Bohemians 4 Drogheda United 2
Jonathan Afolabi hit a brace for the second week running as Bohemians moved up to third place in the Premier Division table.
That makes it a remarkable nine goals in seven games for the Gypsies’ bustling centre-forward on a difficult night for Drogheda who played more than half the game with 10 men.
While happy with how his side have been finishing games lately, Bohemians manager Declan Devine had pleaded with his players for a faster start. And they duly delivered here, having two efforts cleared off the line before taking the lead after just one minute and 13 seconds.
Jordan Flores whipped a corner to the back post where centre back Kacper Radkowski volleyed home his first goal for the club. Drogheda responded well, creating several chances, the pick of them from Kyle Robinson who shot against a post.
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The visitors’ enterprise was rewarded on 36 minutes, though not before Bohemians’ Bartolomiej Kukulowicz had had a goal disallowed for a foul.
Dayle Rooney arced a superb free kick into the area where Evan Weir arrived to score with a powerful header. While that was the left-back’s welcome first goal of this season, Weir’s night was over just two minutes later when shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Dylan Connolly.
The action continued apace with Kris Twardek having a second Bohemians goal disallowed for an offside. That brought an almost five minute delay after an assistant referee was struck by an object thrown from the Bohemians crowd, referee Rob Hennessy warning that any repeat would result in the game being abandoned.
Bohemians then regained the lead three minutes into added time at the end of the half. Andrew Wogan could only parry a low drive from James McManus leaving Afolabi with a simple tap in finish.
Despite playing very much on the defensive from the restart, it was the 10-men of Drogheda who created the first real chance of the second half on 63 minutes.
Another Rooney free kick troubled Bohemians. Conor Keeley nodded the ball down for Robinson who, off balance, hooked over the top. Robinson was in again down the left within a minute from Rooney’s pass, drilling wide past the far post, before Drogheda were deservedly level on 75 minutes.
Darragh Markey worked a one-two with Warren Davis to cross for Jamie Egan to score on his debut.
Parity lasted just two minutes, though, as Wogan upended Bohemians substitute Danny Grant and Afolabi blasted home from the resultant penalty. James Clarke sealed Bohemians when pouncing on a loose clearance to find the corner of the net from the edge of the area five minutes from the end of a breathless game.
Bohemians: Talbot; Kukulowicz (Kirk 78 mins), Nowak (Byrne h-t), Radkowski, Flores; Buckley McManus (Coote 60); Connolly (Grant h-t), Clarke, Twardek (O’Sullivan 84); Afolabi.
Drogheda United: Wogan; McNally, Keeley, Egan, Weir; Deegan, Heeney (Kane 45 mins); Foley (Leddy 84), Markey, Rooney; Robinson (Davis 73).
Referee: Rob Hennessy (Clare).
Sligo Rovers 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 2
St Patrick’s Athletic moved to within a point of leaders Shamrock Rovers with an impressive away win against a disappointing Sligo Rovers at a rain-soaked Showgrounds.
First half goals from Chris Forrester and Sam Curtis were enough to secure a well-earned three points for Jon Daly’s side, who put their recent European exit behind them to keep the pressure on the Hoops.
The Saints are unbeaten now in six games in domestic competitions, and are a point ahead of third-placed Bohemians ahead of the Gypsies’ crucial trip to Inchicore next weekend.
For the home side, the loss of the league’s top-scorer Max Mata to Shrewsbury midweek left them short of an attacking threat, but really it was a poor defensive display that left them playing catch-up for most of the night.
Their misery was compounded in injury-time when substitute David Cawley missed the target from a penalty that could have given the Saints a nervous finish. The former Pat’s midfielder missed the target despite sending goalkeeper Dean Lyness the wrong way.
Forrester had no such problem when presented with the same opportunity at the same goals on 12 minutes. It came about after a lively start from the visitors and from attacker Mark Doyle in particular. He got the better of Garry Buckley after some good work from Jake Mulraney, and when he was hauled down, Forrester calmly slid home the spot-kick to overtake Mata at the top of the goalscorers’ chart with his 12th of the season.
Really Mulraney should have doubled that advantage on the half-hour mark, when Doyle attacked brilliantly down the left and crossed for the midfielder unmarked inside the area, but somehow he skied his shot over the top with only the keeper to beat.
They did not have to wait too much longer for the second, however, as centre back Curtis came forward for a Mulraney free-kick, and when the home side made a mess of trying to clear, he was able to direct the ball to the net.
They had an early chance for a third in the second half with Mulraney again to the fore – his shot coming back off the post before Conor Carty blasted wide.
But the introduction off on-loan German winger Fabrice Hartmann spurred a mini revival from the hosts, though they were almost caught out on the counter-attack by St Pat’s substitute Alex Nolan, whose low shot was narrowly wide.
Hartmann forced a good stop off Lyness with 10 minutes remaining, but Forrester went just as close from a free-kick at the other end, but watched it bounce off the crossbar.
Rovers manager John Russell and full-back Johan Brannefalk were both booked by Robert Harvey for dissent as a frustrating night continued for the Bit O’ Red, with Hartmann and new striker Pedro Martelo also receiving yellows late on.
They were gifted a chance to claim some consolation in injury-time when a close-range effort bounced off the hand of a St Pat’s defender. But Cawley was unable to convert.
Sligo: McNicholas, Brannefalk, Pijnaker, Buckley, Liivak (Cawley 84 mins), Bolger, Morahan, Browning (Hartmann 63), Barlow (O’Sullivan 76), Radosavljevic, Martelo.
St Pat’s: Lyness, Redmond, McGrath, Curtis, Breslin, Murphy, Mulraney (Nolan 65 mins), McClelland, Forrester, Doyle, Carty (Lonergan 77).
Referee: R Harvey.
