Bohemians 0 Dundalk FC 1:MARK GRIFFIN'S delightful free-kick put Dundalk into the semi-final of FAI Cup for the first time since they last won it 10 years ago. The victory also ended their Bohemians hoodoo as the Gypsies had put them out of the cup twice in the previous three years.
Griffin struck on 75 minutes to curl a brilliant 25-yard free-kick around the wall and into the top corner of the net after a clumsy challenge by Bohemians’ Dave Mulcahy on Michael Rafter.
Midfielder Mulcahy then almost made amends five minutes later, but his half-volley from Keith Buckley’s corner shaved the top of the Dundalk bar.
Bohemians started confidently with captain Owen Heary, back after a three-week injury lay-off, marauding down the right flank early on. Despite their possession and tidy passing game, though, Aaron Callaghan’s side struggled to create even a half chance in the opening 45 minutes. Not that Dundalk offered much more at the other end, Gary Shanahan miss-kicking on 38 minutes.
Callaghan reshuffled his side for the second half, switching to a 4-4-2 and pushing central defender Evan McMillan up front with Karl Moore. But it was Dundalk who looked the more dangerous in the early exchanges. Nathan Murphy drove a free-kick over the top before McDonnell did well to tee up a shot from the edge of the area only to drill it wide.
Dundalk captain Chris Shields should then have done better with a header from a Murphy free-kick 10 minutes in as we still awaited an effort on target.
That finally came in the 65th minute when Bohemians’ Kevin Devaney cut in from the left, but his low drive scarcely troubled Peter Cherrie.
Bohemians survived a scare within two minutes when Rafter sliced wide after a clearance deflected kindly for him off referee Derek Tomney.
BOHEMIANS: Murray; Heary (O‘Connor, 81 mins.), McMillan, Feely, Lopes; Mulcahy; Buckley, Pender, Ward, Moore (McEvoy, 69 mins.); Devaney (Mulligan, 81 mins.).
DUNDALK: Cherrie; Mountney, Burns, Foran, Murphy (Osborne, 77 mins.); O’Brien, McDonnell, Shields, Shanahan; Rafter (Walsh, 85 mins.), Griffin.
Referee: D Tomney (Dublin).
