Green double lifts 10

TABLE TOPPERS: Shamrock Rovers Aaron Greene celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the match against Dundalk. Pic:Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Shamrock Rovers 2 Dundalk 0

Aaron Greene's double saw 10-man Shamrock Rovers get back to winning ways against Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium as Stephen Bradley's side returned to the top of the Premier Division table.

The veteran striker had played just 152 minutes this season prior to this game but showed all his experience to score his second and third goals of the campaign to get the champions back to winning ways following successive defeats against Drogheda Utd and Cork City.

It was no more than the Hoops deserved despite playing the bulk of the second half a man-light following captain Ronan Finn's dismissal - their fourth red card in the last two matches.

For the second successive week, Stephen O’Donnell's side were unable to make use of the extra man as they crashed to their second defeat in-a-row.

The visitors started on top and could have taken the lead as early as the 4th minute when Archie Davies was picked out unmarked at the back post by Darragh Leahy's corner only to see his header deflected over.

The Louth men then had penalty appeals waved away by referee Paul McLaughlin seven minutes later after Leahy had been nudged over in the box by Daniel Cleary.

Rovers gradually grew into the game and after Jack Byrne had tested Nathan Shepperd, the Welsh goalkeeper had to be at his best to keep the game at 0-0 on 18 minutes when he saved at the feet of Greene after the striker had been played in by Rory Gaffney's pass.

Greg Sloggett then glanced just over from Daniel Kelly's cross at the other end before Shepperd was called into action again on 32 minutes when he made a point blank save from Gary O’Neill after he had been slipped in by Jack Byrne following a quickly taken free by Greene.

The breakthrough would then arrive two minutes later with Gaffney releasing Finn on the right with the Hoops captain's cross being turned in at the near post by the inrushing Greene for his second goal of the season.

Finn, who had been causing Dundalk all sorts of problems down the right in the first-half, then went from hero to zero when he was dismissed four minutes into the second half for a foul on Rayhann Tulloch as he burst through on goal following a loose pass from Roberto Lopes.

The Lilywhites then began to press for an equaliser with Leahy curling the follow up free kick just wide before Connor Malley headed just over from Sloggett's cross from the right.

Rovers then had a big chance to double their advantage on 59 minutes when Byrne's corner dropped to Cleary about eight yards out but his thunderous effort was blocked on the line by Patrick Hoban.

The second did arrive on 62 minutes with the visitors looking like the side a man-light as Gaffney played Greene in behind for him to round Shepperd to slot home to an empty net.

The 33-year-old looked destined to complete his hat-trick six minutes later when he was played in behind once more but on this occasion he was denied by Shepperd.

Dundalk did have a couple of half chances to claw their way back into it late on but their best opening was passed up 10 minutes from time as Tulloch's effort from Davies’ cross was comfortably saved by Leon Pohls with Cleary hooking a Keith Ward cross off the line five minutes from time.

Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Grace; Finn, Byrne (Burt 75), O’Neill, Poom, Kavanagh (Gannon 64); Greene (Cruise 86), Gaffney (Nugent 75).

Dundalk: Shepperd; Davies, Muller (Elliott 71), Boyle, Leahy; Sloggett (Ward 63), Malley, Doyle (Lewis 63); Kelly (O’Kane 71), Hoban, Tulloch.

Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Monaghan).

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