RONAN FINN headed an injury-time equaliser to secure a share of the spoils for Shamrock Rovers in a tight Dublin derby clash.

 

 

Finn’s 94th minute header levelled matters after teenager Keith Buckley looked to have bagged the three points for Pat Fenlon’s youthful Bohs.

 

There was enormous anticipation of this clash from both sets of supporters and the two stands at Dalymount Park were packed to the rafters. It made for an exhilarating pre-match atmosphere.

 

Unfortunately the game did not start at the same level of fervour that the 3,100 attendance demanded.

 

Bohemians settled well and looked the stronger early on. Killian Brennan had the game’s first shot on target in the sixth minute when his free-kick from 30 yards out was saved by Alan Mannus. Anto Flood almost got in on the loose ball but Mannus gathered.

 

Mannus was almost completely embarrassed by a bad bounce on the Phibsborough turf in the 19th minute. A back-pass from Ronan Finn had a bit of live in it and at the last moment took a bobble and flew past the Rovers keeper but thankfully for Mannus it bobbled wide.

 

Dean Kelly had the first Hoops attempt on goal two minutes later when he got his head to a Conor McCormack corner but the ball flew narrowly over the Bohs crossbar.

 

Disappointingly it was not until the 45th minute that another attack of note was launched as Gary O’Neill saw his low drive from outside the penalty area skip tamely wide.

 

Bohs had an excellent chance of breaking the deadlock in the 59th minute when a quick Liam Burns free released Stephen Traynor and his lay-off set up Anto Flood. Unfortunately the strike snapped at the opportunity and he fired harmlessly across goal.

 

Moments later Karl Sheppard had a header on target but it lacked any venom and Chris O’Connor gathered with ease.

 

Bohs took the lead in the 72nd minute when teenager Buckley bundled home his first goal for the Gypsies.

 

The build-up to the goal came two minutes earlier when Traynor won a free-kick from Enda Stevens on the edge of the Rovers penalty area.

 

Killian Brennan produced a trademark free-kick strike that Mannus did extremely well to push around his left upright.

 

The Hoops defence did not deal with Brennan’s delivery from the resulting corner. Ex-Rovers skipper Aiden Price had his header deflected onto the crossbar and Buckley followed up to help the ball into the goal.

 

Rovers suffered a major blow when substitute Gary McCabe was dismissed for apparent dissent in the 81st minute.

 

Such was their desperation to secure at least a share of the spoils that keeper Mannus went up field for their final corner. He almost got his head to Conor McCormack’s corner but it did find the head of Ronan Finn and flew into the back of the Bohs net.

 

It put a dramatic seal on a tense Dublin derby and the end-up was probably a just result.

 

Bohemians: O'Connor; Heary, O'Brien, Rossiter, Burns, Price, Buckley (Dixon 79), Bayly, Flood (Lodola 89), Traynor, Brennan.

 

Shamrock Rovers: Mannus; Sullivan, Stevens, Murray (Kilduff 84), Rice (McCabe 62), Sheppard, Kelly (Dennehy 75), Oman, O'Neill, Finn, McCormack.

 

Referee: A Buttimer (Cork).