Shelbourne 0 Bohemians 3
Dinny Corcoran, Ryan McEvoy and Dave Mulcahy provided the goals to give Bohemians a vital Premier Division lifeline with this massive win at relegation rivals Shelbourne.
On a night when fellow strugglers Bray Wanderers and UCD lost, this fully deserved derby victory was the perfect start in his post for Bohemians’ interim boss Bobby Browne.
Bohemians now have a five-point cushion over Shelbouren, who remain bottom though with a game in hand, and are four clear of Bray.
Clearly looking the more comfortable, Bohemians took a deserved lead on 18th minutes. Anto Murphy appeared to flummox Shelbourne by not taking his trademark long throw on the left, instead working a one-two with Keith Buckley to get in behind to cross. Karl Moore nodded the ball down for Corcoran whose low drive was merely helped into the net by O'Connor.
Low shot
Sean Brennan worked Bohemians' goalkeeper Dean Delany with a fiercely struck low shot at the other end minutes later before Shelbourne were dealt a cruel blow just past the half hour when skipper Glenn Cronin was carried off injured.
Despite Shelbourne having a bit more impetus to their game on the resumption, it was Bohemians who remained the more dangerous every time they got forward and they duly doubled their lead on 57 minutes. Once again it stemmed from a throw, this time taken by Pender. Buckley flicked it on and McEvoy hooked the ball home from a tight angle despite Murphy getting a touch to it.
Murphy then made a superb parry save with his feet to deprive Buckley a third after Traynor had played him in on 72 minutes. But there was no stopping Mulcahy on 83 minutes as the Bohemians' midfielder arrived to tap home at the near post from Moore's low cross to seal the big win.
SHELBOURNE: Murphy; Ryan (Doyle, 76), O'Connor, Gartland, Flynn; Hurley, Cronin (Tinnelly, 34), Sheerin (McGlynn, 60), Hanlon; Brennan; Murtagh.
BOHEMIANS: Delany; Pender (D Byrne, 73), A Murphy, Lopes, L Byrne; Buckley, Mulcahy, McEvoy, Moore (Devaney, 90+4); Traynor (Lyons, 90+4); Corcoran.
Referee: Paul Tuite (Dublin).
Attendance: 2,028.