ED McGINTY was the Shamrock Rovers hero deep into injury time as Drogheda United’s unbeaten start to the season was ended at the last.
The keeper sprung to his right to keep out Shane Farrell’s 96th-minute penalty and preserve the points.
The ex-Sligo man had himself been guilty of barging into Luke Heeney, leading ref David Dunne to point to the spot. So Stephen Bradley’s Hoops had to hold on as Drogs pressed to level the game late on but they now have back-to-back wins.
Goals either side of the break from Aaron Greene and Graham Burke had them in control — after a rare Conor Keeley strike handed Drogs the lead.
The game was delayed by a few minutes after the match official demanded a fire in a pitch-side bucket was extinguished.
Eventually, an extinguisher was sourced and the flames were put out.
Even the most optimistic Drogs fans will not have had a table-topping run to start the season on their bucket lists.
But Kevin Doherty has masterminded a stunning start. And it looked like it might get even better after half an hour.
United have earned rave reviews for their defensive prowess. But their attacking threat has come from all over the pitch this season.
Keeley became the seventh different scorer of their seven league goals as he made it 1-0.
Josh Thomas, Darragh Markey, Heeney, Ryan Brennan, Thomas Oluwa and Warren Davis had all found the net for United before the centre-back joined the list.
After Markey stole the ball from Dylan Watts in the box, he picked out Keeley on the edge of it.
And the ex-St Pats man finished with aplomb with McGinty well beaten.
The goal came against the run of play as Rovers had dominated up to that point. And the lead lasted only eight minutes as Bradley’s boys roared back into it.
It was sloppy from the hosts’ point of view but clinical from the visitors.
Greene, linked with a move to Louth in the off-season, took advantage after Conor Kane lost a duel with Danny Grant. The forward found space to run into and rifled a shot past Luke Dennison.
The sides exchanged chances early in the second half. Aaron McEneff forced a decent save from Dennison while Davis should have asked a question of McGinty at the other end.
Rovers’ Josh Honohan did not receive a call-up to Heimir Hallgrimsson’s Ireland squad this week.
But he did get a yellow card for a high boot on Brennan, joining Dan Cleary in the book.
Burke’s goal came after more good work from Grant, who impressed.
As United pressed in added time, Dunne’s whistle for a spot-kick had home fans dreaming.
But McGinty saved and while it was no nightmare, it was a disappointing ending for them.
SUN STAR MAN
Danny Grant (Rovers)
DROGHEDA: Dennison 6; Quinn 6, Keeley 7, Cooper 6; Lambe 7 (Kareem 82, 6), Brennan 6 (Heeney 77, 6), Farrell 6, Kane 6 (Cruise 76, 5); Markey 7; Davis 6, Oluwa 6.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty 8; Cleary 6, Lopes 6, Honohan 6; Grant 8, McEneff 6, Healy 7, Watts 6, O’Sullivan 7; Greene 7, Burke 8.
REFEREE: D Dunne (Dublin) 7.
