Shamrock Rovers go top of Premier Division for first time in TWO YEARS as Greene, Grace, and Gaffney down Drogheda Utd

The Irish Sun

09-05-2025

SHAMROCK ROVERS moved top of the table for the first time since they won four in a row thanks to their Triple-G threat.
Aaron Greene and Lee Grace scored two goals in three second-half minutes in Tallaght before Rory Gaffney netted a comical third in injury time to sink yesterday morning's table-toppers
2
Shamrock Rovers trounced Drogheda Utd
Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
2
Lee Grace, Aaron Greene, and Rory Gaffney netted the goals
Credit: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
It was the first time Rovers have been top since 2023 when they lifted their fourth title in four years.
And the second-half onslaught ensured a missed Graham Burke penalty and the frustration of the first period — when the Drogs did what they have been doing to so many teams — was all forgotten.
Rovers boss
Doherty said on
TV
that it was incorrect as his team was the second-least fouled team in the league, though in truth, like the league itself, it is a condensed table with the most-fouled team only winning two more free-kicks per game.
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But it was clear from early on that Drogheda are indeed very good at what they do, which is soaking up pressure,
running
down the clock and hitting teams on the break.
Early on, Bradley was complaining about visiting keeper Luke Dennison wasting time. The stopper was warned after ten minutes by referee Rob Harvey and soon jeered by fans.
But while Dennison was certainly taking his time when he could, he rarely had the chance as the ball was not often in Drogs' possession.
Instead, it was the Hoops moving the ball, both patiently and impatiently, and looking to carve open the second-meanest defence in the league.
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They were given a great chance to take the lead on 32 minutes, winning a penalty after
Josh
Honohan went over a trailing leg of Owen Lambe.
Before it could be taken, there was a delay as Shane Farrell made his way into the area before sitting down and calling for treatment.
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And whether or not that wait put off Burke, he dragged his shot as it struck Dennison's left-hand post and went wide.
Rovers kept passing and looking for openings but the Drogs were causing them problems with their few forays forward.
Farrell put a free-kick wide early on and Warren Davis flashed a shot just off
target
when offside.
But the second half saw Rovers make adjustments and seize control.
Greene netted on 50 minutes when he broke the offside trap on to Grace's lofted pass forward and controlled the ball on his chest before firing over the advancing Dennison.
Moments later, the keeper had to palm away a
Matt Healy
shot for a corner, only for the Hoops to score again off that set-piece.
Having been the provider for the first, Grace became the scorer for the second as he rose unmarked on the penalty spot to head home Jack Byrne's corner. Drogheda were forced to take more risks after that and they did push bodies forward looking for a goal to get back into it.
But with Byrne's trickery in the middle of the park and Rovers knowing they did not need to chase the game, it played into the hosts' hands.
There were several half-chances as Roberto Lopes and Gaffney went close while Dennison had to deal with a host of dangerous set-pieces.
And he was caught out in injury time when he raced out of his area to head clear a long ball but only succeeded in heading it against Michael Noonan, with the ricochet falling for Gaffney to slowly but surely roll into an empty net.
SUN
STAR
MAN
Lee Grace (Shamrock Rovers)
SHAMROCK ROVERS:
McGinty 7; Grace 8, Lopes 7, C O'Sullivan 7; Grant 7 (J O'Sullivan 84, 6), Healy 7, Nugent 7 (Ozhianvuna 84, 6), Honohan 7; Byrne 8 (Barrett 84, 6), Burke 7 (Gaffney 72, 6); Greene 7 (Noonan 72, 6).
DROGHEDA UNITED:
Dennison 5; Ahui 7, Keeley 6, Cooper 6 (Oluwa 59, 6); Lambe 6, Brennan 6 (Bolger 63, 6), Heeney 5, Kane 6; Farrell 5 (Cruise 72, 6); James-Taylor 6, Davis 6.
REFEREE:
R Harvey (Dublin) 6.