Airtricity League review:Champions Bohemians suffered their second defeat of the season at Dalymount Park after an injury time penalty consigned them to a 3-2 defeat to Galway United.
The result leaves Pat Fenlon’s side fifth, two ahead of tonight’s opponents and two-adrift of new Airtricity League Premier Division leaders Sporting Fingal.
Insult was added to injury for the Dubliners when both Raffaele Cretaro and Ken Oman were sent off in injury time.
Galway’s penalty scorer Stephen O’Donnell was also sent off after the final whistle, following ugly scenes that erupted when Cretaro chopped him down after he'd won the game from the spot.
The damage was done at the stage for Bohs.
Karl Sheppard had twice put Galway ahead, with the equalisers coming from Cretaro and Jason Byrne.
Galway’s achievement, however, is little compared to that of Sporting Fingal, who soared to the top of the table tonight with a 2-1 win over fellow high-flyers Dundalk.
The newcomers’ seventh game unbeaten and third win of the season came courtesy of a Wayne Hatswell own goal and an Alan Kirby penalty.
JJ Melligan had equalised for Dundalk in the 53rd and they almost grabbed another soon afterwards but Liam Burns hit the wrong side of the woodwork after a goalmouth scramble.
Shamrock Rovers moved into fourth place, one ahead of Bohs, with a 2-0 win at Drogheda.
Robert Bayly gave the visitors the lead two minutes after the restart and Gary Twigg added the shine with a second in the third minute of injury time.
Airtricity League of Ireland - Premier Division
Bohemians 2 Galway Utd 3
Drogheda Utd 0 Shamrock Rovers 2
Sporting Fingal 2 Dundalk 1
Airtricity League of Ireland - First Division
Monaghan Utd 1 Waterford Utd 0
Shelbourne 1 Cork City Foras Co-op 1