Goals from Michael Noonan and Adam Brennan, whose combined age is roughly equal to that of Galway United captain Conor McCormack, put Shamrock Rovers in a commanding position after half an hour at Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night.
Noonan’s came less than two minutes in, his movement sharp and direct as he peeled inside from the right channel in front of the travelling Hoops supporters. It was McCormack he sped away from before lashing a left-footed shot back across Evan Watts in the Galway goal; the vigour of youth triumphing over the wisdom of experience.
In the days leading up to the game, clips of Victor Ozhianvuna’s recent performance against Drogheda United had been circulating online, piquing interest from fans of the 17-year-old’s future club, even during a week in which they had a Champions League semi-final to focus on.
When Ozhianvuna’s €2 million transfer to Arsenal goes through in January he will become the League of Ireland’s most expensive export, but that fee may well prove to be a bargain. Rovers manager Stephen Bradley recently suggested the teenager is good enough to be included in this month’s Republic of Ireland squad, and noted earlier this season that he will only get better as the pitches he plays on improve.
Compilation aficionados may have jotted down a moment 72 minutes in on Friday. Having conceded possession to Aaron Bolger in midfield, Ozhianvuna was conscientious enough to quickly get himself back between man and ball. Facing his own goal near the halfway line, he welcomed contact and dragged the ball smoothly back between his own legs, taking a bemused Bolger and Axel Piesold momentarily out of the game and mounting an attack that would ultimately lead to Rovers’ third goal.
Bradley’s faith in young talent is a warning sign for the rest of the league. Teenagers around the country surely look at Rovers as the best environment to develop in domestically; Ozhianvuna has been at the club since he was six years old, but Noonan migrated from St Patrick’s Athletic and Brennan arrived this year from UCD, proving that competition exists even in nascent stages.
Interested parties from abroad will note that, as with Arsenal and Ozhianvuna, they can trust Rovers to nurture their investments long after an agreement has been reached. Rovers, it seems, can trust those investments to deliver.
Bohemians win lifts pressure on Alan Reynolds
Bohemians travelled to Dundalk on Friday looking for a first win in 10 games, and despite trailing after a poor showing in the first half, a win is what they came away with.
Having made an excellent start to the season, pressure has been mounting on Bohs boss Alan Reynolds. His three half-time changes were instrumental in turning the game around at Oriel Park, with Douglas James-Taylor’s introduction particularly impactful as he provided the assist for Ross Tierney’s equaliser before converting a decisive penalty 20 minutes from time.
The Englishman’s fitness could be the key to consistency for Bohs this year. This was James-Taylor’s first goal of a season in which he has been limited to just seven appearances. With runners like Tierney to bounce off, he can have a hand in plenty more as long as he stays healthy.
These two sides could well be competing for positions three and four in the table, one or both of which could offer a route into Europe, depending on the winners of the FAI Cup. Even allowing for their torrid run of form, Bohs are now six points clear of fifth-place Derry City, and Reynolds will already be feeling much more comfortable.
St Pat’s keeping Rovers honest
If they needed reminding of the ruthless nature of the machine they are up against in the League of Ireland title race, St Patrick’s Athletic got it last weekend.
Draws in Galway and Sligo were particularly disappointing over the bank holiday given Saints led in both games. The result was a slide to second in the table as they allowed Shamrock Rovers, who picked up routine wins over Waterford and Drogheda, to open up a three-point gap.
At home to Waterford themselves on Friday night, St Pat’s eventually turned on the style. Frustrated for much of the first half, an injury time penalty for Chris Forrester set up a comfortable second period. It finished 4-1 to the home side with Forrester, Zack Elbouzedi and Kian Leavy their standout players.
The Pat’s attack has been lethal this season, netting a league-high 31 goals and finding them from a great variety of sources. Elbouzedi’s second on Friday, a delicious curler from the left side of the edge of the box, was the latest example of a threat opposition managers have to account for when preparing for a trip to Inchicore.
Stephen Kenny will know that comfortable wins are all well and good, but if his side are to wrestle the league from Shamrock Rovers, they will need more points from their off days. Pat’s are the best side to watch in this season’s League of Ireland, but it is another thing entirely to be the most consistent.
With that said, if their main men can stay fit (Leavy and Ryan Edmondson in particular), they could run Rovers close.
New Waterford boss faces mammoth challenge
Graham Coughlan took charge of Waterford for the first time on Friday night, inheriting a side winless in all 14 of their games this season and already well adrift in the battle to avoid relegation.
The size of the task seemed clear to the 51-year-old at the end of his post-match interview in Inchicore. Offered the best of luck in their next game at home to Derry City, Coughlan admitted: “I’ll need it.”
Waterford set up in the lowest of low blocks against St Pat’s, sheepishly inviting pressure from a cast of the league’s best technical attacking players. It looked a bleak, misguided approach, but it turned out to be a calculated ruse.
Five minutes in, the first Blues possession of note was a stinging transition that ended with Pádraig Amond bearing down on goal. While the Waterford captain was denied by Joseph Anang, their resulting corner was bundled in by a combination of Tommy Lonergan and John Mahon.
From then on, it was largely attack against defence, though defence held out for 47 minutes. Coughlan cited “moments” that cost Waterford in his summary of the game, and none was more damaging than the concession of a cheap penalty in first-half injury time. As he admitted with great magnanimity, Sam Glenfield was fortunate to avoid a second yellow card for his clumsy challenge.
Patience, belief and a high level of commitment are all required for this sort of football to produce results. Waterford had moments in transition throughout the game, but their possession hovered around the 20 to 30 per cent mark. Drogheda United, who ground out an impressive 1-0 win over Derry City on Friday, are the league’s best example of a side that wins games without needing to see much of the ball.
Whether Coughlan can instil a similar level of discipline in a team that has looked so permeable this year remains to be seen.