The 42 reports from Tallaght Stadium

Shamrock Rovers 1

Galway United 0

THE SHAMROCK ROVERS procession to the title has finally been confirmed.

A game against relegation-threatened Galway United that was drifting towards a drab stalemate was lit up by a sublime Dylan Watts free kick on 75 minutes.

A draw still would have been enough but that would have been a strange, sombre kind of glory.

Instead, when Watts stood up just outside the D on the edge of the box and curled his effort into the top right corner, Tallaght Stadium was able to savour a moment of genuine joy.

Last season’s player of the year might not have reached the same heights this term but his first goal of the league campaign ensured Rovers look down on their rivals again.

Stephen Bradley turned towards his bench and hugged anyone who came close when the ball hit the net.

Gold confetti was thrown into the air and decorated the dark, cold sky. The Ultras behind the opposite goal lit green flares and through the smoke and the haze they could see only one thing: the League of Ireland champions.

We all knew this moment was coming, we just didn’t think it would take longer for Bradley’s side to secure their fifth crown in six years than it did the country to elect Catherine Connolly as our new President.

Rovers have been champions-elect since beating Bohemians here on 26 September. To put that in context, Jim Gavin was still the Fianna Fail candidate and none of us knew he used to be a landlord.

There was no great drama or tension or those stomach churning moments that make supporters feel alive and sick all at the same time. That was reserved for the travelling Galway faithful who remain deadlocked on 38 points along with Sligo Rovers and Waterford and must avoid defeat against the latter on the final day this Saturday to ensure they don’t end up in the promotion-relegation play-off.

For Rovers, October had been shaping up to be a lost month but, right at the end, they found a reason to celebrate.

“We’ll never die,” their fans sang before beginning the usual medley hailing champions.

Perhaps five defeats from the last six games – two of which came in Europe – prompted Bradley to introduce some youthful fervour.

In came Max Kovalevskis for a full debut on the right wing before he links up with the Republic of Ireland U-17s for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Just beside him was 20-year-old midfielder Cian Barrett who was also making his first league start for the club.

A point would suffice, of course, and the first piece of play with real intent had Kovalevskis at the heart of it when he delivered an early cross into the box which Rory Gaffney headed on target but was comfortable for Brendan Clarke to deal with in goal.

That was a spark but Galway’s Jeannot Esua was the one lighting things up down their right side with a powerful run from deep in his own half that left two Rovers defenders trailing in his wake before an overlap from Jimmy Keohane led to his dangerous cross being deflected wide.

It was from the opposite side that Stephen Walsh created their best goal-scoring opportunity with a cross that found Aaron Bolger running onto the ball in acres of space.

His strike on the half volley from 12 yards kept rising as the home fans breathed a sigh of relief.

There was little else for them to shout about in a tame first half, although teenager Kovalevskis did show signs of promise, another cross from the right, this time on his left foot, chested down by Gaffney for Connor Malley to blaze over from the edge of the box.

Five minutes into the second half there was a sour note for the night when Josh Honohan limped off after making a sliding tackle to block a cross. The defender, on the cusp of becoming a senior Ireland international, had missed some of the last few weeks with a knock and the news on the severity of the injury will be a worry.

The visit of Sligo Rovers here on Saturday is of little concern to them now – although the Bit O’Red are still vying to avoid the promotion/relegation play-off – but with next week’s trip to AEK Athens in the Uefa Conference League followed by Sunday’s FAI Cup final it could be of greater consequence.

There was a reminder of some on the pitch on 61 minutes when a mix-up between Ed McGinty and Honohan’s replacement Adam Matthews also let to the goalkeeper’s clearance deflecting into the path of Stephen Walsh with the empty goal gaping.

A quarter of subs from Bradley soon after saw Sean Kavanagh, Watts, Matt Healy and Graham Burke all introduced, and the latter somehow smashed a shot from 12 yards over the bar moments after coming on.

And just when it looked like that would be one of the most memorable moments of a night drifting towards, Watts stood up to put a spring in everyone’s step and launch their title party.

Finally.

Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Dan Cleary, Roberto Lopes (captain), Cory O’Sullivan; Maxim Kovalevskis (Sean Kavanagh 65), Cian Barrett (Matt Healy 65), Aaron McEneff, Connor Malley (Dylan Watts 65), Josh Honohan (Adam Matthews 52); John McGovern (Graham Burke 65), Rory Gaffney.

Galway United: Brendan Clarke; Jeannot Esua, Garry Buckley, Killian Brouder (Ed McCarthy 80), Robert Burns; Aaron Bolger (Axel Piesold 85), Rob Slevin, Patrick Hickey, David Hurley, Jimmy Keohane (captain), Stephen Walsh.

Referee: Aaron O’Dowd.

Attendance: 5,279.

Written by David Sneyd and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.