General
- Friday April 11th, 2014 @ 23:06
Killer Strike Defeats Rovers
A 45th minute first half penalty from Saints' midfielder Killian Brennan was enough to defeat 10 man Shamrock Rovers as Liam Buckley's side came out on top 1-0 in Friday's SSE Airtricity League Dublin derby.
Conan Byrne was fouled in the box after a challenge from Hoops' defender Luke Byrne, with referee David McKeon producing a red card for the Rovers player, before Brennan sent former Saints' keeper Barry Murphy the wrong way to give the Saints a lead they would not relinquish.
The first half had been a competitive affair with both sides having chances to score - Rovers' Ciaran Kilduff swivelling past the Saints' defence before shooting wide, while Keith Fahey went closest of all for the home side as his free near the left touchline hit the crossbar.
With a man advantage in the second half, the Saints' pushed for a second goal - Conan Byrne going close on a few occasions, however he was denied by Murphy, while the Saints' Republic of Ireland U21 international Chris Forrester saw his powerful strike tipped over by Murphy.
The Saints weren't to be denied though and they saw out any pressure from Rovers to earn the three points.