Bohemians 1
Shelbourne 1
A HUMDRUM MONDAY night at Dalymount caught life in the final 15 minutes, as Bohemians denied Damien Duff the biggest result of his Shelbourne tenure yet.
The 75th minute of this game saw Sean Boyd score with his first touch and Rory Feely walk for his second yellow, but Grant Horton’s equaliser four minutes from the end denied Shels a three points they deserved.
Whether these sides will end up sharing this venue remains to be seen, but tonight they had to share the spoils.
The Shels fans made themselves at home by swallowing James Talbot’s goal in smoke, and were rebuked by the PA announcer for throwing their flares onto the pitch. Ironic cheers came from the Jodi Stand when he reminded the Shels fans they’d be facing a fine.
And that was about the most interesting thing to happen in the first half-hour.
Shelbourne were drilled and diligent but with Jordan McEneff on the bench and Jack Moylan absent with injury, they lacked attacking quality. Dan Carr and Shane Farrell started alongside each other up front but lacked the technical and physical quality to truly hassle the Bohs centre-backs, and thus Shels didn’t create a chance of note in the opening half.
But what Shels lack in inspiration they compensate for in organisation.
Damien Duff has tweaked his set-up in Moylan’s absence, tonight playing a 5-3-2 with New Zealand’s Adam Thomas – normally a centre-back - making a debut at the back of midfield. His height, presumably, was deemed beneficial in cutting off Bohs’ direct balls to the returning Promise Omochere. Aodh Dervin started to the right of Thomas with Brian McManus to the left, but both were given different tasks.
Dervin shot up and pressed Bohs’ left back Tyreke Wilson, but McManus didn’t do so to Bohs’ right-back Rory Feely. Instead he dropped off and alongside Thomas, which had the effect of directing all of Bohs’ play to Feely.
Feely is a centre-back pressed into action as a right-back following Andy Lyons’ sudden departure, and tonight Shels were happy to let him have the ball. Duff’s calculation was canny enough, as Bohs’ attacks consistently foundered at his feet as he repeatedly lost possession.
Shels were aided by Bohs strange torpor in possession, and it wasn’t until the final 15 minutes of the first half that Dawson Devoy upped the tempo of his side’s passing and Bohs began carving out chances. The best actually fell to Feely, who, though unmarked, headed Ali Coote’s corner wide of the near post.
Devoy, meanwhile, thought he was about to score when teed up in the box until Aaron O’Driscoll nabbed the ball from his toe just in time.
That fizz in the Bohs’ play evaporated after the break, and Shels grew emboldened. Among goalkeeper Lewis Webb’s strengths is a monstrous kick-out: on the hour mark he boomed one to the edge of the Bohs box, where Feely caught Farrell. The referee pointed for a free-kick right on the whitewash, but Shels screamed for a penalty, with Farrell literally falling over in disbelief.
Farrell’s free-kick was then fumbled by Talbot, with Feely forced to hack the ball off the line.
With 15 minutes remaining, Duff then played his first card, with Sean Boyd replacing Carr. He couldn’t have played it better: Boyd scored with his very first touch.
Its source was a replica of the penalty shout moments earlier: another Webb goal-kick rained down on the Bohs’ right-back zone.
This time the ball skipped over Feely and Farrell gambolled onward, rolling the ball across the box for Boyd to sweep the ball beyond Talbot. He bowed to the Bohs fans in celebration. For an equivalent think, well, his manager at the 2002 World Cup. Bohs’ plight was soon worsened and Feely’s misery complete: as Shels celebrated, Feely screamed in frustration at the referee and was shown a second yellow card.
What an impact! 😱
— SSE Airtricity League (@SSEAirtricityLg) March 14, 2022
Sean Boyd scores with his first touch for Shelbourne just moments after coming on 👏@bfcdublin 0-1 @shelsfc
Sign up 📺 | https://t.co/7rzXOfm8p9#LOI | #LOITV pic.twitter.com/74dqhTeYdj
Keith Long threw on striker Ryan Cassidy for Devoy and – though they scarcely deserved it – they gouged an equaliser with four minutes remaining. Ali Coote swung a corner to the back post, with centre-back Grant Horton making the most of some penalty area pinball to lash the ball beyond Webb.
Shels responded by immediately forcing a corner, which McMannus sent arcing narrowly over the crossbar.
At the end Duff insisted his players go over to the travelling fans, who responded with raptures.
He has Shelbourne charting in the right direction.
Bohemians: James Talbot; Rory Feely, Grant Horton, Ciarán Kelly, Tyreke Wilson (captain); Jordan Doherty (Liam Burt, 67′), Dawson Devoy (Ryan Cassidy, 85′); Kris Twardek (Stephen Mallon, 67′) , Jordan Flores, Ali Coote; Promise Omochere
Shelbourne: Lewis Webb; JR Wilson; Luke Byrne (captain), Aaron O’Driscoll, Kameron Ledwidge; Conor Kane; Aodh Dervin, Adam Thomas, Brian McManus; Shane Farrell (Jordan McEneff, 80′), Daniel Carr (Sean Boyd, 75′)
Referee: Rob Harvey