Bohs keep pressure on leaders with win at Drogs

Drogs are winless in eight games and are now just two points above resurgent Waterford

Douglas James-Taylor scored Bohs' second goal against Drogs. Pic:  ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

SSE Airtricity Premier Division: Drogheda United 0 Bohemians 2

Bohemians were the beneficiaries of Mark Doyle’s first half own goal in earning a fifth win in their last six away matches to keep the pressure on Shamrock Rovers at the top of the Premier Division.

Douglas James-Taylor, once a favourite of Drogheda United fans, scored shortly after entering as a substitute to seal victory and he missed a late penalty too. Alan Reynolds will view seven points from nine against Drogheda as an adequate tally for a side holding title aspirations.

Kevin Doherty’s strugglers are winless in eight games and are now just two points above resurgent Waterford who remain at the foot of the table but perhaps for not much longer. The Drogs may start to look over their shoulders with a sense of trepidation.

Bohemians hardly warranted a lead after the opening 15 minutes and it was certainly fortuitous when it arrived. After a corner was defended, they won the ball back on the edge of the area. Markuss Strods fed Jordan Flores, whose cross was turned into his own net in haphazard fashion by Doyle.

Drogheda’s nine-goal top scorer this season, this one went against his side and left them with work to do. He went close to an equaliser four minutes later when, unmarked, he headed Thomas Oluwa’s delivery towards goal but his effort was the wrong side of the post.

Either side of the goal, Flores and Harry Vaughan had sights of the Drogheda goal but neither attempt from range troubled Luke Dennison. The same could not be said for Brandon Kavanagh’s 35th minute free kick that drew a save from Paul Walters and soon after, Conor Kane drilled a shot just wide of the far post following Sam Todd’s timely intervention stopped Doyle in his tracks.

Bohemians' second arrived from a familiar face, as much to those of a claret-and-blue persuasion than anyone else. James-Taylor was on the field for less than two minutes when he ran onto Dayle Rooney’s brilliant reverse pass. He narrowly beat Dennison to the ball and dinked the ball over the goalkeeper. The boos aimed his way only intensified.

But there was light relief for the home fans soon after though as James-Taylor sent his late spot kick out of the ground.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Dennison; Agbaje, Burney, Keeley, Kane; O’Brien (Godden, 89), Brennan (Mare, 89); Bucknor (Farrell, 71), Kavanagh, Oluwa; Doyle.

BOHEMIANS: Walters; Power, Byrne, Todd, Flores (Myers, 90+8); Mullen, Devoy; Strods (Parsons, 76), Tierney (Diallo, 90+8), Vaughan (Rooney, 62); Whelan (James-Taylor, 76).

REFEREE: Paul Norton