Bohemians 1
Longford Town 0
BOHEMIANS SECURED THEIR second win of the week as they comfortably disposed of Longford Town at Dalymount Park tonight.
The match winner came courtesy of a header from Kurtis Byrne as the Bohs striker continued his recent run of form to notch his ninth league goal of the season.
Despite the close score line, the host’s never really looked in danger of conceding and should’ve added to their tally after the opener.
Keith Long made two changes to the side that beat with Wexford on Monday with Dean Delany coming in for the injured Shane Supple in goal and Jake Kelly starting in midfield.
It was Kelly who was looking sharpest in the final third early on for home side as they grew into the game after a bright start from the Midlanders.
Just past the quarter hour mark Kelly delivered a couple of dangerous crosses and Dean O’ Halloran had a good effort blocked after being found in space by Byrne.
Moments later Byrne swung in another searching cross that was headed back across goal by Kelly but the effort just dipped over the bar when it looked destined for the top corner.
Kelly was in the thick of it again soon after as his corner found the on rushing Ian Morris who directed his header on target but saw it cleared off the line.
The goal was coming though and Bohs did finally take the lead on 34 minutes.
Kelly’s superb in-swinging free-kick from the right took the deftest of touches off the head of Byrne before nestling in the bottom corner.
Pat Flynn responded for the visitors as he stung the hands of Delany with a long range shot but that was as close as Longford came in the first period.
The Gypsies looked to add a second to kill off any chance of a Longford revival after the break with a O’ Halloran cross finding its way to Kelly who teed up Paddy Kavanagh who saw his goal bound shot blocked by Conor Powell.
Bohs controlled possession for the final quarter of the game but failed to capitalise on their domination and they nearly paid for it when substitutes Kaleem Simon and David O’Sullivan combined from a free-kick with the latter heading just over.
Longford couldn’t fashion a late equaliser though and their battle to beat the drop looks all the more doomed after tonight’s defeat.
Bohs, on the other hand, are moving up the table as they leapfrog Sligo Rovers into fifth.
Bohemians: Dean Delany; Derek Pender, Derek Prendergast, Ian Morris, Lorcan Fitzgerald; Paddy Kavanagh (Eoin Wearen, 75), Roberto Lopes, Jake Kelly (Marco Chindea, 90), Keith Buckley, Dean O’ Halloran (Mark Quigley, 70); Kurtis Byrne.
Longford Town: Ryan Coulter; Jamie Mulhall (Noel Haverty, 46), Pat Flynn, Yann Mvita, Conor Powell; Peter McGlynn Don Cowan (Kaleem Simon, 73), Kealon Dillon (David O’Sullivan, 66), Philip Gannon, Kevin O’Connor; Eddie Dsane.
Referee: Graham Kelly
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