Doyle delivers for Sligo to keep title dream alive

EOIN DOYLE came off the bench to score twice in eight minutes to keep the pressure on his former club Shamrock Rovers in the race for the title.

The brace brought Doyle’s goals tally to 20 for the league season, beating the Sligo club record set in their title-winning season of 1937.

Sligo belied their poor display in the first half to win this game at a canter in the second.

They thus narrow the gap on their Dublin rivals to just one point, putting it up to Michael O’Neill’s side ahead of their trip to UCD on Monday night.

For Bohemians, their biggest defeat of the season at Dalymount was a sad way to end their home season, particularly so amid great uncertainty surrounding the future of the club as serious financial woes are likely to come to a head.

With six changes in their starting 11 from the side that won the FAI Cup semi-final here last Sunday, Sligo looked like they might have already turned their focus to their third successive FAI Cup final, and retaining that trophy.

Further credence was given to that notion as Bohemians dominated the first half. Striker Christy Fagan’s hard running, determination and skill, troubled Sligo and he sniffed out the first opening on nine minutes when controlling Anto Flood’s flick to turn and shoot narrowly wide.

On 21 minutes livewire Fagan again was central to the action. His pass unhinged the Sligo defence, the pity was Stephen Traynor wasn’t alert enough to prosper from it.

Traynor was involved though, as Bohs should have taken the lead on 24 minutes. A flowing, six-pass move, also involving Ger O’Brien and Stephen Hurley, saw Traynor put Flood in on goal but Brendan Clarke was promptly off his line to make a terrific save with his feet.

Bohemians were now running the game and veteran Ollie Cahill warmed Clarke’s hands from 30 yards before the irrepressible Fagan volleyed wide.

That Bohemians trooped off not in front at the break mocked much of the 45 minutes that had just passed. But that changed, and utterly so, when the teams reemerged.

There was far more purpose to Sligo from the restart and they ought to have been ahead six minutes in. A slip by Bohemians’ Young Player of the Year Chris Forrester gifted Sligo’s Alan Kirby possession. Joseph Ndo put Matthew Blinkhorn clean through on goal but Barry Murphy outwitted the striker to get down well and save the flicked shot.

Cue Doyle’s introduction on 61 minutes for Kirby.

Two minutes later Sligo were ahead as Doyle clinically punished a mistake by Liam Burns to calmly shoot home the opening goal.

Six minutes later Doyle was there again on the back post to volley in Raffaele Cretaro’s deep cross.

Doyle was then also involved in the build up to the third in the 75th minute, feeding Aaron Greene on the right to cross for Blinkhorn to tap in from a couple of yards out.

BOHEMIANS: Murphy; O’Brien, Heary, Burns, Cahill; Flood, Hurley (McEvoy 84), Cronin, Forrester (Downes 73); Traynor (Buckley 57); Fagan.

SLIGO ROVERS: Clarke; Cretaro, Peers, Foran, Powell; Dillon, Russell (Greene 50), Ryan, Ndo (Ventre 68); Kirby (Doyle 61); Blinkhorn.

Referee: Dave McKeon (Dublin).