Shamrock Rovers won 2-0 in Tallaght Stadium against Galway United, putting pressure on league leaders Bohemian FC, who drew at home to Dundalk.
Danny Grant and Aaron Greene were the Hoops heroes on the day, scoring a goal in each half to send Galway down to 8th place.
Shamrock Rovers manager, Stephen Bradley, was full of praise for the travelling team while also condemning the home pitch for its lack of quality.
“I feel like that’s the best Galway team I’ve seen John (Caulfield) have, and they showed real glimpses of that tonight,” said Bradley. “It looks it hasn’t been touched; it looks like a field. We’re blessed to have the best field in the country, but that’s the worst I’ve seen it in ten years.”
Rovers remain with only one loss in the league, coming against their Dublin rivals Bohs, who sit at the top of the league, with five wins from eight.
Galway United came off the back of a thrilling 4-3 win against Waterford for their second win of the season on Monday night, with their other three points coming against Sligo Rovers in the Connacht Derby, and Shamrock Rovers travelled to Drogheda, with that match ending in a 0-0 stalemate.
Tallaght Stadium saw 4,248 spectators fill the green seats tonight, with only a small section of Galway United fans tucked in the corner, and the typical large wave of Rovers fans behind the home goal.
Adam Brennan created the best chance in the opening twenty minutes, squaring the ball across the six-yard box, but no one arrived to tap it home.
Tallaght Stadium was looking to be the only ground without a first-half goal in the Premier Division until Danny Grant stepped up with the opener, scoring from a low cross delivered by Cory O’Sullivan.
Galway made three subs to boost their attack at half-time, with Kris Twardek almost equalising for the travelling side within five minutes, after narrowly missing from outside the area.
Shamrock Rovers replied well by almost adding a second through Graham Burke, curling one just wide of the left post from range.
With thirty minutes to go, Rovers made their first subs of the night, introducing Aaron Greene, Jake Mulraney, and Michael Noonan.
Galway’s Matthew Wolfe was close to producing a goal of the year contender, as his shot from distance grazed the crossbar of Ed McGinty’s goal, leaving the crowd silent as it travelled through the air.
Lee Grace entered the game after seventy minutes, having recently made his 300th appearance for the Hoops in all competitions.
With only ten minutes remaining, Lee Devitt blasted the ball over the bar from close range, leaving Galway still chasing that levelling goal.
Rovers sealed the game with only five minutes to go, as super-sub Aaron Greene received the ball beyond Galway’s defensive line and curled the ball past Evan Watts to make it 2-0.
That win put Shamrock Rovers on 15 points, only two points behind St. Pats, and widened the gap with Dundalk in fourth place on 11 points.
With a week’s break from the League of Ireland coming up, players in both camps will get some well-deserved rest before taking to the field again at the start of April.
Shamrock Rovers starting lineup: Ed McGinty, Roberto Lopes, Cory O’Sullivan, Victor Ozhianvuna, Tunmise Sobowale, Matt Healy, Adam Brennan, Jack Byrne, Graham Burke, Danny Grant, John McGovern.
Galway United FC starting lineup: Evan Watts, Arthur Barker, Killian Brouder, Connor Barratt, Aaron Bolger, Gianfranco Facchinnieri, Ed McCarthy, David Hurley, Al-Amin Kazeem, Kris Twardek, Stephen Walsh.
