Parkvilla edged out by Rovers

Parkvilla went down by a single goal when they hosted League of Ireland Premier Division title chasers Shamrock Rovers in a pre-season friendly at Claremont Stadium on Wednesday evening of last week. The first-half was a very even affair with the visitors playing with a neat style backed up by a strong defence. There was 25 minutes on the clock before anything of note happened when Mark Brady blazed a fierce header just wide of the Rovers goal. Ten minutes later Dave O'Neill got on the end of a through pass but hit a good shot just wide of the target. Near the end of the half Parkvilla had a let off when a Rovers forward somehow managed to shoot over the bar from in front of the goals. The opening-half ended scoreless. The second-half started with David Hosie and John Power worrying the Rovers defence and after 70 minutes the visitors struck for the only goal of the game when a shot from the angle of the 18-yard line ended with the ball hitting the post before nestling in the far corner of the net. The home side tried hard to get back into the game in the closing stages however, Shamrock Rovers held out for their narrow win. Parkvilla - K Lane; S Gough, K Dunphy, C Kennedy, K Ratty, M Brady, A Kerr, D Hosie, S Moran, D O'Neill, M Power. Subs - M Reilly for Kerr, D Lambe for Reilly, J Power for O'Neill, S Colgan for Lane, C Lynch for Moran, A Williamson for M Power, G Reilly for Brady.