Premier Division: Shelbourne 1 [Odubeko 79] Bohemians 0
An instinctive toe-poke by Mipo Odubeko edged Shelbourne past Bohemians in the north Dublin derby at Tolka Park on Friday night.
The Republic of Ireland under-21 international had struggled for minutes recently, only scoring once in the league since he arrested his slide down the English divisions with a move home.
Seán Boyd had started ahead of Odubeko for the past two Friday nights after Shelbourne manager Damien Duff had initially paired them together.
A late reversion to two strikers was enough to leave Bohs seventh in the Premier Division and move the champions to third, behind St Patrick’s Athletic and the early front runners Drogheda United.
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Mipo Odubeko helps Shelbourne shade derby date with Bohemians
The winner, coming 11 minutes from time, was worth the wait. Harry Wood picked out Evan Caffery, a constant menace off the right, before Ali Coote’s effort was blocked by Leigh Kavanagh.
The rebound fell to Odubeko, with no space and four Bohs men blocking his path to goal. A deft touch and shift of his weight allowed him to finish and keep all three points in Drumcondra.
The technical area at Tolka Park is tight. One stride from the dugout and Duff was on the pitch, roaring at Mark Coyle, the Shelbourne captain, who he asked to play stopper with Lewis Temple and Paddy Barrett both injured.
The same scene repeated itself until Declan Toland, the fourth official, lost patience with the out-of-bounds Duff micromanaging his team.
Micromanagement has become an art form, according the former Republic of Ireland winger, who stated this week: “If we didn’t do that for the last three years, micromanage where to stand, where to run, we potentially wouldn’t have stayed up and got to the cup final in year one, we wouldn’t have got to Europe in year two, and we wouldn’t have won the league in year three.”
Duff continued: “If I was just to let these guys, ‘out yiz go, boys, and just play,’ pfft, it wouldn’t be a pretty watch. Do I manage and micromanage where to be on a pitch? Absolutely, I think it’s modern-day football.”
The first half failed to match the gaffer’s passion.
Stalemate has tended to occur when Alan Reynolds coaches against Duff. There is no love lost between them. Not a handshake in sight, Toland stood between them all night. You feared for the official until Duff decided that dialogue, rather than conflict, would better serve his team.
“Come at the champs, you best not miss,” unfurled the Shelbourne fans on the Riverside.
Maybe so, but 45 minutes passed without anyone finding the target. Wood and Jordan Flores went close at either end with probing headers and Dawson Devoy only had Conor Kearns to beat on two occasions, but he scuffed his shot before the Shelbourne goalkeeper salvaged a sloppy touch.
All these chances would probably have yielded at least one goal if the ex-Premier League strikers, Odubeko and Lys Mousset, were not missing.
Odubeko eventually appeared but the injured Mousset was not named in Reynolds’s match squad.
The head to head between Duff and Reynolds had gone in Bohemians’ favour, until now.
There had been a lethargy to proceedings, like when Boyd stalled too long in possession and Wood flashed his attempt across the Bohs goalmouth.
Duff had seen enough, springing Odubeko for Ellis Chapman as the champions switched to 5-3-2.
The change spread Bohs’ back five thin enough for Jonathan Lunney to give Boyd another clean look but he shot tamely at Kacper Chorazka.
That set the stage for Odubeko to score his third goal in nine appearances for his new club.
Elsewhere, Drogheda came away from the Brandywell with a 3-1 victory over Derry City while St Pat’s beat Cork City 2-0 at Turners Cross.
In Tallaght, Shamrock Rovers overcame Waterford 2-0 to climb to fourth in the table.
SHELBOURNE: Kearns; Gannon, Coyle, Ledwidge, Norris; Chapman (Odubeko 66), Lunney (Coote 72); Caffrey, McInroy, Wood (O’Sullivan 81); Boyd.
BOHEMIANS: Chorazka; Mountney, Grehan, Kavanagh, Flores; Morahan (Clarke 81), McManus (Parsons 81); Tierney, Devoy, Rooney; Whelan (McDonnell 81).
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan.
