City fight hard for a good point at home

📷 KBD Photos

After a disappointing trip to Sligo, City returned to the Cross to take on Shamrock Rovers. They are a club that know Turner’s Cross well, having played a home game there before moving into Tallaght stadium. City were hoping to improve on the reverse fixture, where Shamrock ran out 4-1 winners.

Tim Clancy made three changes to his side that were held in the Showgrounds, with Milan Mbeng and Benny Couto out through injury and Alex Nolan dropping to the bench. Matty Kiernan, Rio Shipston and Freddie Anderson all came into the side.

As for Shamrock, they made four changes to their side that drew 2-2 with Shelbourne, with Noonan, Watts, Cleary and Burke all making way, being replaced by Greene, Gaffney, Cory O’Sullivan and John O’Sullivan.

It was the visitors that started off the better of the two sides and put Tein Troost to work nine minutes in. Rory Gaffney laid it off to Aaron Greene who burst down the line before cutting the ball back to Danny Grant who sent a low shot towards the bottom right corner, but Tein Troost dove low and was equal to it.

Shamrock continued their dominance in the half and took the lead with seventeen minutes played. John O’Sullivan sent a long range shot crashing off the post, with the rebound finding Rory Gaffney, who sent a volleyed effort into the back of the net from ten yards to give the visitors the lead.

Gaffney could've had a second seven minutes later. A looping ball fell to Freddie Anderson, who tried to volley the clearance away, but he sliced it and it fell to a wide open Gaffney who managed to side foot it over from no more than ten yards. 

Shamrock controlled the game for the rest of the half and went into the break a goal up and fairly comfortable in the game.

City came out of the break looking a lot better but the visitors were still a threat and almost doubled their lead in the fifty third minute. A free kick was swung towards the back post where Josh Honohan headed it towards the far corner, but Charlie Lyons was back to get it off the line before it was collected by Tein Troost.

City began to really push on in the last twenty minutes. Becoming a serious threat to the visitors' lead, and went close to doing so in the seventieth minute. City won a free kick and Cathal O’Sullivan stepped up to take it. Cathal bent it low around the wall, and his effort narrowly whistled past the left hand post.

The Rebel Army were duly rewarded for their efforts, as they equalised courtesy of their American boy. Harry Nevin did well down the right hand side after picking the ball up from a blocked long shot from Sean Murray, before fizzing a ball across along the edge of the box, where it found Djenairo Daniels with his back to goal. Daniels laid it off to Freddie Anderson outside the box, who fired a low shot into the bottom left corner to send ruptures around Turner’s Cross.

City kept the pressure on as they sensed the possibility of a winner, but Shamrock had chances of their own, and came close to retaking the lead with seven minutes to play. Victor Ozhianvuna fired a low ball across goal which Graham Burke got on the end of and sent a shot towards goal, but Tein Troost made a quick reaction save to keep the game level.

Despite City’s dominance in the last thirty minutes of the game, Shamrock once again went close with two minutes to go. Michael Noonan played a crossfield ball to Danny Grant who went direct towards the opposing defence. He cut inside onto his left but pulled his shot narrowly wide of the near post.

City kept the pressure on the visitors and almost took a late lead with a minute to play. Evan McLuaghlin controlled a high ball and drove towards goal, before unleashing a shot from twenty five yards that had Ed McGinty scrambling. But it squeaked past the post much to the dismay of the City faithful.

That would spell an end to the game as a courageous performance from City in the second half meant that each team would come away from Turner’s Cross with a point each. CIty started the game off quite poorly and had a bad first half which allowed the visitors to dominate the game. Shamrock probably would have scored two or three in the first half, but thanks to a combination of Tein Troost and some squandered chances, it was only 1-0. The second half is where the hosts kicked into gear, showing fight and desire to get back in the game and they were eventually rewarded thanks to a brilliant strike from Freddie Anderson. Overall it was really a tale of two halves with the latter being a great showing from City.

As for Shamrock, they'll be ruing what might have been after giving up yet another lead, this time at the hands of Cork City. They struggled to capitalise on their dominance in the first half and will be thinking back on their missed chances in the first half. They didn't seem prepared for City’s upturn in performance in the second half and couldn't quite cope with the pressure they were under and gave way with fifteen minutes to play.

My man of the match goes to Kitt Nelson. Nelson was a shining light in a dull home side in the first half and rarely lost the ball throughout the whole game. Nelson became instrumental in CIty’s revival in the second half and was everywhere in the City forward line. He was brilliant down the left hand side with Matty Kiernan and caused Shamrock down that side all night long. Nelson has been a revelation this season and we can only hope he stays past the summer.

City now face a quick turnaround as they look to bring their momentum into a tough clash with Drogheda United in O’Sullivan and Lambe park on Monday night. As for Shamrock, they'll return to Tallaght to take on Sligo Rovers.