James Talbot saved the vital sudden-death spot-kick to send Bohemians into the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup, beating Longford 5-4 on penalties.
Lee Steacy proved both hero and villain for Longford after a string of top quality saves kept his side in the match but the keeper missed the vital penalty as his side's valiant efforts came up short.
Scoreless after 90 minutes, Andre Wright opened the scoring for the home side in the first minute of injury time, before a Jack Doherty thunderbolt levelled matters three minutes later.
Longford finished strongest but the home side would hold on for penalties and eventually progress.
Longford Town manager Neale Fenn was reported to have left the club during the week, and while the club failed to clarify the situation, they eventually announced that Daire Doyle would take control of the first team for the Cup clash in Dublin.
But the disruptions appeared to have little effect on the team as the visitors looked immediately comfortable against their Premier Division opponents.
And it was Longford who were first to threaten as Dean Byrne was played through by Aaron Dobbs, but his tame effort was easily gathered by James Talbot.
Both keepers had their gloves warmed in the early stages but nothing of note to kick-start this cup tie, which really failed to get going in the opening 15 minutes.
Moments of Danny Mandroiu magic threatened to get the game going as the classy midfielder ran at the centre of the Longford defence, but the visitors, to their credit, had numbers back and were then happy to build from the back, playing their way up the field with some neat and tidy play.
Three Bohemians corners in a row in the 20th minute also failed to ignite this late summer affair, however, Mandroiu’s influence was starting to grow and he perhaps should have done better in the 23rd minute, when in space in the box, his shot was deflected past the far post.
But with 30 minutes on the clock, the Gypsies started to take control and then they thought they had taken the lead.
Mandroiu stood a fine ball up to the back post and the while the excellent downward header was well saved on the line by Lee Steacy, there was more than a suspicion that at least some of the ball crossed the line.
Bohs celebrated but while the referee looked to his line for guidance, there was no returning signal to award the goal.
Five minutes later, and against the run of play, Longford wasted an excellent chance as the busy Dylan Grimes did well out on the right flank before feeding Sam Verdon.
The attacker had more time than he thought and snatched at his shot, blasting it over the bar.
But Bohs were in the ascendancy and only for what was turning into a defensive masterclass from veteran Conor Kenna, the home side would probably have been a goal or two up.
In the 43rd minute, another chance was wasted as the ball fell at the feet of Mandroiu following a Danny Grant cross.
And a minute later, captain Keith Buckley wastes a glorious chance to put the home side ahead on the stroke of half-time.
Mandroiu finally got the better of Kenna as he flicked the ball around the advancing defender. Buckley burst through on goal, but lacked composure and could only shoot straight at the keeper.
The second half started as the first ended, with Bohs on the attack, and a double save from Steacy, first from Grant, then from Mandroiu, kept it scoreless.
Bohs continued to exert the pressure in the final third but were just lacking a bit of composure in front of goal as Wright and Wade-Slater spurned chances.
And Longford nearly grabbed one against the run of play in the 64th minute as Bohs were caught sleeping at the back.
Verdon was picked out with a simple ball over the top and the striker teed it up for the arriving Aaron Dobbs’ whose well-hit effort was parried away by Talbot.
The home side went straight up the pitch and again the Longford stopper came to his side’s rescue with another wonderful save, at full-stretch to deny Wright who must have thought he had scored with a well-placed header.
With twenty minutes remaining, the audible grumbles from the home supporters showed that frustration was creeping in as Longford grew in confidence.
Longford’s best chance came in the 74th minute Byrne ran through from the left and his toe-poked effort beat Talbot and looked to be on its way into the net, but a vital touch from the covering Darragh Leahy helped the ball onto the bar and to safety.
With just over ten minutes remaining, the Jodi Stand faithful were convinced that Mandroiu had finally broken the deadlock as his well-hit effort caused the net to ripple; alas it was just the side-netting as the ball flew the wrong side of the post.
Then the moment that should have seen Longford secure safe passage into the quarter-finals as the visitors were awarded a penalty for a foul on Byrne with just eight minutes remaining.
Verdon hit it with venom, however, the ball smashed the outside of the right post and flew wide as extra time loomed and duly arrived.
If the main course proved a little stodgy, the dessert did not disappoint as two early extra-time goals finally created a cup-tie atmosphere at the old Dublin ground.
Wright finished a fine ball in from the right flank with barely a minute of the added time played, but Longford, to their credit, hit back straight away as substitute Jack Doherty equalised with an unstoppable effort from the edge of the box just three minutes later.
And Longford continued to press for a winner as the home side struggled to get out of their own half for large chunks of the first period.
Three minutes before the break, Doherty made space for a shot, following good work by Byrne, and his low effort looked to be flying inside the near post but for a fine Talbot save kept matters level.
Longford sensed it was there for the taking with the home side really struggling to get going and they had numbers up in the 111th minute as they put real pressure on the Bohs penalty area.
The ball finally fell to Peter Hopkins but his well-hit effort flew just over the bar.
Neither side could finish with a flourish and it was left to the dreaded penalty shoot-out to decide this one.
The Premier Division outfit would prevail.
Bohemians: James Talbot; Darragh Leahy, Robert Cornwall (Michael Barker 91), Danny Mandroiu, Danny Grant (Ross Tierney 80), Conor Levingston, Andre Wright, Keith Buckley (capt) (Keith Ward 75), James Finnerty, Andy Lyons, Luke Wade-Slater
Longford Town: Lee Steacy; Shane Elworthy, Anto Breslin, Mick McDonnell, Conor Kenna; Dean Zambra (capt) (Karl Chambers 102), Aaron Dobbs (Jack Doherty 86), Aodh Dervin, Dylan Grimes (Peter Hopkins 72), Sam Verdon; Dean Byrne
Referee: Paul Tuite
