A BRACE from teenage forward Michael Noonan helped the league leaders ease to victory over basement club Cork City in Tallaght last night.
In their third game in seven days Shamrock Rovers’ star-studded squad showed their strength in depth as they made it 11 unbeaten.
The result was even more impressive after the hosts gave the experienced trio of Matt Healy, Lee Grace and Darragh Nugent the night off in advance of a difficult trip to Dalymount to face rejuvenated city rivals Bohemians on Monday.
In a one-sided first half, Noonan’s fifth and sixth league goals sandwiched either side of a Roberto Lopes bullet header had the Hoops cruising at the break.
Rory Gaffney put the game to bed just after the break, with Alex Nolan grabbing a consolation.
Still searching for his first win as City boss, Ger Nash made three changes to the side that lost at home to Bohs last week.
And it was the visitors who threatened first when Djenairo Daniels fired high and wide following some neat build-up. But with only six minutes on the clock, Noonan showed great feet cutting inside two defenders before reversing the ball under keeper Tein Troost.
To their credit the visitors continued to play some tidy football, with Kitt Nelson and Daniels finding good positions to shoot from distance, although Ed McGinty was not troubled by either effort.
Rovers doubled their lead shortly after Cathal O’Sullivan was penalised for a challenge on Trevor Clarke despite protests from the Cork players. And from the left wing, Dylan Watts whipped in a free-kick which skipper Lopes headed home.
Two minutes later, the hosts struck again to make it three after Clarke picked up the ball on the left and curled a wonderful ball around the City defence and into Noonan’s path.
Again, the 16-year-old showed great composure to poke the ball past the onrushing Troost — making it five goals in his last six outings.
Stephen Bradley’s side secured the points four minutes after the restart when Danny Mandroiu was given too much time and space to pick out Gaffney.
And the 2022 PFAI Player of the year, galloped clear to coolly slot the ball home.
Minutes later Cathal O’Sullivan was brilliantly denied by McGinty from close range, but with the game seemingly dead and buried, former Shels, UCD and Pat’s winger Nolan made an instant impact from the bench to give the travelling Rebel Army something to cheer.
The winger made a sharp run in behind the Hoops rearguard, latching on to former Hoop Greg Bolger’s pass over the top, before lofting the ball over McGinty and just over the line despite the recovering Josh Honohan’s best efforts to keep their clean sheet intact.
Teen Maxim Kovalevskis — who was impressive on the right after coming on as a second-half sub — was unlucky not to cap his cameo with a goal of his own.
The 17-year-old showed great pace as he burst into the box, but his low shot fizzed wide as the match finished 4-1.
SUN STAR MAN
Michael Noonan (Rovers)
SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty 7; C O’Sullivan 7, R Lopes 8 (J Honohan 46, 7), D Cleary 7; D Grant 7 (A McEneff 73, 6), J O’Sullivan 7, D Watts 8 (G O’Neill 53, 7), D Mandroiu 8 (C Barrett 53, 7), T Clarke 7 (M Kovalevskis 45, 7); R Gaffney 8, M Noonan 9.
CORK CITY: T Troost 6; M Mbeng 7 (H Nevin 61, 6), F Anderson 6, D Crowley, 6, E McLaughlin 6; C O’Sullivan 6 (A Nolan 65, 7), G Bolger 6, J Fitzpatrick 6, K Nelson 6 (C Lyons 46, 6), D Dijksteel 6 (S Murray 46, 6); D Daniels 6 (S Maguire 61, 6).
REFEREE: A O’Dowd (Dublin) 6
