Shamrock Rovers and Derry City both have men sent off in scoreless draw

League of Ireland Premier Division: Shamrock Rovers 0 Derry City 0

One for the purists. There were 10 goals in the Premier Division as three different clubs temporarily took top spot in the table across the night’s thrilling action.

None of that concerned Shamrock Rovers and Derry City as the old rivals played out a scoreless midtable affair before an attendance of 6,073 at Tallaght Stadium.

The game will be remembered for the sending offs of Ed McGinty and Danny Mullen. If it is remembered at all.

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Not even Michael Noonan and Victor Ozhianvuna, back from their international adventures with the Republic of Ireland under-17 and under-19 sides, could break the deadlock with late cameos.

McGinty’s red card in the 23rd minute for a handball that apparently denied Danny Mullen an obvious goalscoring opportunity, brought some much-needed drama to an unusually subdued Tallaght.

The 8pm kick-off possibly contributed to a sluggish contest but referee Paul McLaughlin’s snap decision to send McGinty off, despite replays suggesting it was a harsh call, could help the former Ireland under-21 goalkeeper avoid a suspension on appeal.

What’s certain is McGinty was caught in no man’s land, but it remains unclear if he handled the ball over the white chalk. Even VAR – which is not used in the League of Ireland – would have struggled to deliver a definitive decision.

For good measure, Mullen made contact with the goalkeeper’s trailing leg and collapsed spectacularly in the Rovers box.

The harshness of the sending off does not account for McGinty’s hesitancy at key moments against Molde in Europe and tonight. The 25-year-old’s winter arrival from Sligo Rovers removed Leon Pöhls from the Rovers line-up but the German got a fresh opportunity when Stephen Bradley was forced to pull off midfielder Aaron McEneff before Michael Duffy smashed a free-kick into the Hoops wall.

If anyone was going to score, it was Duffy from distance but Pohls was equal to each shot.

That was only the start of the referee’s central role in proceedings as McLaughlin erased Derry’s numerical advantage before half-time when he showed Mullen a second yellow card for an innocuous-looking challenge on Aaron Greene.

Anyway, for better or worse, the game was reduced to 10 aside for the second half, which sparked a flurry of changes as Derry manager Tiernan Lynch rejigged his team with centre-back Mark Connolly replaced by teenage centre forward Sean Patton.

Bradley also reacted by removing Danny Grant with Ireland international Jack Byrne.

It seemed only a matter of time before Rovers would spring Rory Gaffney and their teenage attackers Noonan and Ozhianvuna to make use of all the space.

Pohls denied another Duffy piledriver as the 10 men largely cancelled each other out.

Elsewhere, St Patrick’s Athletic leapt over Drogheda United at the top after Brandon Kavanagh’s 90th-minute strike ensured a 2-1 win over Waterford at the RSC.

Drogheda left Turners’ Cross with a point when an equaliser from Warren Davis denied a Ruairi Keating winner for Cork City while champions Shelbourne held pace with the leaders after a 2-1 victory at the Showgrounds against bottom side Sligo Rovers.

But the result of the night undoubtedly occurred at Dalymount Park where two brilliant goals from New Zealand international Moses Dyer leaves Bohemians manager Alan Reynolds under severe pressure with just six points from seven matches.

The 2-0 win leaves Galway second as the only unbeaten team in the division.

Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Cleary, Lopes, O’Sullivan; Grant (Byrne 46), Watts (Ozhianvuna 86), McEneff (Pohls 26), Healy, Honohan; Burke (Noonan 86); Greene.

Derry City: Maher; Boyce, Holt, Connolly (Patton 46), Cann, Doherty (Todd 59); O’Reilly, Winchester (Benson 76); McMullan (Boyce 46), Mullen, Duffy.

Referee: Paul McLaughlin.