Bohemains 1 Drogheda United 0SOMETIMES YOU just wouldn't be up to Dublin clubs and their petty rivalries. Not content with leading cross city rivals St Patrick's Athletic by seven points in the title race, Bohemians last night eclipsed the Inchicore outfit in another way, beating the 35 minutes by which their opening game of the season was delayed by a ludicrous row over strips with a 55 minute one that was prompted by a problem with the floodlights.
While the club electrician dropped by to do his thing, the players endured a warm-up the length of your average training session and by the time the game finally got under way at 8.40 pm it was a wonder that some of them still had the energy to play.
If they were tired, though, they hid the fact well and those supporters who stayed were treated to a highly entertaining encounter with Bohemians dominating, their visitors defending well and the Dubliners progressing thanks to an 89 minute headed Glen Crowe goal scored moments after Jamie Ewings had become the first of two United players to be sent off late on.
It was a hugely dramatic to an eventful match and not, perhaps, the sort of display the visitors had been hoping for from their hosts. Neither set of supporters would have needed reminding after all that when the league positions were more or less reversed last summer, the Dubliners went to United Park and won in the cup, Paul Doolin's men going down with a tameness that suggested they had bigger fish to fry.
Here, though, Bohemians looked committed throughout. Neale Fenn was rested with Mindaugas Kalonas slotting into the roaming striker role while Jason Byrne and Killian Brennan pushed forward out wide in a determined effort to exert pressure on the United full-backs.
One, Brian Shelley, looked to have come badly unstuck just short of 20 minutes in when Gary Dempsey released Crowe with a low through ball and the striker stole a yard on the defender. Shelley chased his man for 10 metres or so before appearing to bring him down. With no covering team-mates a red card seemed likely but Alan Kelly settled on yellow, prompting howls of derision from the main stand.
Had United been reduced to 10 men it's hard to imagine how they would have survived for even with 11 they looked well stretched at times. Stuart Byrne did an impressive job of containing the lively Kalonas while Graham Gartland and former local favourite Shaun Maher both had their moments.
Best of all, though, had been a superb finger-tip save by Jamie Ewings who managed to turn a close range Jason Byrne header around the post. Drogheda, meanwhile, sought to catch their opponents on the break but, as they had through the opening half of last week's win at Richmond Park, they struggled to provide any real support to lone striker Ibrahima Iyana-Thiam who, in its absence, simply struggled.
Almost uncannily like last Sunday's winner was Bohemians best chance of the game with Brennan lofting in a free from the left, Crowe failing to make contact with an attempted header only for the ball to strike the post as Ewings looked on slightly confused.
Feeling the heat, the United players committed a string of fouls and after a few of them had picked up bookings there were repeated calls from the local supporters for Kelly to provide their side with a numerical advantage.
Even without the handicap it became increasingly hard to see how the visitors would hold out. Much of their defending was of the desperate, lunging variety while their inability to retain possession for any length of time when they did win meant the Bohemians attacks came in one wave after another.
On a rare occasion when the visitors broke out of the siege they were almost caught on the break with a quick free kick releasing Kalonas who delightfully set up Brennan for a shot that flew into the side-netting. For a moment it seemed that it simply wasn't going to be Bohemians night but as it turned out, with a couple of minutes to play, the real action was only about to start.
BOHEMIANS:Murphy; Rossiter, O Heary, T Heary, Powell; Byrne, Deegan, ODonnell, Brennan; Kalonas; Crowe.
DROGHEDA UNITED:Ewings; Shelley, Maher, Gartland, Kendrick; Baker (Barrett, 82 mins: Vilmunen, 86 mins), Robinson, Byrne, Hughes, Cahill; Iyane-Thiam (Zayed, half-time).
Referee:A Kelly (Cork).
