Bohs hung out to dry by Towell

AIRTRICITY PREMIER DIVISION

And but for goalkeeper Dean Delany, hapless Bohemians would have lost by far more.

Dundalk almost took the lead as early as the fourth minute when John Dillons clever lob bounced over off the crossbar and they threatened a lethargic Bohs defence again from their first corner of the night on 14 minutes, with central defender Andy Boyle heading wide from Towell’s delivery.

Stephen Kenny’s side then punished poor goalkeeping to take a deserved lead six minutes later. Delany opted to parry Towell’s free-kick from 30 yards and Mulvenna reacted well to scoop the rebound into the roof of the net.

Redemption was there for Delany minutes later, however, when he made two athletic saves, first turning Mulvenna’s low drive out for a corner before tipping over Dillon’s well-hit volley from 20 yards.

Bohemians, though, were in disarray at the back and Mulvenna should really have doubled Dundalk’s lead on 29 minutes, but somehow failed to connect with Ward’s free-kick directly in front of the goal.

With strikers Dave Scully and Chris Lyons on at the break, Bohemians went with two up front, but it was Dundalk who remained in control and they not surprisingly had the first chance of the second half five minutes in.

Skipper Stephen O’Donnell and Ward worked the ball through for Mulvenna, and his low drive was pushed away well by Delany.

But the keeper was beaten again on 79 minutes.

Towell’s fiercely stuck low drive took a wicked deflection off Roberto Lopes to wrong foot the keeper and fly into the corner of his net.

BOHEMIANS: Delany; Barker, Paisley, Lopes, Byrne; Pender; Moore, Murray (Scully 46), McEvoy (O‘Brien 75), Nangle; Devaney (Lyons 46).

DUNDALK: Cherrie; Sullivan, Rossiter, Boyle, Massey; Towell; Dillon, O’Donnell, Ward (Mountney 64); Faherty (Hoban 80), Mulvenna (Meenan 72).

Referee: Tom Connolly (Dublin).