Uninspired City slump to costly defeat
It was an appropriately scrappy goal from Colin Hawkins that was the difference between these sides, the defender knocking in a fine Stephen Ward cross in the 52nd minute. It was one of the few bright spots in a game that won't be remembered for long.
It was notable for a few reasons, though. Farrelly brought himself on with a couple of minutes left, his first appearance since being unveiled as Bohs player-manager. It was also Bohs ninth game unbeaten, a far cry from their shaky start to the season.
Incredibly, though, this was only Bohs fourth home win of the season.
All the same, it has brought them to within four points of Shelbourne.
And they still have to play their most bitter rivals twice before the end of the season. With the date of one of these games yet to be confirmed, the Eircom league still might get a do-or-die title encounter.
For that to happen, Bohs will need to improve on this performance. They have slowly crept up the table, but for long periods last night they were lacklustre. It didn't matter. Cork City were that poor. They suffered from a serious lack of imagination, not helped by the disagreement Pat Dolan and George O'Callaghan had during the week. O'Callaghan was benched, although he was brought on for the final half an hour. To no avail.
When O'Callaghan skied an effort in the 83rd minute, it was as close as City came to scoring in the second half. There was no vibrancy about their game, and even though they woke up for the final few minutes, by that stage, Bohs were confident the points were theirs.
Until Hawkins broke the stalemate, neither side had looked like scoring.
For much of the first half, only the boisterous chanting of the travelling support kept the crowd awake.
As a live showcase of what the Eircom league is like, particularly after the courageous performance of Shels the night before, this left a lot to be desired.
In the first half, danger, such as it was, came down the right wing in the guise of Bobby Ryan.
He was the only player who displayed the guile to rise above the mediocrity. When Bohs forced their first corner in the 16th minute, it came from Ryan's toil down his flank.
The corner came to nought, as much of the fare did in the first half.
Joe Gamble had a shot for City well saved by Shay Kelly in the 23rd minute, but as far as a highlight reel went, the RTÉ directors had their work cut out.
This game marked the 20th anniversary of Bohs' most magical night, the defeat of Rangers and some of the great names from the past - Gino Lawler and his ilk - were honoured at the break. But, they would not have been impressed by their contemporary counter-parts.
As the first half ended, Bohs showed a bit of spark, creating a couple of chances. But, they were few and far between. Only Hawkins' reactions saved the game from petering to a score-less draw.
Improvement is needed from both teams. More urgent down Leeside, but Bohs, despite themselves, suddenly discover they are in the title shake-up.
Kelly; Rice, Hawkins, Heary, Webb; Lynch (Farrelly 89); Ryan (Grant 89), Hunt, Ward, Keddy; Foley
Devine; Murphy, Bennett, Murray, Lordan(Behan 82); Nwankwo (Lopes 59), Gamble, C T O'Brien, Doyle; O'Flynn, Fenn (O'Callaghan 59)
P Whelan (Dublin).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
