GRAHAM BURKE showed the value of a good night’s sleep as he hypnotised Larne with a stunning display.
Burke often looks a class apart in the League of Ireland– and he added the rest of the island with a virtuoso display to dismantle the Irish League champions.
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Clik here to view.
He had a hand in the Hoops first three goals before he scored a fourth as Shamrock Rovers eased their way to a 4-1 Conference League victory at Windsor Park.
The playmaker was unplayable. Only UEFA’s bureaucrats could deny him as he was originally credited with the Hoops third goal before it was awarded as an own goal.
But he still provided the assist for that, as he had for Josh Honohan’s third minute opener and Johnny Kenny’s goal after 24 minutes.
He finally got the goal his display deserved on 54 minutes shortly after Chris Gallagher had pulled one back for Larne that ensured the win was assured.
And he admitted that being able to hit the hay early on Wednesday night helped, having had a few sleepless nights lately after he became a father for the second time to newborn Pippa.
He said: “ I was looking forward to that I was, so I had a good night’s sleep and in bed for ten o’clock and got ten to 12 hours sleep. I was well rested.
“When you have newborns, you are up three times a night. I have the other one too. She wakes sometimes during the night.”
He welcomed Pippa into the world a fortnight ago just an hour before Rovers’ opening group stage game against APOEL, and caught some of that game on his iPad.
But having drawn that game, Burke’s intervention last night helped the Hoops to a first ever win in the European group stages.
The win also means the Hoops move to four points that puts them within reach of qualification for the knockout stages – with seven points predicted to be enough.
Burke added: “We have a home game next against TNS and domestically we’ve a massive two games coming up.
“We have to focus on that because it (the league) is in our grasp. We have to win our two games and hope others drop points.”
But last night was a big deal for the Hoops on and off the pitch as it took their prize money to €4.4 million for the year. .
They may forfeit some of that in fines if UEFA take a dim view of some anti-royalist songs and sectarian chants being sung by some of the 1,600 visiting supporters.
But Larne fans may have been more offended by songs like ‘You’re only here to see the Rovers’ or ‘4-1 on your big day out.’ Because the Irish League side were never in it.
Rovers were just bigger, stronger, faster and better with an early shoulder to shoulder battle between Dan Cleary and Sean Graham highlighting the gap between the sides.
Cleary just held his ground and Larne man Graham ended up on the ground beaten by the Rovers’ man’s gym work and little else.
But the Hoops were more than just muscles, as they seized control of the game and took the lead after just two minutes 20 seconds.
Honohan got the goal with a lovely composed finish, but the acclaim was also shared with creator Burke.
Picking up the ball from Roberto Lopes tight to the right touchline on halfway, Burke spun beyond Joe Thomson to begin a run towards goal.
No one closed him down as he advanced into the area faced by three Larne men as he turned onto his right foot and tried a shot.
But the ball deflected across goal beyond three home defenders and fell perfectly for left wing back Honohan to stroke home with his right foot.
The second on 24 minutes for Kenny again included a crucial intervention from Burke.
After a Markus Poom corner was half cleared, Lopes lofted it back into the danger area where Burke reacted quickest to ping a cross into the area.
And there was striker Kenny doing what good finishers do and following up on the line to head home his 15th of the season in all competitions.
A third arrived on 30 minutes when Burke glanced home a Poom corner off Tomas Cosgrove though the referee disallowed it for a shove by Honohan.
But a three-minute VAR check overturned it though also denied Burke the goal his performance deserved – for the time being.
Still, it looked to have put the result beyond doubt though Larne did score two minutes into the second half when Chris Gallagher fired through a crowded area after a corner.
But Burke did get his goal on 54 minutes when a loose Larne pass in midfield released him and he raced through before driving home from distance.
That was boss Stephen Bradley’s signal to empty his bench with Sunday’s League of Ireland clash with Dundalk in mind.
But the Hoops could have added further goals as Lopes hit the bar, and goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson saved from substitutes Darragh Nugent and Trevor Clarke.
Larne 1 (Gallagher 47)
Shamrock Rovers 4 (Honohan 3, Kenny 24, Cosgrove og 30, Burke 54)
Sun Star Man – Graham Burke (Shamrock Rovers)
Larne: Ferguson 5; Cosgrove 4 (Want 90, 4), Todd 5, Bolger 5, Ives 6; Gallagher 5, Thomson 5 (McEneff 60, 6); Magee 5 (Lusty 74, 5), Sloan 5 (Randall 74, 6), Graham 5; Ryan 5.
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls 6; Cleary 7, Lopes 8, Grace 7; Burns 6 (Clarke 73, 6), McEneff 7 (Byrne 73, 6), Poom 7 (Watts 73, 6), Honohan 7; Burke 9 (Noonan 66, 6), Mandroiu 7 (Nugent 60, 6); Kenny 7.Referee: V Fotias (Greece) 6