Bohemians 0 - 0 Sligo Rovers

• Jody Moylan
• Sat, Sep 12 2009


Perhaps not one for the purists this, but an honest display from both Bohemians and Sligo Rovers will leave both camps relatively pleased going into Tuesday nights’ replay of this FAI Ford Cup quarter final after a scoreless draw in Dublin 7.

Bohs came out of the blocks quickly, hungry it seemed to score early on and put themselves at ease quickly, after their recent spate of bad form. In the third minute Anto Murphy broke loose on the right but took a second too long perhaps in the decision with Joe Ndo clear inside. The eventual cross took a deflection which Richard Brush reacted well to and got down to parry.

A minute later Killian Brennan, always a danger from the dead ball, saw his free kick from the left inch wide with Brush beaten as he stood static on the line.

With Paul Keegan doing the spade work and Anto Murphy busy in the opening exchanges, the early pressure was to continue and in the ninth Ndo hit another shot at goal, speculatively however and without conviction, and it ultimately sailed well over Brush’s bar.

The early pressure was to end there, with Sligo getting a foothold on things as the first half rumbled on, rather lethargically it must be said and with little to rile the passion of anyone at Dalymount. The work being put in from the North Westerners nullified the half as a spectacle and it wasn’t until the 38th minute that Sligo got their first real sniff at goal when Gavin Peers met Romauld Boco’s cross only to see the header hit the crossbar after looping over Brian Murphy.

Bohemians upped the ante in the second half, one suspecting a replay at the Showgrounds was not on their wish list as a title-chasing dog fight with Shamrock Rovers awaits them from now until season's end. Anto Murphy blitzed down the wing a minute after the break, his cross this time finding Ndo in space. His shot was cleared by Boco, who was in fine form after his return from World Cup duty with Benin.

Three minutes later Glen Crowe fed Brennan whose attempt at the lob over Brush was not a million miles away and it kept the Bit O’Red on the back foot. Joseph Ndo was in constant search of possession and seemed to be involved in everything going forward. Picking the ball up in the 51st minute at the edge of the box, his shot flashed wide. It looked at that stage that it was only a matter of time before the home crowd would have something to cheer about. Four minutes later they were up and ready to raise the roof off the Jody Stand when Killian Brennan charged onto Glen Crowe’s flicked header. Brennan’s shot was still bobbling toward the net after the ball caught the body of the advancing Brush but Boco intervened at the death to usher it out for the corner.

Still they came forward and with Jason Byrne now on the field it wasn’t long until he got his chance. With 15 minutes left on the clock Glen Cronin found him in the middle with a through ball. Byrne struck on the turn but again Brush was equal to the challenge with firm hands.

The thought of this being one of those nights for the Gypsies started to loom now, with possession being all Bohemians but the work at the back for Sligo, particularly from Gavin Peers and Brush between the posts, was to prove pivotal on the night.

Matthew Blinkhorn seized on a half chance in the final seconds for the visitors, doing no favours to Gypsy heart-rates. The shot in the end, however, was weak and trickled well wide.

Bohemians: Brian Murphy, Conor Powell, Mark Rossiter, Jason McGuinness, Anto Murphy (Byrne 52‘), Glen Crowe (Hughes 77‘), Killian Brennan, Glen Cronin, Brian Shelley, Joseph Ndo, Paul Keegan(captain).

Sligo Rovers: Richard Brush, Romauld Boco, Joe Kendrick, Gavin Peers, Martin Camano, Conor O’Grady(captain), Brian Cash, Danny Ventre, Matthew Blinkhorn, Rafaele Cretaro, Eoin Doyle (Morrison 75’).

Referee: Alan Kelly

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Richard Brush, a few nervy moments but it’s hard to argue that but for his performance the outcome would have been rather different.