Hoops close in on top two
Saturday 2nd June 2007, 12:09 am
Tadhg Purcell, Shamrock Rovers.
Photo by Tom Carey.
1st June 2007
eircom League of Ireland Premier Division
Shamrock Rovers 1
Tadhg Purcell 71
Bray Wanderers 0
Tolka Park
Tadhg Purcell scored the only goal as Shamrock Rovers extend their good recent run to move within six points of leaders Saint Patrick's Athletic. Purcell's goal gave the Hoops a 1-0 win over Bray Wanderers at Tolka Park on Friday night.
Bray were unfortunate not to leave North Dublin with something having had the better of much of the game.
Colm Tresson had hammered a shot against the Rovers crossbar early in the first half but Bray's night was hampered by poor finishing which saw them fail to muster too many on target shots on Barry Murphy's goal.
Andrei Georgescu did force a save after the half-time break but the reliable Murphy was equal to it when tested.
The only goal of the game arrived 19 minutes from the end as Barry Ferguson knocked Ger Rowe's cross eventually into Purcell's path and he fired home to collect all three points.
Purcell might have grabbed a second in the closing ten minutes but his diving header was just off target.
Shamrock Rovers : Murphy, G O'Brien, Pender, Price (Barrett 53), Ferguson, Danny O'Connor (Duffy 46), Cassidy, Ryan, Dave O'Connor (Myler 63), Purcell, Rowe.
Bray Wanderers : Williams, Tresson, Cronin (Broderick 86), Delaney, Fox, Cawley, Georgescu (Dunphy 77), O'Shea (David Tyrrell 70), Deans, McCabe, Duggan.