CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND/New Saints 4 Bohemians 0:THIS time last year Bohemians' heartbreaking last-gasp European defeat to Red Bull Salzburg, saw them lauded as heroes. Last night they were certainly the villains after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the New Saints.
Bohemians should be looking forward to a glamour European tie, as well as banking €500,000 in the continent’s most prestigious club competition. Instead the shell-shocked Irish champions will still be licking their wounds after a nightmare evening saw them crash out in the Champions League second qualifying round.
The performance matched the miserable wet weather as the Dubliners were made to pay for a shambolic first-half display in the return leg in the English/Welsh border town of Oswestry.
The elements couldn’t help Bohemians last night, with the artificial pitch meaning there was no chance of the game falling foul of the atrocious conditions.
Holding a one-goal advantage, Bohemians eyed a tie again Belgian giants Anderlecht.
The visitors had already been given an early walk-up call before Chris Sharp, son of Everton and Scotland great Graeme, fed winger Craig Jones for the fifth-minute opener.
Despite the setback, Bohemians knew the tie was still in their hands if they netted an away goal and Paddy Madden could have made it a different story just moments later.
The highly-rated striker saw his close-range header from Brendan Killian pushed around the post by home goalkeeper Paul Harrison.
It proved costly as The New Saints extended their lead in the next attack, with midfielder Matty Williams shrugging off Paul Keegan to drill the ball home from the edge of the area.
Disbelief soon turned to anger among the strong travelling support as goalscorer Jones turned provider with a low cross which was swept past Barry Murphy by Sharp with just 20 minutes gone.
Bohemians struggled to find any way back, with Jason Byrne’s slow response to a mistake in the home side’s defence summing up their display.
It meant manager Pat Fenlon was forced into a double change at the break in as bid to galvanise his lacklustre side, with Jason McGuinness and Glenn Cronin sent on.
The reshuffle appeared to pay off as the hosts were pushed on to the back foot as the visitors looked for a lifeline. That almost came from an unlikely source, with Keegan rattling the crossbar in the 50th minute and the midfielder was denied by a stunning reflex save from Harrison four minutes later.
Ireland’s summer football season should have stood them in good stead as the New Saints tired. But Williams turned in Steve Evans’ header in the 73rd minute to wrap up an evening to forget for the Dubliners.
THE NEW SAINTS: Harrison, Holme, Baker, Evans, Marriott, Jones, Hogan, Ruscoe, Berkeley (Wood 88) Williams, Sharp (Darlington 89)
BOHEMIANS: Murphy; Heary, Oman, Shelley, Powell (McGuinness 46), Killian, Higgins (Cronin 46), Keegan, Quigley, Madden, Byrne (Greene 65) Subs not used: O’Connor, Rossiter, Burke, Dixon.
Referee: I Vad (Hungary).
TNS win 4-1 on aggregate
