Bohemians 2
Finn Harps 0
Aaron Gallagher reports from Dalymount Park
BOHEMIANS SECURED A first league victory in five weeks tonight, with Damien McNulty’s own goal and an Oscar Brennan strike from distance inflicting a fourth defeat from five on Finn Harps, leaving Ollie Horgan’s side hovering above the relegation zone as the Premier Division’s opening set of fixtures comes to a close.
Harps came into this game with an injury crisis, which saw Ollie Horgan name just five substitutes on his side’s bench, with the manager being forced to start both Paddy McCourt and striker Ciaran O’Connor, neither of whom he admitted were completely fit before kick-off.
The Ballybofey club were one point and one place above their hosts before kick-off, but had an uphill battle early on, when a poor Ciaran Gallagher kick-out saw Kaleem Simon slip a quick through ball to Georgie Poynton.
The forward exploited a back-peddling Harps defence caught out of sync, running between the split pairing of Ciaran Coll and Killian Cantwell into the box before the ball was toe-poked beyond goalkeeper Gallagher by Harps’ own Damien McNulty to make it 1-0.
It went from bad to worse for the visitors when manager Ollie Horgan was sent off for dissent by referee Graham Kelly, with the 49-year-old forced to watch the remainder of the game from the Connaught Street Stand of Dalymount Park.
Horgan watched on as the game became increasingly tetchy in the minutes just prior to the interval. Barry Molloy and Rob Cornwall were booked following a heated exchange involving both sides, which began after Harps took a free-kick inside their own box while the ball was still moving.
Players from both sets of teams became involved in an aggressive exchange after defender Cornwall slide tackled Caolan McAleer harshly at the other end of the field, sparking a brief melee.
Bohemians added to their lead early in the second period when midfielder Oscar Brennan slammed home a wonderful strike from 20 yards.
Kaleem Simon had been instrumental in attack throughout the game at a period when Bohemians are short of options going forward, with top scorer Dinny Corcoran and Ismahil Akinade both still sidelined.
Simon laid the ball off to Brennan, who struck a glorious effort past goalkeeper Gallagher into the back of the net to make it 2-0, leaving Bohemians on course for a first win since the end of March.
With the game slipping further beyond the visitors, Harps had midfielder Barry Molloy sent off for a second yellow card, as the Donegal side hobbled towards a fourth defeat from five, their sixth from 11 games, which leaves them one point above the drop-zone.
BOHEMIANS: Shane Supple, Derek Pender, Rob Cornwall, Daniel Byrne, Lorcan Fitzgerald, Kaleem Simon (Steven Nolan 87), Paddy Kavanagh (Dylan Hayes 84), Oscar Brennan, Ian Morris, Georgie Poynton (Fuad Sule 90), Jamie Doyle
FINN HARPS: Ciaran Gallagher, Damien McNulty, Ciaran Coll, Killian Cantwell, Ethan Boyle Gareth Harkin, Sean Houston, Caolan McAleer, Barry Molloy, Paddy McCourt (Simon McGlynn 79), Ciaran O’Connor (Eddie Dsane 74)
Referee: Graham Kelly
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