GR-EIGHT TWIGG; Des concerned Rovers face a battle to keep marksman as league's top striker scores another two second Sean Dessie.

Byline: PAUL O'HEHIR

DESSIE Baker reckons it will be hard to keep Gary Twigg at Shamrock Rovers if he keeps banging in the goals.

The new Rovers ace bagged another brace in the Hoops 2-0 win over St Pat's in Tallaght on Saturday night.

And the prolific Scot continues to lead the League of Ireland scoring charts with eight goals from his nine games - two ahead of Bohemian's Jason Byrne.

But the more he scores, the more clubs in England and Scotland will be alerted to a potential swoop in the summer transfer window.

Baker, who is Twigg's strike partner, said: "If he keeps going the way he is it will be hard to keep him. He's given himself the best opportunity.

"Players like that in the League of Ireland, you've seen it over the last couple of years, good players, good goalscorers, they all get the chance to go away.

"The way things are at the moment, he's happy here. That's the way he wants to play, he's scoring goals and we're reaping the rewards.

"He's a quality finisher. He's up there with the likes of Stephen Geoghegan and Pat Morley whom I've played with over the years.

"He's also a bit like Dave Mooney at Longford (now at Norwich).

Dave scored a lot of goals from our partnership there. We seem to have clicked.

"The first two games of the season we only started getting together. But the last three or four weeks it's been great. I know where he's going and he knows where I'm going." The Rovers fans packed into Tallaght Stadium gave Twigg a standing ovation when he was hauled ashore with 14 minutes remaining.

But by that stage he had already left his mark by inflicting two hammer blows on an out-of-sorts St Pat's team who were never at the races - despite Jeff Kenna's suggestion to the contrary.

Twigg opened the scoring after 50 minutes. The impressive Sean O'Connor's cross was flicked into

Twigg's path by Shane Robinson and the striker chested the ball and turned before bursting the net.

And he doubled the lead 16 minutes from time when Baker flicked on a delicious ball which Twigg raced onto, held off his marker in the box superbly before beating Gary Rogers for the second time.

St Pat's had offered little in the way of retaliation although Ryan

Guy looked odds-on to score in the opening half but fluffed his lines when shaving the post after beating keeper Robert Duggan.

But Twigg could actually have bagged four goals on the night. He crashed a ball off the crossbar in the first-half and also poked one shot inches wide after a goalmouth scramble.

Rovers boss Michael O'Neill said: "Gary's in that form at the minute, every time he gets the ball you expect him to score. He's found the club that he feels really at home at.

"He has the potential to go on but I don't want to put any pressure on him. He's made a fantastic start but we have to manage him.

"He has played a lot of Brechin's games this season and that's the reason we took him off as we have to protect him."

But will O'Neill be able to protect him this summer when the vultures from UK clubs come circling? "We have him here for the next three years and envisage him here for that time.

He's our player. I know what he's capable of doing - the main thing is he does it in a Shamrock Rovers shirt." But rather than burden Twigg with additional pressure by praising him continually, O'Neill turned his attention to Baker who is also setting tongues wagging this season.

REBORN

The Rovers boss feels his 31-year-old striker is "reborn" this year and reckons he is key to Twigg's success.

And Baker - the former Shelbourne and Longford Town ace - has thanked O'Neill for bringing him back from a loan spell at Dundalk last year.

"Michael brought me back in and told me I'm a big part of the club.

He seems to like what I have to offer. To be fair to him he knows what to do to get the best out of me.

"Last season I was travelling up and down from Portlaoise and it was awkward for me as I was travelling up four or five days a week.

"The gaffer this year has said to me to just leave it for today and have a rest. He rested me for the League Cup game and for the game in Dundalk.

"He just knows when to rest me. I'm getting the rewards of that and so is he and Rovers. "I feel great at the moment. Things are going great and the team is winning games."

CAPTION(S):

DOUBLE Gary Twigg celebrates his second goal with Sean O'Connor and Dessie Baker UNSTOPPABLE Pats Jamie Harris can't stop Gary Twigg of Rovers scoring his second games." DISAPPOINTING EVENING St Pat's boss Jeff Kenna