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@bfcdublin Despite being the better team for large swathes of this game, Bohemians were left empty-handed after Colin Hawkins headed home a late Greg Bolger free-kick, Shane Quinn reports.
 Bohs created a glut of chances and paid the ultimate price for not converting any of them.
Dundalk were second best throughout and the players in the home dressing room will wonder aloud how they managed to lose.
After an inconsistent opening few games of the season, the Lilywhites departed Dublin on a six-game unbeaten run. This was their first victory at Dalymount Park since March 1993 – a wait of over 18 years.
At that time, Bohs boss Pat Fenlon was a player with the Gypsies, while his Dundalk counterpart, Ian Foster, was a 16-year-old youth player at Liverpool.
Phibsborough saw the return of three former Bohs players: League of Ireland great Jason Byrne, along with Mark Quigley and that man Hawkins, who settled this contest.
With just five minutes gone the home side went within a yard of taking the lead. Shane Guthrie’s clearance came out to Killian Brennan, who hit a fine volley that keeper Peter Cherrie was helpless to stop but which fell narrowly wide. The game was surprisingly stretched in the early stages. After Chris O’Connor saved Michael Hector’s close range header, Anto Flood found himself beyond a sleeping Dundalk defence. But with Guthrie and Hawkins advancing, Flood did not have much time as Cherrie beat clear his hurried shot, which was fortunate not to rebound to a Bohs player.
Brennan, with his confidence bolstered by the winning strike in Drogheda last Friday, again went close half an hour in. Robert Bayly crossed well and the Louth native rose above his marker only for Cherrie to tip the header over the crossbar. 
The impressive Christopher Forrester, who equalised against Bray on his left foot in the dying moments a week previously, showed what he could do on his right. The midfielder let fly from 30 yards forcing Cherrie into a good one-handed save.
Bohs were having by far the better of the play in the opening half, but despite the chances created, Dundalk knew they were still in this game.
The dominance showed no sign of abating. A dreadful handling error by Cherrie almost saw Flood open scoring at the start of the second period.
Cherrie let Brennan’s free-kick slip through his fingers into Flood’s path, but Bolger cleared his effort off the line.
Later, a section of the home support thought briefly their team had scored, and while the net did ruffle, the ball hit the wrong side. The move began with some fine link-up play between Brennan and Ger O’Brien, which saw the overlapping full-back cross to Stephen Traynor whose diving header hit the side netting.
What Dundalk were finding especially difficult to cope with was the work rate of their opponents. While the visitors were sitting too deep, Bohs were affording them very little time on the ball in their own half.
But the longer the game continued without Bohs having scored, there was always a possibility Dundalk would strike, and so it proved. Hawkins climbed well to head Bolger’s free-kick beyond O’Connor’s grasp on 80 minutes. That proved the decisive moment despite Bohs pouring forward in search of an equaliser.
BOHEMIANS: O’Connor; Heary (C), Burns, Price (Fowler, 87), O’Brien; Brennan, Rossiter, 8 Bayly, Traynor, Forrester (Burke, 84); Flood.
DUNDALK: Cherrie; Madden (C), Guthrie (Bennett, 62), Hawkins, Murphy; Bolger, Hector, Kearns, Gaynor; Quigley, Byrne.
POSSESION – Bohs: 56%; Dundalk: 44%.
ATTEMPTS ON TARGET – Bohs: 7; Dundalk: 2.
ATTEMPTS ON TARGET – Bohs: 6; Dundalk: 2. CORNERS – Bohs: 4; Dundalk: 0. BOOKINGS – Bohs: Brennan, Bayly; Dundalk: Ross Gaynor. SENDINGS OFF – None. REFEREE – Neil Doyle (Dublin). Written by Shane Quinn. |
