel Cleary, Dylan Watts, Matt Healy and Danny Mandroiu were restored to the starting XI.
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They started well and had a couple of half-chances with Aaron McEneff unable to keep his effort on target after being teed up by Gaffney.
Gaffney was then played through by Roberto Lopes and sped past Mark Connolly. Alex Bannon came across to cover but the former Limerick striker got past him too only to fire wide.
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But, thereafter, the only chance they had before the break was from a free-kick when Connolly fouled Watts but Mandroiu's strike was straight at Brian Maher.
Derry were more threatening, particularly down the left where their recent recruit from Hull City, Brandon Fleming, was a danger, along with Michael Duffy.
Duffy went closest to breaking the deadlock when he ran in behind to latch onto Sadou Diallo's pass.
His shot beat Ed McGinty but struck the far post with Roberto Lopes mopping up before any Derry player could pounce on the rebound.
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Later he fired wide of goal after he had found a gap between Lopes and Dan Cleary on the right.
Alex Bannon had a header from a corner saved with Fleming twice off target, the second after he had nutmegged Danny Grant.
Bradley made a switch at half-time with Connor Malley - signed on loan from Sligo Rovers - coming on for his debut in place of Aaron McEneff.
And, although he had no role in it, Rovers went ahead almost straight from the restart with Josh Honohan getting the better of Adam O'Reilly on the left before crossing in to Gaffney who escaped the attentions of Jamie Stott for an easy tap-in.
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It marked the start of complete dominance for the home side who could quite easily have scored twice more in the following four minutes.
First, Malley struck the woodwork with an effort from outside the box and then Honohan dragged a shot wide of the far upright after he had been set up by Mandroiu.
Derry offered little in return and Gaffney got the second goal in the 65th minute.
And, any hope of a comeback from the visitors was ended in the 79th minute when Bannon was sent off after two bookable offences, for fouls on Mandroiu and Honohan.
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SHAMROCK ROVERS 2-0 DERRY CITY
SUN STAR MAN: Rory Gaffney (Shamrock Rovers)
SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty 7; Cleary 6 (O'Sullivan 86, 3), Lopes 6, Grace 7; Grant 6 (McGovern 74, 5), Healy 7, McEneff 6 (Malley 46, 7), Honohan 7; Watts 7, Mandroiu 7 (Matthews 74, 5); Gaffney 8 (Noonan 69,5 ).
DERRY CITY: Maher 6; Bannon 4, Connolly 5, Stott 6; O'Reilly 6, Stott 6, Diallo 6 (R Boyce 85, 3), Fleming 7; L Boyce 6 (Mullen 64, )5, Akinyemi 5 (Whyte 64, 5), Duffy 7 (Doherty 85, 3).
REFEREE: P McLaughlin (Monaghan) 6