Bohemians bank lead on Dalymount Euro return, Derry in touch
Connor Parsons of Bohemians heads to score his side's second goal during the UEFA Conference League First Qualifying Round first leg match between Bohemians and St Joseph’s at Dalymount Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Bohemians should have enough in a two-goal buffer to complete their mission in Gibraltar next Thursday after second-half goals from Douglas James-Taylor and substitute Connor Parsons at a packed Dalymount Park earned them a first-leg advantage.
It was the first European game for Bohs at the famous venue for 14 years but, on their last venture into the Conference League in 2021, when matches were held at Lansdowne Road due to Covid-19, they swept past Stjarnan (Iceland) and Dudelange (Luxembourg) before wasting a first-leg lead against PAOK to bow out in the third round.
They’ll face the winner of Connah's Quay (Wales) and Ballkani (Kosovo) in the second round barring a capitulation against St Joseph’s. having made hard work of this task in the opening hour.
Alan Reynolds, who has the Gypsies in second place and into the FAI Cup third round due to a walkover against Ringmahon, won’t mind the delay in spark once they bring their shooting boots to the tiny outpost next week to kill off the tie.
“They came here with a game-plan of sitting in and trying to frustrate you and we lacked a little bit of quality sometimes until the breakthrough,” admitted the Waterford man.
“Even when we got the second one we were going, ‘come on, let's go again’ and get another one. if it had gone another few minutes we would have scored another one.
“Now we know what we're facing and next week we'll need to be better because they're a threat in certain areas.”
It’s a year this week since James-Taylor arrived at Bohs in a blaze of glory, having lit the League of Ireland during his two loan spells at Drogheda United.
Injuries have curbed his impact since but was clinical in dispatching the penalty that was awarded on the hour when the trickery of Ross Taylor enticed Bakaray Diedhiou into a late tackle.
Up stepped the former Walsall striker to angle his spot-kick to the left of Bradley Banda and the goalkeeper’s collision with the post in the process forced him to be immediately substituted.
Bohs were blessed when defender Javi Paul squandered the glorious chance of an equaliser by steering his diving header from close over the crossbar when he was left alone at the back post.
It would be a stretch to deem the miss sinful but the Saints were soon praying for a miracle when they fell two goals behind in stoppage time.
One of Reynolds’s second-half substitutes, Connor Parsons, ghosted into the penalty area from a cross by another, Sadou Diallo, to nod his header from eight yards beyond Gato Romero.
The substitute stopper would prevent next week’s return leg being a formality by spreading himself wide to deny Colm Whelan when James-Taylor’s replacement sped clear and shot towards the top corner.
“I'm not saying we're in there jumping with joy because we feel that we've just been ok,” added Rennie. “Look it's a European game, a difficult test and something new for a lot of our players.
“We're went into that really in the unknown but the players and crowd were fantastic. It was the first more European tie for 14 years so hopefully we'll have a few more here.” Meanwhile, Derry City will fancy their chances of overturning a slender 3-2 deficit when they host CSKA Sofia in next Thursday’s second leg of their Europa League clash.
Cypriot Ioannis Pittas scored either side of Liam Boyce’s equaliser to give the Bulgarian hosts an interval lead on home soil. Despite extending that gap through Bruno Jordão within eight minutes of the restart, the Canystripes battled back to trim the margin to the minimum when former Arsenal apprentice and Waterford midfielder James Olayinka pounced with a minute remaining.
P Walters; D Power, P Hickey, S Todd, S Mullen (S Diallo 46); D Devoy, J Flores; H Vaughan (C Parsons 65), R Tierney, M Strods (D Rooney 65); D James-Taylor (C Whelan 76).
B Banda (G Romero 64); G Barba, J Paul, S Lauture; K Fobi, B Diedhiou (E De Haro 84), Juanma, J Valarino; M Rosa (G Moreno 70), F Ferrón; Á Cascajo (P Rodríguez 46).
Lasse Læbel Graagaard (DEN)
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