- Dave Donnelly
- Tue, Apr 07 2015
Goals from Jason Byrne, James O'Brien and Kealan Dillon helped Bohemians to a comfortable 3-1 win over Longford Town at Dalymount Park in their EA Sports Cup second round tie.
The home side were given an early scare when Ayman Ben Mohamed's wonder-strike put the visitors a goal to the good, but the Gypsies were ultimately good value for the winning margin.
Bohemians manager Keith Long made wholesale changes from the side that won up in Drogheda. Goalkeeper Dean Delany and centre-half Derek Prendergast the only players to feature in both starting line-ups.
Longford boss Tony Cousins, too, opted to rest players, with the likes of Paul Hunt, Pat Flynn and David O'Sullivan given a break and first starts of the season handed to former Students Kalem Simon and Ayman Ben Mohamed.
There were little over ten seconds on the clock when, following their own kick-off, a precise long pass caught the Longford defence cold and allowed Jason Byrne to race through on goal. The league's highest current goalscorer is usually clinical in these situations, but Paul Skinner did brilliantly to narrow the angle quickly and block the shot.
The home side had signalled their early intention to use the height advantage of Griffin and Byrne against Pat Sullivan and Tom Morris, while Longford were set up to counter with fleet-footed attackers Simon and Ben Mohamed providing service to the feet of Gary Shaw.
The opening minutes were scrappy with neither team prepared to risk much, but there was nothing scrappy about the opening goal from Ayman Ben Mohamed. A sustained spell of pressured ended with the ball at the winger's feet and, cutting in from the right wing, he had time and space to pick his spot and curled a beautiful strike around Dean Delany's vain dive from 25 yards.
The home side appeared shell-shocked by the early concession and continued to cede possession to the visitors. Stephen Rice and Simon forced decent stops from Delany during this period, but gradually they were able to establish some control with the clever movement and physicality of Byrne and Griffin allowing them a foothold in Longford's half.
The equalising goal shortly before the half-hour as good work from Karl Moore down the left wing earned him the opportunity to cross for Byrne who, having taken a step back from young Town defender Tom Morris, was able to guide his unchallenged header neatly beyond the dive of Paul Skinner.
It wasn't long before the hosts took the lead and it was poor defending rather than brilliant attacking play that say James O'Brien given his own plot of land just outside the Longford box, and the youngster's low-struck effort bounced into the corner of the net via Skinner's glove, though the goalkeeper should have kept it out.
The visitors' shape had largely deserted them at this point and there were further nervous moments before half-time, but they really should have drawn level on the stroke of half-time when a deft pass from Simon played in Shaw, but the striker dawdled over his shot and Delany blocked his effort.
First blood of the second half almost fell to Bohemians as a lovely drilled pass from defence from Dylan Hayes ran straight through for James O'Brien but, though he lifted his shot over Skinner, he couldn't direct the ball on target.
Another great chance fell to Bohs as another long pass from defence set Griffin clear of the defence but, cutting in from the left, his touch was slightly too heavy and his sliding shot was blocked by Skinner, and Griffin's attempted overhead of the loose ball was wide.
Longford's luck was about to run out, however, and it was inflicted by the boot of Kealan Dillon. The substitute was only on the pitch two minutes when a blocked Karl Moore shot bounced perfectly on his chest and, in one movement, he leaned back and volleyed the ball past Skinner from all of 20 yards.
The consistently excellent Kalem Simon stung Delany's fingers with a late strike, but Bohemians closed out the game comfortably to ensure a place in the quarter-final draw.
Bohemians: Dean Delany; Dylan Hayes, Jason Caffrey, Derek Prendergast, Stephen Best (Dave Mulcahy 57); Jake Hyland, Adam Wixted (Kealan Dillon 69), James O'Brien, Karl Moore; Marc Griffin, Jason Byrne (Conor Murphy 76).
Subs not used: Lee Steacy (gk), Dean Kelly, Robert Duggan, Roberto Lopes.
Longford Town: Paul Skinner; Jamie Mulhall. Pat Sullivan, Tom Morris, Conor Powell; Stephen Rice (Lorcan Shannon 76), Rhys Gorman, Kalem Simon, Martin Deady (Mark Salmon 69), Aymen Bem Mohamed; Gary Shaw (David O'Sullivan 69).
Subs not used: Paul Hunt (gk), Willie Tyrrell, Conor Dunne.
Referee: David McKeon.
Official attendance: 440.
Extratime.ie Man of the Match: James O'Brien (Bohemians).
