Bohs end winless run and re-ignite title push

BOHEMIANS ended their five-match winless Airtricity league streak with victory at Sporting Fingal last night to re-ignite their three-in-a-row ambitions.

A bright start by Fingal, whose only defeat of the campaign came in their campaign opener at the Gypsies on March 5, looked set to extend the visitors’ recent woes until two goals in five minutes late in the first-half against the run of play proved decisive.

Defender Lorcan Fitzgerald’s dismissal seven minutes from the end for a second booking concluded a disappointing night for Fingal.

Just a minute after Kenny Browne’s header struck the post for the home side, Paul Keegan was more clinical at the other end for their North Dublin rivals by snatching a 38th minute lead.

Former Bohs striker Glen Crowe, making his first start of the season for Fingal, volleyed straight at Barry Murphy two minutes later from a good position and Gareth McGlynn made the newly-promoted side suffer further by beating Darren Quigley with a shot from the edge of the box three minutes before the break.

Having lost their previous three league matches, the Gypsies started with a spark and Mark Quigley was just wide with a curler on five minutes after cutting in from his left-wing berth.

Fingal the took control but Browne’s effort against the post was as close as they would come. Sixty seconds later substitute Anto Murphy, on for the injured Raffaele Cretaro on the half hour, dispossessed Crowe on the right-wing and Paul Keegan arrived on cue inside the six-yard box to meet his teasing cross and glance a header past Quigley.

The champions showed their clinical streak once again five minutes later when Gareth McGlynn drifted in from the right to a central position and had time to find his left corner of the net with a low shot.

Fingal rarely threatened to stage a comeback in the second-half and it was the visitors who came closest to scoring with substitute Paddy Madden and Anto Murphy squandering their best opportunities.

SPORTING FINGAL: D. Quigley; O’Brien, Paisley, Browne, Fitzgerald; C. Byrne, Finn, McFaul (Kirby 76), Williams (James 76); O’Neill, Crowe (Zayed 68).

BOHEMIANS: B. Murphy; Shelley, Oman, McGuinness, Rossiter; Cretaro (A. Murphy 31 [Higgins 90]), Keegan, Cronin, M. Quigley; McGlynn, Byrne (Madden 51).

Referee: A. Buttimer (Cork).