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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sports meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Danny Grant (left) celebrates the winning goal.Ryan Byrne/INPHO Danny Grant delivers surge of positivity needed for Shamrock Rovers against St Pat's The Hoops earn first win of season to move off the bottom of the Premier Division table. 9.54pm, 7 Mar 2025 Share options reports from Tallaght Stadium Shamrock Rovers 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 0 THIS WAS A win worth the wait for Shamrock Rovers. Danny Grant’s surging run was a burst of positivity and self-belief rewarded in the best way possible against St Patrick’s Athletic. His deflected goal will go some way to winning hearts and minds. The former Bohemians man even did the post-match fist bumps instead of manager Stephen Bradley in front of the South Stand. “We are staying up,” the Hoops fan sang after Grant’s effort looped off Joe Redmond and over Joey Anang. That’s an indication of their strife before kick-off, sitting bottom of the table after two defeats and a draw from their opening three games. The postponement of their earlier fixture here against Cork City meant this was a first home game of the season. It was also a first win that owed much to defensive resolve – a first clean sheet for Bradley’s side a welcome bonus. In the opposite dugout, Stephen Kenny paced along his technical dugout as the Sains pushed for an equaliser in the final quarter. There were late penalty appeals but nothing concrete, and after back-to-back victories the Saints’ momentum was halted. Such was their appetite for this fixture, Rovers informed up to 200 fans who they had identified as Pat’s supporters that tickets bought in the home section were cancelled. Just shy of 9,000 were here for a battle of wills. Rovers will hope they’re now up and running and can string together the kind of run that their manager demands to challenge for the title again. Pat’s also have ambitions on that front. No surprise, then, that it was a tit-for-tat first half. Decision making and execution in both boxes were the primary barriers to a breakthrough. Aidan Keena may have been the one in the goals so far this season – five in four games – but it was Mason Melia who had the two clearest sights of goal for the Saints. The record-breaking €2 million transfer to Tottenham Hotspur adds more glare to the spotlight on the 17-year-old striker. Hitting the net on a more regular basis is the next challenge for a young striker with so much promise, and his two efforts in the first half showed a mixture of what is impressive in his all-round game and what the instincts that will be sharpened over time. On 14 minutes he was alert and aware of his surroundings 12 yards out to allow a breaking ball run across his body and create the angle for a shot on goal. He sliced his effort off teammate Jake Mulraney and Melia blew out his cheeks in frustration. Advertisement It was more exasperation two minutes before the half-time break when he somehow struck the crossbar with a header from no more than three yards out. Zach Elbouzedi’s corner was whipped in with venom from the left and Ed McGinty had been nudged to the floor after contact from Anto Breslin. Perhaps the situation took Melia by surprise but he reacted quickly nonetheless only to strike the upright. Mason Melia hits the bar.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO There was no whistle sounded for a free but perhaps referee Rob Hennessy might have had to make a decision had the ball hit the net. It didn’t, though, and Anang wasn’t really troubled at the other end either. Grant did cause the most concern venturing forward from right wing back, picking up a poor Barry Baggley defensive header to stride into the box on 18 minutes. A shot was on but, perhaps fresh from an assist for Graham Burke against Sligo, he tried to tee up Aaron Greene. The veteran forward was preferred to teenager Michael Noonan in attack but Grant’s two attempts at a cross were blocked by Tom Grivosti and Redmond. Breslin later closed him down swiftly to block a volley at the back post and the winter signing would have a telling impact on 65 minutes when he broke the deadlock with a fine individual goal at a time when it felt like Pat’s were asserting control. Patient possession that lasted a couple of minutes resulted in Chris Forrester sliding in Keena for a one-one-one. He couldn’t get the ball out of his feet quick enough and McGinty made an impressive tackle, the resulting lob from Melia looping long enough in the air for the goalkeeper to make it back to his line to collect. That was on 55 minutes and just seconds later a lack of concentration with a square pass from Axel Sjoberg sold Redmond short. Greene anticipated and almost punished Pat’s with a long-distance chip as Anang scurried scurried backwards only to see the ball sail inches over. Then the momentum began to swing. Grant’s surge forward from the half way line, breezing past Grivosti along the way into the box, led to the decisive moment. His effort was deflected off Redmond, the ball flew over Anang, and Grant raced away leaping into the air with delight. Bradley was able to turn to his bench for youth and experience, teenager Noonan coming on to stretch the Pat’s defence and Jack Byrne introduced to try and bring some extra control. Kenny, too, changed things, but it was one of the enforced subs that almost created the equaliser 12 minutes from time. Anto Breslin limped off before the hour, replaced by Al-Amin Kazeem, and it was his cross that was controlled well by Keena before he fired just wide on the turn. Other than some half-hearted penalty appeals it was the closet they came to an equaliser as Rovers held firm. Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty: Dan Cleary, Roberto Lopes (captain), Cory O’Sullivan; Danny Grant, Matt Healy, Dylan Watts (Jack Byrne 70), Aaron McEneff (Gary O’Neill 84), Josh Honohan; Graham Burke (Michael Noonan 71); Aaron Greene (Rory Gaffney 77) St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang; Axel Sjoberg; Joseph Redmond (captain), Tom Grivosti (Luke Turner 79), Anto Breslin (Al-Amin Kazeem 58); ; Zach Elbouzedi, Barry Baggley, Chris Forrester (James McClelland 79), Jake Mulraney (Simon Power 70); Mason Melia (Brandon Kavanagh 70); Aidan Keena. Referee: Rob Hennessy. Attendance: 8,093 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. 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