One last gasp Dublin derby win is enough to give fans something to shout about for a while, but two in the one week? Bohs fans certainly can’t complain, for a few days at least, after some electrifying scenes at Dalymount Park tonight. A well deserved Dublin derby victory came after a determined second-half – performance eventually brought St. Pat’s to their knees.
The first quarter was energetic and frenetic, with tackles flying in and quality not being the biggest priority. The highlight early on was a fantastic piece of Mason Melia skill to take Leigh Kavanagh out of the game, a touch akin to something Dimitar Berbatov might have pulled off back in the day in the Premier League. Kavanagh had to come off injured in the 19th minute for Rob Cornwall, who acquitted himself well.
The Pat’s goal came from the penalty spot in the twenty-third minute, awarded when flying full-back Axel Sjöberg fired the ball at Seán Grehan’s hand after a quick move up the pitch. Chris Forrester tucked the ball away immaculately to give the Inchicore side a lead they would hold on to for a long time.
After the sharp Colm Whelan forced a good save from Anang not long afterwards, Pat’s then had the ball in the back of the net through Melia but it was offside. Bohs had a good spell of pressure for the first time afterwards and Anang made another sharp save from Niall Morahan.
In truth, the last fifteen minutes of the half didn’t see a huge amount of goalmouth action, with Pat’s lacking quality in the final third and Bohs not quite responding to being a goal down as aggressively as their fans would have wanted. John Mountney headed over from a corner before Seán Hoare created danger down the other end, flashing a header across the box that Jamie Lennon nearly got on the end of.
The first half stats had Bohs edging possession, attempts and shots on target, but it was clear that they would need to up in the game’s second act. James Clarke came into the midfield at half-time, replacing Mountney, with Morahan going to full-back. Clarke injected direction into proceedings and Ross Tierney, Rhys Brennan and Whelan all had decent chances in the third quarter, with Pat’s playing very passively.
Both sides switched to a back three within a few minutes of each other coming up to the hour mark, with Stephen Kenny responding to a first manoeuvre by Alan Reynolds. It didn’t do much to change the pattern, with Whelan and Bohs sub Keith Buckley having further chances. Bohs began to struggle to create chances, with chances being few and far between for a fifteen minute spell or so before Rob Cornwall’s equaliser in the last minute of regulation time.
Pat’s had defended resolutely, led by the rock-solid Joe Redmond, but their negative tactics invited pressure and the dam eventually burst. Archie Meekison produced a wonderful cross off the back of an initial poor corner, and Cornwall was allowed to smash it home unmarked. The celebrations were energetic but a feeling remained that it wasn’t over.
The winner was foreshadowed by Anto Breslin’s sending off after a second yellow for a cynical foul on Ross Tierney. It was pantomime villain stuff, as the Blanchardstown native was goaded down the tunnel by the fans he used to call his own.
Five minutes later, in the ninety-seventh minute, Pat’s were made to truly pay for their ill-discipline. Another foul led to a dead ball in a dangerous area. Dayle Rooney, instead of crossing, knocked it back to Meekison, whose bobbling centre was met with desperate attempts to clear. No one could, and Grehan managed to finish, via a deflection. Cue absolute pandemonium.
Bohs deserved this. Their play in the second half was determined, patient and thoughtful. They created numerous chances across the ninety minutes, with Joseph Anang superb on the night. Redmond and Hoare were also excellent, but fans of the Saints will be perplexed by Stephen Kenny’s negative tactics in the second half.
Grehan, Whelan, and James Clarke were the picks of the bunch for the Gypsies, but this was another night where Reynolds was the big winner. He’s starting to really respond to his critics, and enjoyed his moment with the players in front of the Jodi Stand post-game.