Kenny's outstanding strike seals three points for Dundalk against Bohs
Bohemians 1-2 Dundalk
Another magnificent all-round display from Dundalk FC lifted The Lilywhites into third place in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division after they came from behind to defeat Bohemians at Dalymount Park, leapfrogging their hosts in the table.
Bohemians, who slipped to fourth, made the brighter start and took an early lead through Cian Byrne, but Danny Mullen restored parity before a stunning strike from the outstanding Eoin Kenny secured all three points for Dundalk 14 minutes from time.
The home side fashioned the game’s first opportunity inside two minutes. Ross Tierney delivered an inviting cross which Harry Vaughan diverted goalwards, only to see his effort come back off the post.
Bohs did not have to wait long to make the breakthrough. After five minutes, Byrne found himself unmarked from a Dayle Rooney corner on the right and powered a header beyond Enda Minogue.
Dundalk responded positively and came close to levelling on 16 minutes. Daryl Horgan’s cross from the left picked out Mullen, whose header struck the base of the post and spun agonisingly wide.
At the other end, Bohs nearly doubled their advantage when Tierney created space for himself on the edge of the area, but his left-footed effort was pushed clear by Minogue.
Dundalk’s equaliser arrived after 22 minutes following a superb counterattack. Kenny was central to the move, winning possession and driving forward before releasing Ronan Teahan. The winger squared for Mullen, whose left-footed strike took a deflection off Byrne on its way into the net.
The visitors almost completed the turnaround moments later. Horgan looked destined to find the bottom corner only for Bohemians goalkeeper Paul Walters to produce an excellent save.
Dundalk continued to threaten after the interval and should have gone ahead early in the second half. Patrick Hickey’s underhit back pass was seized upon by Mullen, who beat Walters but saw his effort dramatically cleared off the line by the recovering defender.
Mullen was denied again just after the hour mark. Excellent work from Kenny forced an error from Rooney, presenting the striker with an opening, but his effort crashed against the crossbar as the Bohs goal continued to lead a charmed life.
The breakthrough finally arrived on 76 minutes and it was a goal worthy of winning any match. After Horgan helped keep the attack alive, Kenny displayed superb footwork to create space before unleashing an unstoppable shot that thundered in off the underside of the crossbar.
Dundalk’s task was made more difficult late on when Declan McDaid received a second yellow card for an off-the-ball tug on Darragh Power, forcing the visitors to negotiate the closing four minutes and five additional minutes of stoppage time with 10 men.
Yet Bohs rarely looked capable of finding a way back. Aside from a speculative Dawson Devoy effort that drifted wide, the hosts created little of note as Dundalk comfortably protected their advantage.
Bohemians: Paul Walters; Cian Byrne (Jordan Flores 73), Patrick Hickey, Sam Todd; Darragh Power, Sadou Diallo (Connor Parsons 61), Dawson Devoy, Dayle Rooney (Markuss Strods 78); Ross Tierney, Harry Vaughan (Niall Morahan 61); Douglas James-Taylor (Colm Whelan 61)
Subs not used: Kacper Chorazka (gk), Senan Mullen, Adam McDonnell, Leigh Kavanagh
Dundalk FC: Enda Minogue; Keith Buckley (Declan McDaid 73), Rob Cornwall, Bobby Burns, JR Wilson; Aodh Dervin, Shane Tracey (Tyreke Wilson HT); Eoin Kenny, Ronan Teahan, Daryl Horgan (Harry Groome 81); Danny Mullen (Gbemi Arubi 70)
Subs not used: Peter Cherrie (gk), Luke Mulligan, Sean Spaight, Aaron Keogh, TJ Molloy
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Donegal)
Attendance: 4,017