Bohemians 1-1 Dundalk FC

Match Report

Jad Hakiki fluffed his lines when Dundalk appeared set to stage a smash-and-grab raid at Dalymount Park but Daryl Horgan’s first-half equaliser was enough to earn them an important point in a 1-1 draw with Bohemians on Friday night.

Dundalk ‘keeper Felix Goddard was a busy man in the opening quarter-hour, twice denying Ross Tierney either side of saving from Alex Greive, but there was nothing he could do about Tierney’s 19th-minute opener after poor defending.

Jon Daly’s men responded against the run of play before the half-hour and it was largely thanks to Jamie Gullan’s run down the right as his cross was only cleared as far as Horgan who stuck the ball in the net for his third goal in two league games.

Tierney struck the inside of the post before half-time as Dundalk survived a huge scare. But while Bohs – with only one win in their previous 11 league games – had most of the possession after the break, the best chances fell to Dundalk on the counterattack.

Hakiki, who was surprisingly a substitute, really should have scored 13 minutes from the end after combining well with Robbie Mahon but he miscued in the box when he looked set to score. Mahon then had a shot tipped over and Eoin Kenny fired wide deep in injury time, all that in the middle of relentless Bohs pressure.

Still, Daly and his players will be glad of the point – just their sixth on the road this season – as they kept a three-point gap to Drogheda United at the foot of the table after the Boynesiders earned their first top-flight win since the May Bank Holiday, beating high-flying Waterford in Louth.

For the game, Daly made two changes to the team that exited the FAI Cup at the hands of Drogheda seven days earlier, as he gave two players full debuts. Dan Pike came in for Seán Keogh at left-back while Aodh Dervin, making his first league appearance, replaced Hakiki in midfield.

In the fifth minute, Bohs almost had the lead when Leigh Kavanagh’s long pass from his own half was well controlled by Tierney on his chest but Goddard was out smartly to block the shot. At the other end, Horgan was nearly in but Kacper Chorazka was alert to clear.

In a lively opening, Bohs tested Goddard again in the 12th minute when Danny Grant laid the ball into the path of Greive on the edge of the box but the ‘keeper got behind it well. Then Tierney also saw his shot held by the on-loan Blackburn Rovers stopper.

Bohs took the lead in the 19th minute when Dayle Rooney was given acres of space on the right wing and his delivery from close to the by-line was met sweetly by Tierney in the box, but Daly will be disappointed that his defenders didn’t close down the ex-Motherwell man.

Bohs were well on top but, against the run of play, Dundalk equalised in the 27th minute. Gullan was the creator with a superb run down the right, skipping by Kavanagh, and his cross was blocked by Greive straight to Horgan whose well-hit strike went under Chorazka.

That goal took the sting out of Bohs although they remained in control of possession. Before the break, on the counter, Robbie Benson found Ryan O’Kane in space on the left and he raced into the area but, from a tight angle, he decided to shoot and fired into the side netting.

Dundalk had a huge let-off after that when Tierney turned away from Dervin and unleashed a shot from distance that had Goddard beaten but the ball came back off the inside of the ‘keeper’s right-hand upright and away to safety.

There was early action at both ends after the resumption. Dundalk put together a good move first but the home side cleared the danger before they launched an attack of their own which was stopped by Goddard who headed clear on his 18-yard line.

Bohemians started to get a grip of the game again, and John Mountney put his body on the line to block Greive’s shot. Daly reacted to that pressure by replacing Scott McGill with Hakiki, who had impressed in his appearances since recently signing for the club.

Dundalk just about survived a 63rd-minute Bohs corner which dropped close to the line at the near post. Bohs then introduced James Akintunde, who scored the winner when the teams last met in Dublin in April, and James Clarke.

Bohs continued to probe around the Lilywhites box as Daly’s men sat in, looking for any opportunities that may come their way on the break. There was another moment of worry on 73 minutes when once again a Gypsies corner threatened the goal but Dundalk got away with it.

Mahon was introduced in place of O’Kane with a quarter of an hour remaining and the ex-Bohs attacker almost provided an assist in the 77th minute when he combined with Hakiki in a good one-two but, well placed in the box, the latter shot wildly off target, reacting to the miss by thumping the ground in frustration.

Daly threw on Kenny for the final eight minutes, after another tiring shift from Gullan. On 86 minutes, Dundalk robbed possession and Mahon ran from his own half to close to the ‘D’ before, with teammates either side of him, lashing a strike that was tipped over by Chorazka.

Bohs finished strongly and forced injury-time corners which again caused problems for the Louth side’s defence. But, after treatment to Goddard, in the eighth minute of added time, Dundalk had another chance as Kenny sent a shot agonisingly past the top corner.

With the last action of the game, Declan McDaid swung in a cross from the right for fellow substitute Akintunde to meet but he could not repeat his April trick as he headed over, with the referee immediately blowing the final whistle.

With Drogheda beating third-placed Waterford 2-0 on Boyneside, it was an important draw for Dundalk who are now three points clear of their county rivals with a superior goal difference. Next Friday, ninth-placed Dundalk entertain Galway United at Oriel Park while eighth-placed Bohs travel to table-propping Drogheda.

BOHEMIANS: Kacper Chorazka, Martin Miller (Liam Smith 79), Cian Byrne, Leigh Kavanagh, Paddy Kirk, Jordan Flores, Adam McDonnell (James Clarke 66), Dayle Rooney, Ross Tierney, Danny Grant (Declan McDaid 79), Alex Grieve (James Akintunde 66). Subs not used: James Talbot (GK), Filip Piszczek, Brian McManus, Archie Meekison, Jevon Mills.

DUNDALK FC: Felix Goddard, John Mountney, Mayowa Animasahun, Bobby Faulkner, Dan Pike, Scott McGill (Jad Hakiki 57), Aodh Dervin, Daryl Horgan, Robbie Benson, Ryan O’Kane (Robbie Mahon 75), Jamie Gullan (Eoin Kenny 82). Subs not used: Ross Munro (GK), Koen Oostenbrink, Josh O’Connor, Luke Mulligan, Seán Keogh, Hayden Cann.

REFEREE: Eoghan O’Shea.