By Shane Murray
Bohemians maintained their lead at the top of the Premier Division with a flattering 3-0 victory over Sligo Rovers at Dalymount Park.
The hosts took the lead in a hugely entertaining contest when Neale Fenn played a one-two with Killian Brennan before coolly slotting home from the edge of the area in the 15th minute.
The visitors took the game to Bohs in the second half but fell further behind when Brennan converted an 82nd minute penalty after John Paul Kelly had been fouled, before Gavin Peers’ clearance deflected off Brennan for Bohs’ third of the evening two minutes later.
The opening minute saw a Jamie McKenzie error almost let Glenn Crowe in but the Rovers centre-back recovered to make a vital interception passing back for goalkeeper Pat Jennings to clear.
Owen Heary followed that a couple of minutes later with a speculative shot which Jennings gathered, before Glen Crowe found space on the left behind Seamus Coleman but Jennings produced a comfortable save.
In the ninth minute Sligo captain Gavin Peers almost broke the deadlock from a Fahrudin Kudozovic corner, but he just failed to connect with a header from three yards before referee Mark Gough blew up for a foul in the area.
Peers had an even better chance in the 13th minute when Kudozovic's free from the left found its way to the six yard box. Again the Rovers centre-back failed to get the vital touch and a relieved Brian Murphy gathered the ball.
However, despite those early chances, the visitors fell behind to a brilliantly worked and executed move from Bohs in the 15th minute.
In what was the best move of the game, Jason Byrne switched the play to Neale Fenn who played a one-two with Brennan before finding the back of the net with a right foot drive from outside the box.
Minutes later Anto Murphy almost released Cretaro but his pass was overhit, while in the 22nd minute a relieved Jennings got out of jail when he fumbled under a high ball and Gough ruled he had been fouled despite the limited contact on the Rovers 'keeper.
Cretaro then skewed a decent opening from the edge of the area embarrassingly wide in the 26th minute, while a long ball two minutes later caught the Bohs defence napping but Cretaro could only direct his weakly struck volley into the grateful arms of Murphy.
Another decent passage of play on the break almost allowed Cretaro and Butler in again, but Bohs regrouped to clear.
Fenn, Byrne and Kelly, always willing and impressing in the middle, combined to prise open the Sligo defence, but a well-timed tackle from Butler saw the danger averted and Rovers cleared their lines.
The industrious Cretaro broke clear down the left in the 35th minute with a good show of pace, but when the ball dropped to Kudozovic on the penalty spot he failed to get his shot away or lay the ball off and the opening was lost.
Two minutes later Rovers midfielder Brian Cash’s great strike from 25 yards looked goal bound but a slight deflection saw it narrowly miss the top corner and go behind for a throw.
Rovers ended the half strongly but despite finding themselves dominating possession, much to the annoyance of the home support, they failed to create a worthwhile opening capable of testing Murphy.
The second half continued in much the same fashion as the first with Paul Cook’s men looking for an equaliser.
Four minutes in Cretaro's neat knockdown teed Conor O'Grady up at the edge of the area, but his right foot daisy-cutter was comfortably claimed by Murphy.
O'Grady received a deserved yellow card when he hauled back Kelly on the edge of the area, and Brennan's resulting free-kick was expertly palmed behind by the alert Jennings. From the following corner, Liam Burns, one of three former Rovers players involved for Bohs, found his well delivered cross from the left put over by Coleman with several Bohs players waiting to convert.
Around the 65th minute the visitors enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure which ultimately amounted to nothing, and the large gathering of Rovers fans in attendance were encouraged with their side showing much of the attacking instincts that saw them eventually earn a draw with Drogheda United on Tuesday.
However, the unconvincing Jennings again had luck on his side when an attempted clearance rebounded off Crowe before falling agonisingly wide of the Rovers 'keeper's left hand post.
Rovers left-back Butler tried his luck from distance but his effort deflected over the bar. From the resulting corner, the lively Coleman almost forced his way through before eventually his probing run was halted at the concession of another corner.
Bohs substitute Darren Mansaram, joining Burns and fellow sub Chris Turner in the ranks of Bohs players previously with Rovers, made an immediate impact when he broke menacingly clear in the 75th minute, but the combined attention of McKenzie and Butler allowed Jennings to gather the striker's shot with ease.
Pat Fenlon’s men, who gained top spot on Tuesday with victory over long-term leaders St Patrick’s Athletic, went two up in the 82nd minute when a Kelly one-two with Mansaram saw the former fouled just inside the box by McKenzie and Brennan kept his nerve to send Jennings the wrong way.
The home support were still celebrating that goal when the Gypsies notched a third two minutes later in bizarre circumstance, when Peers’ attempted clearance was charged down by Brennan and found its way past Jennings, to the visible despair of the visiting players.
To their credit, Sligo kept going until the final whistle and Kudozovic went close to putting a more accurate picture on the scoreline in injury-time but an excellent move ended with the Bosnian firing marginally over.
Bohemians: 1 Brian Murphy, 2 Owen Heary (capt), 3 Mark Rossiter, 4 John Paul Kelly (14 Michael McGinlay 82 mins), 5 Liam Burns, 6 Ken Oman, 7 Jason Byrne (16 Chris Turner 58 mins), 8 Glenn Cronin, 9 Glenn Crowe (12 Darren Mansaram 72 mins), 10 Neale Fenn, 11 Killian Brennan. Substitutes not used: 15 Jason McGuinness, 25 Chris Konopka.
Sligo Rovers: 1 Pat Jennings, 2 Seamus Coleman, 3 Chris Butler, 4 Gavin Peers, 5 Jamie McKenzie, 6 Conor O'Grady, 7 Brian Cash, 8 Anto Murphy (15 Gary Curran 80 mins), 9 Matthew Judge (12 Alan Moore 72 mins), 10 Fahrudin Kudozovic, 11 Rafael Cretaro (13 Sean Doherty 54 mins). Substitutes not used: 14 Keith Foy, 16 Richard Brush.
Referee: Mark Gough.
Assistants: Ciaran Delaney and Rhona Daly.
Fourth official: Tomas Connolly.
