Bohemians 2-2 Dundalk
Richie Towell’s last-gasp equaliser rescued a point for league leaders Dundalk in a pulsating draw with Bohemians at Dalymount Park.
Stephen Kenny’s men were on the verge of falling to their first league defeat since going down to Bohemians on 5 June as the game approached the dying seconds but Towell’s 18-yard drive went through the legs of Lorcan Fitzgerald to creep over the line.
The result means Dundalk’s lead at the top over Cork City is down to eight points with eight games to play. Shamrock Rovers, who Dundalk face at Oriel Park on Tuesday night, are 13 behind with two games in hand on the champions.
The outcome was tough on Keith Long’s Bohemians side who were the better side for large periods of the game and who, in the shape of Ismahil Akinade, had the best player on the park.
The 21-year-old looked to have blown the title race wide open with his classy 79th-minute strike before Towell had the final say.
The visitors were backed by a sizeable travelling contingent and they were given encouragement in the opening minutes with David McMillan steering a header towards goal that Dean Delany parried before the ball was cleared to safety.
Dundalk then had appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Padraigh Sutton when Brian Gartland went down under pressure from Akinade while trying to meet a Daryl Horgan corner in the sixth minute.
The duo tangled again at the other end nine minutes later with Gartland showing his defensive qualities to clear a dangerous Fitzgerald free-kick with Akinade ready to pounce.
Bohs continued to force the issue and they drew first blood in the 18th minute. Akinade managed to dig out a cross to the back post and Keith Buckley caught Dane Massey napping to kill the ball and coolly finish past Gary Rogers.
The league leaders went searching for an instant reprieve and Ronan Finn guided a Horgan corner over the top before Towell hooked a tame half-volley into Delany’s midriff.
Dundalk skipper Stephen O’Donnell found himself in Sutton’s notebook for hanging a leg out on Patrick Kavanagh in the 21st minute. The booking will cost O’Donnell a suspension and the league leaders were almost hit with a double-whammy with Fitzgerald sending a curling free kick just over the top of Rogers’ bar.
Stephen Kenny’s men just couldn’t wrest control of the game and it could have been 2-0 to Bohemians after 33 minutes. Stephen Best’s lofted pass from the back picked Akinade out just inside the 18-yard box. The Bohs centre-forward cut inside Gartland but couldn’t find the target with the outside of his right boot.
Kenny responded to his side’s poor first-half showing by introducing Darren Meenan for John Mountney at the break and Dundalk began to show more urgency, with Delany making a brilliant save to tip Towell’s stunning 20-yard half volley over his crossbar in the 55th minute.
Akinade’s physicality continued to upset the Dundalk back four and the Dalymount support were on Sutton’s back in the 59th minute when the young striker was halted by Andy Boyle en route to goal - though it did look like the Dundalk centre-back had just outmuscled the Bohs hitman.
It became even more frustrating for the home support seconds later as Dundalk restored parity. Horgan managed to escape from Dylan Hayes on the left and his cutback was inch-perfect for O’Donnell, who guided a superb first-time finish across Delany.
The game ebbed and flowed from then until the final whistle with McMillan flashing a vicious drive into Delany’s side netting. At the other end, Akinade broke the offside trap but Gartland recovered brilliantly to get back and divert the ball out for a corner.
Gartland thought he had put his side in front in the 73rd minute when he rose to power home a Meenan corner but the goal was ruled out for an infringement by the Dundalk centre-back.
It looked like the decisive moment had arrived with 11 minutes to go. Delany came to collect a Towell cross and Bohs broke forward in devastating fashion. Fitzgerald collected, sent Akinade away and this time he showed great composure to open his body up and beat Rogers with a cool finish.
Dundalk looked down and out when substitute Ciaran Kilduff saw a late header go over the bar but they forced one more chance, with Towell squeezing a deflected shot through a crowd of bodies to keep his side on course for back-to-back titles.
BOHEMIANS: Dean Delany; Dylan Hayes, Derek Prendergast, Stephen Best, Lorcan Fitzgerald; Keith Buckley, Dave Mulcahy, Roberto Lopes, Patrick Kavanagh (James O’Brien 77), Adam Evans; Ismahil Akinade (Jason Byrne 90).
DUNDALK: Gary Rogers; Sean Gannon, Brian Gartland, Andy Boyle, Dane Massey; Stephen O’Donnell, Richie Towell; John Mountney (Darren Meenan HT), Ronan Finn (Sean Maguire 80), Daryl Horgan; David McMillan (Ciaran Kilduff 67).
REFEREE: Padraigh Sutton
