Bohemian Football Club Crest

Bohemians produced an excellent second half performance to bury an unambitious Dundalk side who lost their discipline after substitute Michael McGowan’s late dismissal.

Even after conceding early in the second half Ian Foster’s players showed little inclination to pour into attacking positions in search of an equaliser. The Gypsies then punished them with two late goals to finish the game. The highlight arrived with Ruaidhrí Higgins’ outstanding free-kick as a result of McGowan’s recklessness. Gareth McGlynn capped the victory with a slick injury time finish his overall contribution deserved.

Bohemians desperately needed this win and it launches them into second place behind St Patrick’s Athletic. It could have been so different had Neale Fenn given his side a fourth minute lead when Fahrudin Kudozovic picked him out superbly at the back post but the ex-Bohemian forward headed inches wide.

That early scare woke the home side up. Mark Quigley almost grabbed an unlikely goal in the 10th minute when his attempted cross cleared goalkeeper Matt Gregg and clipped the far post only to be cleared. That effort instilled Quigley with fresh confidence as his fine run by through the centre ended with him striking a 25-yard effort a yard over.

Paddy Madden was intent on muscling his way into proceedings and his cross set up McGlynn who should have beaten Gregg at the back post. The opening half was proving to be an open contest as the June break looked to have given the players a much-needed rest. Dundalk would have been frustrated to lose to Sporting Fingal in their last outing, bottling that defeat up for 17 days. They were content to sit deep here with a 4-5-1 formation and concede possession rather than press high up the pitch. But they were not defending at all well.

A knock to Ken Oman half an hour in broke the momentum, fortunately the 27-year-old was fit to continue. McGlynn, who was having a fine game on the right flank, teed up Paddy Madden with a perfectly-weighted pass but he shot wastefully high over the bar.

The home supporters had been growing edgy with their team’s spurned chances in that half. But five minutes into the second period, Bohemians had the breakthrough. Aaron Greene crossed from the left wing to his strike partner Madden. The centre-half, Garry Breen (not the beanpole former Ireland defender) slipped in his attempt to intercept, and the ball hopped towards Madden who controlled, turned and fired low past Gregg. It was the Coolock man’s sixth goal in three matches but he needed that after earlier misses.

Madden would then have been celebrating a second goal had Breen not produced a stretching last-ditch block when Mark Rossiter had rolled across the area. Raffaele Cretaro was introduced with 25 minutes remaining and added a spark to the contest with his searing pace. He was also attracting special interest from the Dundalk defenders, Breen and Wayne Hatswell, and the former was finally cautioned for kicking the forward.

Worse was to come for Cretaro. Michael McGowan, on the pitch less than 60 seconds, unleashed a vicious sliding tackle on the former Sligo Rovers attacker, who was steaming through on goal. McGowan was promptly sent off by the referee, Alan Kelly. McGowan’s unruliness cost his team very dear indeed as Higgins brilliantly dispatched the resultant 25-yard free into the top left corner (86) – a strike worthy of a world cup final. McGlynn then rubbed salt into the Dundalk wounds when he turned his marker and curled a left-footed shot beyond Gregg’s flailing grasp in stoppage time. The Lilywhites did not record a shot on target throughout and Bohemians won comfortably.

Bohemians: Barry Murphy; Rossiter, Heary (C), Oman, Powell; McGlynn, Higgins, Keegan, Quigley; Madden, Greene (Cretaro, 64)

Dundalk: Gregg; Kelly, Miller, Garry Breen, Hatswell; Melligan, Maher; McGuigan (Cawley, 68), Fenn (C), Gaynor (McGowan, 84); Kuduzovic

Possession: Bohs: 62% Dundalk: 38%

Attempts on target: Bohs: 8 Dundalk: 0

Attempts off target: Bohs: 5 Dundalk: 3

Corners: Bohs: 2 Dundalk: 2

Bookings: Bohs: Mark Quigley, Raffaele Cretaro Dundalk: Garry Breen

Sent off: Bohs: None Dundalk: Michael McGowan

Referee: Alan Kelly (Cork)