Bohemians 2
Sligo Rovers 0
Darryl Geraghty reports from Dalymount Park
BOHS MADE IT two wins on the trot with a 2-0 home win at a bitterly cold Dalymount Park.
Daniel Mandroiu and new fan-favourite Kris Twardek were the heroes as the Gypsies sealed all three points with goals at either end of the game. Following the quick turnaround of games, changes were expected and Bohs opted for four from Friday’s 2-0 win at Waterford: in came Ciaran Kelly, Paddy Kirk, Conor Levingston and Luke Wade Slater in a bid to freshen things up.
In a scrappy start, the hosts got the breakthrough when Michael Barker’s long ball down the right hand side was misjudged by skipper Kyle McFadden, allowing pacey front man Glen McCauley a free run into the box.
At an acute angle, the ex-St. Patrick Athletic man looked to square to Luke Wade-Slater who was well dealt with, but unfortunately for the visitors, the ball fell kindly to the feet of Danny Mandroiu who made no mistake from six yards out.
The Bit O’ Red, having lost their opening two games, grew into the game as the half wore on. New signing Alex Cooper, coming straight into Liam Buckley’s side following his move from the now-folded Fresno FC, created their best chance of the half.
The former Liverpool youth whipped a delightful left-footed cross right onto the head of Ronan Coughlan, who could only guied his header inches over the bar.
The 2,859-strong crowd began to show their frustration with a series of groans as the contest failed to come to life with both sides guilty of being sloppy in possession, opting to go long on too many occasions.
Bohs upped the tempo slightly in the second half and missed two gilt-edged chances to double their lead, both falling to birthday boy McCauley.
Firstly,Teemu Penningkangas blocked a scuffed volley off the line, following McGinty’s excellent save at the feet of goal scorer Mandroiu.
And then minutes later, substitute Ross Tierney played McCauley through the inside-left channel, but again was denied, this time by the foot of the near post.
Just like the first half, the visitors grew in confidence as the half wore on, having numerous efforts from distance but just lacking that cutting edge in the final-third. With just five minutes remaining, Alex Cooper smashed in a cross right along the six-yard line to the far post but Paddy Kirk did well to clear under severe pressure.
As they pressed for the equaliser, the visitors found themselves undone on the break as the clock ticked towards full time. Luke Wade Slater showed great pace down the left flank, eventually finding Twardek on the edge of the area and the ex-Sligo Rovers man slotted home to secure all three points with his first for his new club.
This meant another three points on the board for Keith Longs troops after a disappointing start to the season at home to Shamrock Rovers. As for Sligo, it’s now three defeats in a row, but with a bit more composure in the final third, it’s only a matter of time before they get points on the board.
Bohemian FC: Stephen McGuinness, Michael Barker, Ciaran Kelly, Dan Casey, Paddy Kirk, Keith Buckley (c) (Ross Tierney, 60’), Conor Levingston, Danny Mandroiu, Kris Twardek (Dawson Devoy, 92’), Luke Wade-Slater, Glen McAuley (Danny Grant, 70’)
Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty, Alex Cooper, Kyle McFadden (c), Teemu Penningkangas, Niall Morahan, Will Seymore, Garry Buckley, David Cawley, Darragh Noone (Mark Byrne, 86’) Ronan Coughlan, Jesse Devers (Ronan Murray,73’)
Referee: Ben Connolly
Attendance: 2,859
- Updated 8.30 to amend attendance figure