Shamrock Rovers 2-1 Limerick
Shamrock Rovers finished their season on a high with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Limerick at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night.
With nothing more than league position to play for, and lots of changes on both sides, there was a danger the match could devolve into something of a phoney war.
That certainly seemed to be the case in the first half as neither side created much of note, but it picked up after the break with goals in quick succession from Brandon Miele and Ronan Finn.
Colm Walsh-O'Loughlin pulled one back late on in his senior debut but the Hoops were able to close the game out and ensure a third-placed finish ahead of Derry City.
The game's first chance arrived with just 27 seconds on the clock as Miele found a pocket of space on the edge of the box to shoot, but he couldn't keep his effort down.
It was to become a recurring theme in the first half as Miele shot four more times from distance, forcing two saves from Freddy Hall in the process but never really worrying the keeper.
The best chances initially fell to the visitors, whose line-up, minus top scorer Rodrigo Tosi, looked primed to play football with Chiedozie Ogbene and Henry Cameron supporting striker Peter Berki.
An intercepted ball in midfield by Bastien Hery led to their first serious opportunity as Ogbene breezed past Simon Madden and cross for Berki but Kevin Horgan got down well to cut it out.
It was Horgan's blunder that led to the next as he came out of his box only for Cameron to nick the ball past him, but the New Zealander's shot was weak and turned behind by the retreating keeper.
Cameron turned creator for Ogbene just past the half-hour as his defence-splitting pass put the Cork man through but his low shot was too close to Horgan to cause any serious issues.
And William Fitzgerald, making his first league start on the wing, had the best chance of the lot as a loose ball from a corner broke his way, but his shot from 12 yards was, again, straight at Horgan.
The Blues could have come to regret their profligacy as Rovers finished the half with a barrage of pressure, David McAllister heading Madden's cross wide when he should have hit the target.
McAllister went closer on the stroke of half-time as a 25-yard scorcher seemed destined for the top corner only for Hall to expertly push it behind. Ronan Finn shot wastefully over from the set-piece.
The home side did take the lead seven minutes into the second half when defender Dean Carpenter was hauled down in the box and referee John McLoughlin pointed straight to the spot.
Miele stepped up to take the kick and, though Hall correctly dived low to his right, there was too much pace and precision on the strike and the winger notched his 16th of the season.
Five minutes later, Rovers doubled their lead as captain Finn made a powerful run towards the box, eked out some space and drove a low shot that Hall should have saved at his near post.
Limerick pulled one back against the run of play nine minutes from time, an excellent finish from substitute Walsh-O'Loughlin, the ball nestling in the top corner.
Shamrock Rovers: Kevin Horgan; Simon Madden, Dean Carpenter, Sam Bone, Luke Byrne; David McAllister (James Doona 67), Ronan Finn, Aaron Bolger, Cameron King (Ryan Connolly 59), Brandon Miele; Sean Boyd (Dean Dillon 75).
Limerick: Freddy Hall (Tommy Holland 80); Dean Clarke, David O'Connor, Tony Whitehead, Alan Murphy; Shane Duggan, Bastien Hery, William Fitzgerald, Henry Cameron (Karl O'Sullivan 61), Chiedozie Ogbene; Peter Berki (Colm Walsh-O'Loughlin 72).
