Five-star Bohs blitz 10-man Derry
Ross Tierney scored a brace for Bohs against Derry. Pic: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
Bohemians blitzed Derry City with a wondrous second half display to turn this madcap game on its head as they consolidated third place in the Premier Division table.
Trailing to Michael Duffy’s first half goal, Bohs stunned their visitors by scoring three times early in the second half through Patrick Hickey, Connor Parsons and Douglas James-Taylor.
Derry's implosion continued as they then had ex-Gypsy James Clarke shown a straight red card, all within nine minutes of the restart.
Tyler Smith got a goal back for Derry before Ross Tierney scored a fine brace to seal the win, Duffy’s stoppage time penalty of little consolation.
Bohs thus avenged June’s 4-1 drubbing at Celtic Park, their heaviest defeat of the season, opening up a 10-point cushion on fourth place in the table as Derry languish a further four points behind in sixth.
Though Bohs started with intent they needed Paul Walters to prevent them from falling behind from Derry’s first attack on 13 minutes.
Skipper Duffy skipped away on the left to cross for Clarke whose flick was parried away by goalkeeper Walters.
With the game opening up, Derry survived a let-off minutes later, James-Taylor shooting just wide after good work by Senan Mullen.
But Bohs had lost their early momentum, labouring to get out of their own half as Derry dominated the ball as the half wore on.
A counterattack briefly relieved the pressure, defender Conor Barr nicking the ball off the toe of James-Taylor from Parsons’ cross.
A telling transition of their own then brought Derry a deserved lead on 34 minutes.
Barry Cotter burst forward down the right to pick out Duffy who showed admirable composure to rifle to the net with the help of a slight deflection.
Needing a response, a promising spell as half-time approached saw Bohs come within inches of an equaliser, Mullen volleying against the crossbar from Harry Vaughan’s clever chip.
There was no such reprieve for Derry as they completely imploded within nine minutes of the restart, conceding three goals before being reduced to 10 men.
For the equaliser just two minutes in, Mullen won a corner which Jordan Flores floated into the area for American Hickey to power a free header to the net.
Three minutes later Derry were caught napping from skipper Dawson Devoy’s free kick which put Parsons in behind untracked to drill past Maher at his left-hand post.
Within a further three minutes James-Taylor spun to shoot home Bohs’ third goal as Derry again failed to defend another Flores corner.
It got no better for the visitors as Clarke was then dismissed for a moment of madness in hacking down Parsons, apologising immediately as he accepted his fate of referee Rob Harvey’s red card.
The dramatic second-half continued with Derry getting a goal back on 62 minutes, Smith stabbing home Duffy’s cross.
But easing any notions of a Derry comeback, Tierney went around Maher on 78 minutes to slot home after Hickey and substitute Collie Whelan combined to put him through.
Tierney then added the gloss with the goal of the night three minutes from time, blasting to the top corner on 87 minutes before Duffy scored his second from a 95th minute penalty.
Walters; Power (Morahan, 89), Hickey, Byrne, Mullen; Devoy, Flores (McDonnell, 82); Tierney, Vaughan (Myers, 73), Parsons (Strods, 82); James-Taylor (Whelan, 73).
Maher; Cotter (Fleming, 61), Barr, P. McClean, Lyons-Foster (Burns, 84); Twisk (Dummigan, 61), O’Reilly; Clarke, Chapman (Olayinka, 61), Duffy; Smith.
Rob Harvey (Dublin).
4,042.
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