Premier Division: Bohemians 1-2 Derry City
In the final moments of the game, super substitute, Danny Mullen delivered a stunning final blow for Derry City against Bohemians at Dalymount Park. Although the victory was a late one, Derry City’s triumph was well-earned, leaving them two points under the leading team, Shelbourne, and ten points above reigning champions, Shamrock Rovers, as they move into the summer intermission.
The losing streak of Bohemians carries on with a mere single victory out of their last eight matches. As the fourth extra minute closed in, Mullen was set up by substitute Cameron McJannet who headed a long free kick from goalkeeper Brian Maher in his path. Displaying excellent control, Mullen perfectly volleyed the ball past Kacper Chorazka with his left foot after a right-footed touch.
Bohs had a promising start with recent acquisition Jake Carroll debuting at the heart of the defence, maintaining solid possession in the initial stage. However, the first goal opportunity was seized by Derry City who were in fine form having only lost one in the last 11 games, eight minutes into the game.
Initiated by a counterattack, Adam O’Reilly swiftly moved forward, feeding overlapping Cameron Dummigan. Chorazka was taken aback by the right back’s curved cross, allowing Micky Duffy to get a header which unfortunately hit the post.
Capitalising on weak defence, Bohs scored their only goal in the 15th minute through a penalty. Slow to respond, Sadou Diallo was forced to trip Dayle Rooney after mismanaging a pass from Ben Doherty. Despite Brian Maher blocking Gypsies captain Jordan Flores’s penalty – his third save this season, Danny Grant was quick to send the ball into the net from the rebound.
However, a defense mistake by Bohs had Derry City level in just two minutes, creating a frenzied play period. A failed clearance by Jevon Mills allowed Candystripes captain Patrick Hoban to shoot, which was spectacularly deflected over the crossbar by Chorazka, making up for his earlier indecision.
McMullan’s subsequent corner was played short to his teammate, Will Patching, who delivered a fantastic cross that was superbly converted into a goal by Diallo. The following actions saw Bohs surviving a few near goals, with Chorazka tipping Dummigan’s cross over the bar and an additional short corner’s delivery from Patching dipped over the goalkeeper’s reach, finally bouncing against the far post. Chorazka, the busier of the two goalkeepers, effectively diverted a 33rd-minute free-kick from the ever-influential Patching as Derry had the upper hand. However, Bohs had a missed opportunity to regain the lead due to a defensive error five minutes before halftime. A flawed pass from Doherty to Mark Connolly, intercepted by Rooney, was saved by Maher who closed down Rooney’s shot angle efficiently. As play resumed, Chorazka was called into action again, denying Hoban a goal four minutes post the interval with a wonderful save at his left-hand goalpost. Derry dominated much of the game’s remaining play with Michael Miller clearing Hoban’s 84th-minute header from the goal line minutes before their victorious last strike. In other matches, a 55th-minute goal from Will Jarvis ensured Shelbourne maintained their table-topping form with a 1-0 victory against Waterford. St Patrick’s Athletic staged a thrilling comeback to defeat Shamrock Rovers 2-1 at Richmond Park, overhauling John Kenny’s 32nd-minute lead with a late goal by Brandon Kavanagh in the additional time. Stephen Walsh scored a brace complimented by Conor O’Keeffe’s goal to earn Galway United a 3-0 victory over Drogheda United. Consequently, Drogheda stumbled into a three-point slump at the bottom of the table, following Dundalk’s triumph over Sligo Rovers due to a solitary strike from Daryl Horgan.
The Bohemians football team was made up of Chorazka, Miller, Mills, Carroll, who was replaced by Keita in the 83rd minute, and Kirk, with McDonnell and Flores also participating. Other team members included Grant, who was subbed out for Piszczek in the 78th minute, Clarke, subbed out for Connolly in the 70th minute, and Rooney along with Akintunde.
On the other hand, Derry City had Maher, Dummigan, Connolly, McEleney, and Doherty, who was replaced by McJannet in the 74th minute. Diallo was switched out for Kelly at the same time. O’Reilly, alongside McMullan, who was changed for Mullens in the 83rd minute, Patching, Duffy, and Hoban, also represented Derry City.
The match referee was Rob Hennessy, from Clare.