Rovers boss throws dig at Bohs and blames them for post-game melee

Unsavoury scenes...

The 2-1 victory puts the Hoops six points ahead of the Gypsies, with St Patrick's Athletic also six behind, but with a game in hand.

Ross Tierney equalised for the away team on 71 minutes - to cancel out John McGovern's first-half opener - before Dylan Watts sealed the three points a few minutes later.

However, the game was marred by unsavoury scenes after the full-time whistle, with players and coaches involved in a brawl on the pitch.

According to Stephen Bradley, the referee showed four red cards after the melee, with the Rovers boss giving his two cents on who started the fight, while also throwing a cheeky dig at his Dublin rivals.

He said: “What I am being told is one of the players threw a dig at young Michael [Noonan] from behind. I think that is what started it.

“The ref just informed me that a few players have been sent off from both teams after the game.

“For Bohs, I think Dawson Devoy and Stephen O’Donnell [assistant coach]. For us it was Naj [Razi] and Michael [Noonan].”

Bradley continued: “We’re playing to win a league. We need players, we need people ready for the next three games. We don’t need to get dragged into that.

Hoops star Graham Burke played down the scenes in his post-game interview, adding: "It’s an emotional game.

"I think we relatively controlled our emotions during the game. I know it kicked off at the end, but I don’t think it was too much between either side…I didn’t really see what happened during it, I got in there late.

"They are emotional games, and sometimes emotions come out at the end of games, and it spills out a little.

"Nothing really happened."