BOHEMIANS AND SHAMROCK ROVERS played out a feisty 0-0 draw at Dalymount Park this afternoon.
There was plenty of commitment to the cause during the Dublin Derby but Rovers could not find the win that would have seen them take top spot.
The main talking point of a fiercely contested match came in the space of three first-half minutes as Rovers defender Derek Foran managed to twice foul himself in referee Neil Doyle’s black book.
Foran earned his marching orders for tackles on Chris Lyons and Karl Moore, on 35 and 37 minutes respectively. Lyons was forced off with an injury following the first, brusque challenge.
Foran did not linger on the pitch to argue the merits of his dismissal.
Rovers had the best chance of the match, though Conor Powell, before the sending off and they responded well to the setback.
Karl Shappard and Shane Robinson both wasted scoring chances, however, and the half ended scoreless.
Attacking intent
The home side upped the tempo in the second-half and almost took the lead through Owen Heary after he ambled forward and fashioned an opening.
The best chance of the half, for Bohemians, arrived with just over 20 minutes on the clock when Moore unleashed a drive that Rovers goalkeeper Barry Murphy had to dive at full stretch to keep out.
Doyle waved away Rovers penalty claims when Roberto Lopes slid in to prevent Sheppard’s effort from finding the target.
Jason McGuinness was forced to soldier on for the Tallaght side in the closing minutes as the last Bohemians chance, falling to Keith Buckley, came and went.
The last notable incident occurred in injury time as Rovers midfielder was booked. It was the ninth card that Doyle was forced to hand out on a testy afternoon off the Cabra Road.
