Clarke screamer helps Rovers to derby win over St Pat's

Shamrock Rovers, as their fans might sing, showed why they are champions to silence the locals by the Camac with a 2-0 victory over St Patrick's Athletic.

This Dublin derby was no classic but captivating nonetheless – at least until Trevor Clarke's thunderbolt on 69 minutes.

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Johnny Kenny had given the Hoops the lead on 20 and, while Pat's were pressing hard for an equaliser for most of the game, any complaints of theirs would reasonably meet deaf ears.

Rovers know how to win games like this and it is to their credit that they have gone from a ropey start to looking favourites to retain their crown in a handful of weeks. This was a chastening night for Tim Clancy's Saints, too many of whom simply did not perform.

Jack Byrne arrived in Dublin 8 sporting shades in the spring sun amid speculation around his potential move to the US.

Rory Gaffney (hamstring) was among those not available for the champions. Saints had a patched-up back two of Jay McGrath and Noah Lewis; Kenny and the sensational Graham Burke would be confident of causing them problems.

The opening was pretty frantic, Chris Forrester nearly getting in, with Gary O'Neill slicing over from just outside the other box on nine minutes.

There was a swagger about the Hoops football from their own six-yard box that resulted in Burke finding the ball on his weaker foot two minutes later and his effort lacked the quality of the move that preceded it, Byrne at its heart; moments later Jake Mulraney flashed wide, the game coming to the boil.

On 17 minutes, Forrester tried to roll Dan Cleary, who handled and would be in peril thereafter, picking up a risky yellow.

Gaffney's absence ensured a start for Kenny and his finish for the opener betrayed his youth.

Lee