Ten-man Dundalk FC rescue dramatic draw against Shamrock Rovers

Ten-man Dundalk FC rescued a dramatic 1-1 draw against champions Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium, Danny Mullen’s 90th-minute intervention preserving their unbeaten start to the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division season.

Reduced to 10 players with 14 minutes remaining following Vinnie Leonard’s straight red card, Ciaran Kilduff’s side might have been forgiven for retreating.

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Instead, they surged forward and were rewarded when Mullen capitalised on hesitation in the Rovers defence to claim a deserved share of the spoils.

Rovers had earlier edged in front somewhat fortuitously. Roberto Lopes glanced home Jack Byrne’s inswinging free-kick after 20 minutes, the defender rising to steer a delicate header beyond Conor Kearns and against the run of play.

Dundalk, newly promoted but already showing little sign of discomfort at this level, had begun brightly.

Tyreke Wilson was slipped in by Daryl Horgan for the game’s first opportunity, though Ed McGinty dealt comfortably with the effort. The visitors’ tempo and fluency unsettled the champions for long spells.

The hosts’ only sustained period of pressure in the opening half arrived around the goal. Kearns was required to deny Michael Noonan and Lee Grace in quick succession, but otherwise Rovers struggled to impose themselves. At the other end, Horgan’s rasping strike before the interval forced a sharp save from McGinty.

The second half was largely an exhibition of Dundalk’s intent. Harry Groome dragged an early effort wide, while Declan McDaid’s delivery found Gbemi Arubi in space only for the forward to divert his finish off target when well placed.

Horgan, irrepressible throughout, fizzed a free-kick narrowly wide and twice tested McGinty from open play.

Substitute Eoin Kenny injected further urgency, his cross cut out by Grace before Mullen’s acrobatic overhead attempt drifted astray. Bobby Burns tried his luck from distance but failed to trouble the goalkeeper.

Dundalk’s momentum appeared in jeopardy when Leonard was dismissed on 76 minutes for pulling back Aaron Greene, a decision that looked harsh. Adam Brennan soon drew a crucial save from Kearns as Rovers sought to capitalise on their numerical advantage.

Yet Dundalk refused to relent. In the closing moments, Horgan released Kenny, who skipped past Adam Matthews only to see his effort blocked by Lopes and cleared behind by Matthew Healy.

From the resulting Burns corner on the right, McGinty failed to gather decisively and Mullen reacted quickest, turning the loose ball home.

Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Tunmise Sobowale, Adam Matthews, Lee Grace, Roberto Lopes, Trevor Clarke (Adam Brennan 66); Matthew Healy, Connor Malley (Dylan Watts 66); Jack Byrne (Jake Mulraney 75); Michael Noonan (Aaron Greene 75), Graham Burke (Victor Ozhianvuna 75).

Subs not used: Alex Noonan (gk), Dan Cleary, Danny Grant, Cory O’Sullivan.

Dundalk FC: Conor Kearns; JR Wilson, Harvey Warren, Vinnie Leonard, Tyreke Wilson; Harry Groome (Keith Buckley 58), Aodh Dervin (Rob Cornwall 78); Declan McDaid (Eoin Kenny 69), Ronan Teahan (Bobby Burns 69), Daryl Horgan; Gbemi Arubi (Danny Mullen 58).

Subs not used: Enda Minogue (gk), Conor O’Keeffe, Shane Tracey, Sean Spaight.

Referee: Aaron O’Dowd (Dublin)

Attendance: 4,352