League Report: Shelbourne 1 -1 Bohemians

Macdara Ferris reports from Tolka Park

It had looked like Shelbourne, thanks to an early second half Jack Moylan strike, would pick up all three points, only for Jonathan Afolabi to score late on for a second week running which meant this time around their game ended all square.

The result means that Shels are unbeaten against the Gypsies in the last five competitive games between the sides, with the Reds having two wins from those matches.

There was no quarter asked and no quarter given in the first half of this Dublin derby with a few tough but fair tackles flying in.

Mark Coyle, Sean Boyd and Declan McDaid were in the thick of the action and there was also a right battle between Paddy Barrett and Jonathan Afolabi to keep the sell out crowd entertained.

There was plenty of goalmouth pressure at both ends with Kacper Radkowski going close with a shot inside five minutes that came from a Jordan Flores corner-kick.

Flores was an ongoing danger from set pieces. As well as the corners, he had a freekick, won by Dylan Connolly, that just flashed over the crossbar and another shot from 35 yards that had Conor Kearns looking with worry towards his right hand post.

The Shels keeper needed treatment for an injury he picked up midway through the opening period necessitating a couple of painkillers to be taken before play resumed. On 32 minutes the goalkeeper dealt well with a close range Connolly shot to push it around for a corner.

Some unforced errors handed the home side a couple of corners with Keith Buckley misjudging a header back to James Talbot and then a Radkowski mistake both giving Evan Caffrey chances to whip corners in.

Luke Byrne and Gavin Molloy both got their heads to Caffrey corners but neither could trouble Talbot who did well on another occasion to palm away one from the left as he came bravely through traffic.

It wasn’t just set pieces though that Shels created as the Jack Moylan and Sean Boyd partnership up front proved fruitful even if they couldn’t find the back of the net in the first half. Moylan jinked one way and then the other leaving Connolly behind him before shooting with venom only just off target.

First chance of the second period fell to Flores in the 52^nd minute and he forced a fine save from Kearns from a free kick after Connolly was fouled. At the other end Coyle won the ball which ran to Caffrey and his low shot just fizzed low by Talbot’s post.

In the 56^th minute the game got the goal that it deserved. Talbot maybe should have done better with a curling Jad Hakiki shot that he parried back out. It fell nicely to the onrushing Moylan and he powered home his right foot shot to make it 1-0.

Adam McDonnell only lasted two minutes more on the pitch after a late tackle on Evan Caffrey saw him get a yellow card. Declan Devine withdrew the booked player, along with McDaid, to introduce fresh legs as they looked to get back in the game.

Ali Coote and James Clarke brough fresh impetus to the Bohs attack and the Gypsies came oh so close to an equaliser when Nowak got his head on a Flores corner but Kearns pushed the close range effort back out.

Bohs piled the pressure on looking for the equliser and it came ten minutes from time. Bohs captain Buckley pulled the ball back and Afolabi had plenty of space to rifle home a shot by Kearns who got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out.

The Gypsy striker has hit a rich vein of from as that was his fourth goal in four games.

Neither side could find a winner but the point was good enough to move Bohs into fourth spot above Dundalk on goal difference. Both Bohs and Shels still have a game still in hand on the four teams playing in Europe with the Reds moving within four points of the Lilywhites.

Shelbourne: Conor Kearns; Paddy Barrett, Luke Byrne ©, Gavin Molloy; John Ross Wilson, Evan Caffrey (Shane Farrell 87), Mark Coyle, JJ Lunney, Jad Hakiki (Harry Wood 70); Sean Boyd, Jack Moylan (Kameron Ledwidge 76).
Subs not used: David Toure, Tyreke Wilson, Conor Kane, Andrew Quinn, Gbemi Arubi, Harry Fisk.
Booked: None.

Bohemians: James Talbot; Keith Buckley ©, Krystian Nowak, Kacper Radkowski, Patrick Kirk (Bartlomiej Kukulowicz 75); Jordan Flores, James McManus; Dylan Connolly, Adam McDonnell, Declan McDaid  (Ali Coote 63); Jonathan Afolabi.
Subs not used: Joe Collins, Cian Byrne, John O'Sullivan, James Clarke, Chris Lotefa, Nickson Okosun, James Akintunde.
Booked: Adam McDonnell (61).

Referee: Neil Doyle.
Attendance: 4,250 (estimate)
extratime.com Player of the Match: Jack Moylan (Shelbourne)