Fenlons Men 2 Good For Cooks Bitta Red

Bohemians 2 (Keegan 28, Oman 59) – 0 Sligo

Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division Champions Bohemians have moved up to third in the league table, thanks to a hard faught and well deserved 2-0 win over Sligo Rovers in Dalymount Park this evening.

Bohemians came into this game with tonnes of confidence after their win over TNS here in Dalymount Park on Tuesday, and right from the whistle were on fire and straight away had a great chance on goal. Mark Quigley put in a through ball to player of the month Paddy Madden who raced down the pitch and put a ball in for Raffaele Cretaro, who waited for Madden to get back into the box and Maddens shot wide, an excellent start from Bohs.

Sligo themselves who were aiming for third with victory tonight also started well. Gavin Peers but a ball down the left hand side for former gypsy Joeseph Ndo who crossed it to Alan Keane his shot well saved by Barry Murphy but out for a corner, which Ndo took but that was safely into the arms of Murphy. An exciting first five minutes in Dalymount.

Both sides were playing really well but when Darren Quigley put in a ball into the box for Conor Powell there was a lapse in concentration in the Sligo defence, Sligo keeper Brush tried to punch it away but that punch came off Gavin Peers and almost into the net, Brush got a second fist to the ball to clear the danger.

Sligo made up for that hiccup moments later when Eoin Doyle ran to the edge of the box on the left hand side and put in a lovely cross to John Russell but his headed attempt went wide.  Sligo took momentum from that and really pushed for an opener Alan Keane from the right crossed in for Amond who smashed his shot off Murphy in goal and out for a corner, from the corner the bohs defence cleared the area.

On 28 minutes the league champions took the lead, Mark Quigley ran down the left drawing in the Rovers defence, he then found room to cross to Madden who slid it to Paul Keegan and the ball was only going one place, great goal and from there Bohs started to pick up pace and start passing properly again.

With 5 minutes to go to half time Bohs could have and really should have been 2 up. John Dillon took too long to turn and pass a ball away from Peers, Paddy Madden intercepted it and raced to the edge of the area and released it to Cretaro but the ball ran too much away from him and the chance was lost. Bohs managed to kill off the rest of the half and although they were leading, manager Pat Fenlon will have had loads to say at the break about the amount of ball Bohs gave away and also about the chances that could well have been goals. 1-0 was the score at the break.

It took 10 minutes into the second half for either team to threaten the goals and on this ocasion it was Bohs. Raffaele Cretaro worked his way into the box lobbed over Richard Brush who had come out to him and it looked a certain goal but he gave the lob a bit too much and it bounced over the bar, heart in mouth stuff there.

Moments later Bohs had a second and a well worked and truly deserved goal as well. A Quigley free kick lofted in to the back post was met by the head of Ken Oman and the ball somehow slipped in between Brush and the post.

From that goal the game starting to die off with bohs knowing it would be extremely difficult for Sligo to score 2 or even 3 goals for the win and that 3 points were in the bag, pity it had to die out because it was an entertaining game and a great advert for the league.

This though didnt mean Sligo wouldnt try and give their 200 fans who travelled something to cheer about and kept pushing at the Bohemians defence but couldnt find or produce a good final touch. Joseph Ndo was seemed a little desperate to prove himself against the club whom he helped win the league last year but perhaps this Bohs team knew him a little too well.

Bohs saw off the game and took the three points they needed. They now sit third in the table, a turn around of sorts following a miserable start to their season, 3 points well deserved for Pat Fenlons men. Paul Cook would have been very disappointed considering his team bossed possession for most of the first half and really threw everything they could at the champions but it wasnt to be.

Bohemians  B Murphy(GK),O Heary, C Powell, R Higgins, B Shelley, K Oman, G McGlynn,P Keegan, P Madden, M Quigley, R Cretaro SUBS; J Byrne, K Brennan, J Mc Guinness, C O’Connor, G Cronin

Sligo R Brush(GK), A Keane, I Davoren, G Peers, J Lauchlan, R Ryan,J Dilon, J Russell, J Ndo, P Amond, E Doyle SUBS; D Ventre C O’Grady,M Mc Goldrick, G McCabe, C Kelly

Daniel "Pitchside" Pitcher Twitter: @DanFM104Sport About: Dan "Pitchside" Pitcher provides insight and commentary as the chief soccer and rugby correspondent for Sportspeak.