Shamrock Rovers 0-0 Bray Wanderers
A scoreless draw with Bray Wanderers in Tallaght was enough to ensure European football returns to Tallaght Stadium next season.
On a pitch heavily cut-up following Dundalk's exertions in losing to Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League the previous night, neither side produced much in the way of fluid football.
Rovers made two changes to the line-up that lost 3-0 to Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium last Friday: Pat Cregg and Rob Cornwall replacing the suspended Gary Shaw and David Webster.
Bray manager Harry Kenny made two changes of his own, with Tim Clancy returning from injury at the heart of defence in place of Alan McNally, while Mark Salmon replaced Darragh Noone in midfield.
The game started slowly with neither side playing with any real tempo or gusto, and it was ten minutes before the first shot in anger, a snapshot from Ger Pender easily saved by Barry Murphy.
Moments later, it was nearly calamity time down the other end as Simon Madden's left-footed cross bounced in front of Peter Cherrie, who spilled the ball, but luckily there was no Rovers player on hand to punish the error.
18-year-old Trevor Clarke – playing in his more natural left wing having spent much of the season at full back - showed a glimpse of why he's so highly thought of when he skinned Hugh Douglas and drove the ball high across the goal, but again there was nobody on hand to apply the finish.
Rovers squandered two chances on the counter-attack through Trevor Clarke and Gary McCabe, while Sean Boyd forced a simple save from Cherrie from Madden's right-wing cross.
John Sullivan had Bray's best chance of the first half when Karl Moore's cross was allowed to make it all the way to the back post, but his close-range shot was repelled by a joint effort of Murphy and Rob Cornwall.
And Rovers had their best chance two minutes befoore the break as Gary McCabe slithered his way through midfield and teed up Brandon Miele inside the box, but Cherrie did well to bat his powerful shot clear of goal.
The Hoops continued to control the game – if not with any real intent – in the second half, and Boyd fired narrowly wide after he twisted and turned Conor Kenna having latched onto Pat Cregg's pass.
A beautifully-weighted pass from Sean Heaney was touched down by Simon Madden for Brandon Miele, and the Tallaght midfielder's cross-shot zipped just past the post.
Under-17 midfielder Luke Kiely was introduced for the final half-hour, and he almost scored with his first touch as Miele's corner was cleared into his path.
And the Waterford man went close moments later as he finished off a counter-attack by cutting in from the right, but his shot was straight at Cherrie.
Former Hoops captain Conor Kenna went agonisingly close to putting Bray in the lead when he met Kevin Lynch's free kick, but his header was stopped on the line by Boyd and scrambled clear.
And another ex-Rover, Dean Kelly, should have settled it with the final touch of the game but, having escaped the attention of defender Rob Cornwall he volleyed tamely at Murphy.
Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy; David O'Connor, Sean Heaney, Rob Cornwall; Pat Cregg, Gary McCabe, Trevor Clarke, Brandon Miele (James Doona 90), Simon Madden; Dean Clarke (Luke Kiely 67), Sean Boyd (Aaron Dobbs 82).
Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie; Hugh Douglas, Conor Kenna, Tim Clancy, Kevin Lynch; John Sullivan, Mark Salmon (Darragh Noone 70), Ryan Brennan (Jason Marks 77), Karl Moore, Dylan Connolly; Ger Pender (Dean Kelly 70).
Referee: Sean Grant (Wexford).
