Bohemians blew a two-goal lead and boss Keith Long likely blew a gasket, as plucky Longford Town secured a remarkable draw on a chilly afternoon in the capital.
Goals from Georgie Kelly and Ross Tierney, both man-of-the-match contenders, looked to have helped the Gypsies to their first three points of the season, only for a brilliantly opportunistic Conor Davis brace to put Longford on four points and leave shocked Bohs to wonder what had happened.
After the loss to Finn Harps, this was a dire result for the Gypsies, with Kelly's performance perhaps the most satisfying aspect for boss Long, who will reflect on some very poor defending in the second half.
Daire Doyle's Town deserve immense credit for sticking in there and his substitutions were the difference ultimately, with the manager embracing Conor Davis after the final whistle.
Bohemians were understandably hot favourites here, despite Dawson Devoy and Andy Lyons not starting, having been away with the Irish under-21s.
Longford were buoyed by beating an insipid Derry on week one. The opening was pretty uneventful to this game, with Sam Verdon brought into the Town team and tasked with a tough assignment up front on his own, with Longford crowding midfield. Verdon, his hair swaying in the Dublin 7 wind, cut a somewhat frustrating figure, but he worked hard.
The first quarter, save for a pot-shot from Ross Tierney that went wide, was almost entirely devoid of notable action, until a lovely Kelly goal on 20 minutes. Tierney, one of several bright prospects for the Gypsies, drove the ball into the box from under the Jodi Stand and Kelly turned before striking into the corner from around 12 yards - his first goal in the league for Bohs after a disappointing spell at St Patrick's in 2020.
Tierney should have gotten on the scoresheet too two minutes later. Having blocked a Longford clearance he raced through on goal and aimed to Lee Steacy's right; the keeper not only got down to save but did even better to smother Liam Burt's follow-up and keep Longford in the game.
The game seemed over as a contest on 26 minutes, the pivotal Tierney blasting into the corner of the net, Steacy left with no chance, as the gulf in class became ever more obvious. The hard-working Verdon at least won a corner for Town half an hour in.
Longford were all over the shop defensively and Kelly probably should have made it 3-0 on 37 minutes but his left-footed drive was parried by Steacy, with Keith Buckley guilty of blazing over when it was possibly an easier chance. Town were feeding off somewhere between crumbs and scraps but they did open up Bohs just before the break, Dean Byrne forcing a fine Talbot save.
They greeted the interval, at least, with a glimmer of hope that they might pull one back. One wonders will Kelly's score kick off his Bohs career, as the potential is there. The Donegal native headed over from a corner 11 minutes in, unhappy he did not do better, though the angle was taxing.
The tigerish Aodh Dervan curled over a smashing cross midway through the half but substitute Callum Warfield couldn't connect. Keith Ward was relatively quiet but he teed up the buzzing Kelly whose beautiful curled shot came back off the post shortly afterwards.
Town's bench made more noise than had been heard all day when they got one back with 15 minutes left, substitute Conor Davis superbly slotting into the corner of Talbot's net. Suddenly the promoted side believed. A long ball fell to Warfield and his shot from outside the box was deflected wide.
Incredibly, Longford were level four minutes from time. It is hard to overstate the quality of Warfield's cross, so teasing and tantalising, and Davis snuck in at the far post to achieve what seemed an entirely improbable equaliser.
Remarkably, the visitors seemed more likely than the hosts to fashion a winner that never came. This is shaping into an intriguing season.
Bohemian: Talbot; Feely, Cornwall, Finnerty, Breslin; Burt (Oluwa 77), Coote (Hery 64), Buckley, Tierney; Ward (Devoy 77); Kelly.
Longford Town: Steacy; O'Driscoll, Gorman, Chambers (McNally 77), Kirk; Grimes, Zambra, Dervin, Bolger (Dobbs 77), Byrne (Davis 70); Verdon (Warfield 60).Referee: Derek Tomney (Dublin).
Referee: Derek Tomney (Dublin).
