Bohemians' flying start to the season continued, as goals from Jonathan Afolabi and Dean Williams piled yet more misery onto a struggling St Patrick's Athletic.
Declan Devine has quickly transformed this Bohs side into a formidable outfit, and the Gypsies deservedly go into the weekend top of the league after the opening five games.
Having watched his side concede seven during losses to Dundalk and Sligo last weekend, St Pat’s manager Tim Clancy sits on the other end of the spectrum.
He arrived here under a unique spectre of early season pressure, and left to a strong round of boos from some of the sold-out Richmond Park crowd.
The 38-year old is increasingly fighting for his Dublin 8 job, having failed to get a reaction from his players for the second time in a week.
Despite describing recent defending as "mind-boggling" and "baffling" this week, Clancy stuck with the same back five who fell to 10-men in Sligo.
Though that back five was soon changed, when Tom Grivosti's injury brought Noah Lewis into the fold after 15 minutes.
Barely warmed-up, the Dutch defender was at fault for the opening goal mere minutes later.
Jake Mulraney let Ali Coote run free from midfield, and it was Lewis who should have picked up the unaccompanied Scot before he collected the ball and lobbed it onto the head of Afolabi to convert.
Five minutes later, Pat’s were nearly caught out again when goalkeeper David Odumosu was bundled over while attempting a back-heeled turn inside his own box.
There was exasperation around the packed ground, as Bohs’ intensity stressed the Saints' shape.
Particularly impressive was Afolabi, who battled ferociously with Pat’s skipper Joe Redmond across the frontline.
However, all that intensity came to a shuddering – and confusing – halt on the stroke of half-time when the officials thought they spotted a drone overhead.
The Pat’s coaching staff were furious, arguing that the suspected drone was actually an aeroplane.
The game quickly and bizarrely restarted as the drone/plane headed back towards Dublin Airport.
The Saints had their best chances in the opening of the second-half, as Bohs sat back to protect their lead.
Mulraney flicked a glancing header just wide of James Talbot’s far post, before a Tommy Lonergan header was cleared off the line following a corner.
Clancy brought on Eoin Doyle and Serge Atakayi to pack his frontline.
They chased and they challenged, but the home side continued to lack creativity and cohesion – their hopes finally fading when Jamie Lennon was sent off for a second yellow card with 20 minutes to go.
The next goal was always going to be for the visitors and a calamitous mistake from Odumosu let Grant Horton pickpocket him in the box. The defender squared it to Williams, who comfortably converted into an empty net.
St Patrick’s Athletic: David Odumosu; John-Alan McGrath (Conor Carty, 77), Tom Grivosti (Noah Lewis, 15), Joe Redmond; Sam Curtis, Anthony Breslin; Jamie Lennon, Vladislav Kreida; Chris Forrester, Jake Mulraney (Serge Atakayi, 69); Thomas Lonergan (Eoin Doyle, 69).
Bohemians: James Talbot; Grant Horton, Patrick Kirk, Krystian Nowak, Kacper Radkowski; Jordan Flores, Adam McDonnell (James Clarke, 86), James McManus, Ali Coote, James Akintunde (Declan McDaid, 63); Jonathan Afolabi (Dean Williams, 57).
Referee: Neil Doyle.
