Sporting Fingal 1-0 Shelbourne

Sporting Fingal saw off their local rivals Shelbourne at Morton stadium to continue their rise up the table into second place.

The home side scored the winner in an often tempestuous encounter on 39 minutes when Alan Kirby weaved his way past the Shelbourne defence to cross for striker Eamon Zayed to tap in past Damien Delaney from close range.

Fingal dominated the early going as they looked to get the better of their north Dublin rivals but it was Shels, however, who nearly opened the scoring as they had a goal disallowed when Shaun Williams was fouled in the box as Anto Flood rifled home.

Fingal then had a good chance of their own to open the scoring but Eamon Zayed failed to latch onto a Conan Byrne cross with the goal at his mercy.

The home side broke the deadlock on 39 minutes when Alan Kirby weaved his way past the Shelbourne defence to set up the in form Zayed who slotted it past Damien Delaney.

Fingal then came agonisingly close to doubling their lead when Robert Bayly raced through on goal in acres of space.

His shot was saved well by Delaney but the rebounded back into his path only for his header to sail wide.

Shels looked to level the game early in the second half but the Fingal defence held strong and coped well with the early pressure.

Fingal threatened to double their lead once more when Robbie Doyle found Zayed in the box. Zayed then set up the onrushing Kirby on 65 minutes whose shot was saved well by Delaney.

Doherty came within a whisker of levelling the tie as he shot inches wide from a Crawley free kick.

Sporting Fingal (4-3-3): Quigley; Gannon, Maher, P. Byrne, Frost; Kirby (McFaul 90), Bayly, Williams; C. Byrne, Zayed, Doyle (Gaynor 84).
Shelbourne (4-3-3): Delaney, Brennan, Hedderman, Doherty, Crawley; Doyle (Meenan HT), O’Brien, Baker; Madden, Hynes, Flood.
Ref: P. Sutton.
Attendance: 1429.