Rovers got off to the perfect start after just six minutes when in-form striker Mikie O’Neill tried his luck with a speculative effort from distance. The shot caught the Rathnew goalkeeper by surprise and sneaked in at the near post to give Rovers an early 1–0 lead —ONeill's 10th goal of the season.

Rovers looked comfortable for much of the opening period but were pegged back on 16 minutes. A quick Rathnew throw-in caught the Rovers defence switched off, with the ball worked across to the back post where it was prodded home to make it 1–1.

There was little between the sides for the remainder of the first half, with chances at a premium, and the feeling at half-time was that one goal could ultimately settle the contest.

Unfortunately for Rovers, that goal went Rathnew's way on 55th minutes. A scrappy scramble inside the Rovers box once again saw the ball fall kindly at the back post, and the Rathnew left winger found himself with the whole goal to aim at, making no mistake to put the visitors 2–1 ahead.

Rovers showed great character and battled hard right to the final whistle in search of an equaliser. They created a number of opportunities late on and came agonisingly close in stoppage time when Jack Collins saw his effort drift just wide of the post, which would have been a deserved equaliser for the home side.

There were some excellent individual performances, with Matt Gough making several important contributions in goal, while Michael Carroll was outstanding at the back. The entire Rovers team deserves huge credit for the fight and determination shown throughout the game.

A frustrating result, but plenty of positives to take from a performance that deserved more.

Well done to Rathnew on the victory, and we look forward to the return fixture.