Bohemians 2
Shamrock Rovers 2
THIS IS THE crazy world we all love.
On a night when Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers came together to honour the life of the late Christy Dignam, the two Dublin rivals served up a derby to savour.
Four second-half goals provided the thrills, Rovers racing into a two-nil lead courtesy of a deft Neil Farrugia header and Markus Poom rocket.
But Bohs refused to cower.
Instead, inspired by substitute James Clarke, they took a grip of the game and drew level through Jonathan Afolabi and the aforementioned Clarke.
The Rovers fans went from delirious to dumbstruck.
What a way for the Premier Division to get up and running again after the mid-season break.
Bohs, after a torrid couple of months beforehand, will hope it can prove the catalyst for them to give St Patrick’s Athletic a real battle for third sport.
For the champions, who looked on course for their third win over their great rivals this season before the drama, their lead at the top has been cut to four.
The run-in really does start now.
Ten minutes in and Bohs should have had the lead – or at the very least forced Leon Pohls to make a save.
Instead, the Rovers stand-in keeper watched Adam McDonnell flash his shot across the face of goal and wide.
A move that began with James Akintunde doing well to find space on the left and switch the play for Grant Horton ended with the Bohs midfielder controlling the right full’s cross superbly while on the run.
The space for a shot opened up in front but McDonnell was unable to be as precise with his finish as he was with his technique in creating the chance in the first place.
Only fair to cut some slack after the mid-season break but sloppiness was a feature for both sides on the return.
Kacper Radkowski was fortunate nothing came of the corner he conceded when a stray pass inside his own penalty box ended up in a Rovers corner.
Moments later and the Hoops were almost punished for playing from the back too slowly and they didn’t learn their lesson in the 27th minute when Dylan Watts dallied on a pass that allowed McDonnell time to win a tackle in a central area 25 yards out.
The breaking ball fell to Afolabi, who turned sharply and released a side foot shot that was too tame and comfortably pushed around the post.
He more than made amends in the second half.
Bohs ensured there was a fierce finish, though, Akintunde forcing Pohls into a fine scrambling save across his line from a corner before Horton hacked down Graham Burke as he broke forward.
Both were shown a yellow card after the Rovers forward responded by shoving his opponent to the ground.
There was a penalty shout, too, when Afolabi struck a shot against the arm of Farrugia.
The appeals were half-hearted, not that there were any half measures after the break.
It looked to be over as a contest inside of 10 minutes when Rovers went two goals up.
First, on 48 minutes, Farrugia made no mistake with a close-range header (his second at Dalymount this season) from Sean Kavanagh’s pin-point cross from the left.
Then Poom arrowed the most exquisite volley into the top corner in the 54th minute. When Jack Byrne’s free kick scrambled into the area, Roberto Lopes managed to set the Estonian international a few yards outside the box.
He swung his left foot at it and caught it perfectly – not even his father Mart would have had a chance of saving it in his pomp.
Rovers looked to be in control and Bohs, understandably, were deflated.
But not for long.
Clarke’s introduction for McDonnell on 65 minutes had an almost immediate impact. It was his driving run forward which saw the ball fall to Afolabi on the edge of the area in similar circumstances to his chance in the first half.
This time, he wrapped his foot around the shot and Pohls had no chance diving to his right.
Seven minutes later and the comeback was complete when Clarke kept his composure amid a sea of bodies in the box to finish low to Pohls’ left. Afolabi had turned provider with his cross from the left which had been kept alive by fellow substitute Dylan Connolly.
With a quarter of an hour remaining it looked as though only Bohs would go on to win it but Rovers were able to regain their shape and earn a valuable point.
It could have been much more had they not taken their eye off the ball for those crucial minutes after taking control.
Bohemians: Talbot; Horton, Nowak, Radkowski, Kirk; Flores, Buckley (capt), McDonnell (Clarke 65), Akintunde (Connolly 60), Coote (McDaid 78); Afolabi. Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Grace; Finn (capt) (Kavanagh 39), Byrne, Watts (Towell 60), Poom, Farrugia, Burke (Burt 82); Gaffney (Kenny 82). Referee: N Doyle (Dublin).