- Macdara Ferris
- Mon, Mar 26 2018
From Macdara Ferris at Dalymount Park
As they did in the First Round of the EA Sports Cup last year, Bohemians eliminated Cabinteely but in much more comprehensive fashion than the 1-0 win from 2017.
Keith Long’s men, in a much changed Bohs side from Friday’s league win over Bray, dismissed Cabo 5-1 at Dalymount Park on Monday night.
Dylan Watts and Rob Manley both got braces for Bohs while teenager Daniel Grant also got on the scoresheet for the Gypsies who had trailed to Sean Fitzpatrick’s early Cabinteely goal.
The importance of this league cup tie for both sides was probably reflected by the combined 20 changes between the clubs from their respective league games last Friday night.
It was the visitors, who have just one win to their name this season, who took the lead inside ten minutes after two important interventions by Sean Fitzpatrick at either end of the pitch.
Bohs came as close as they could to taking the lead on seven minutes after the very impressive =Grant danced around three Cabo players. His left foot effort was spilled by Stephen McGuinness.
It looked like Manley would tap it home only for Fitpatrick, facing his own goal, somehow to get a back heel volley touch to take the ball off the line to safety.
Cabo went straight up the other end, won a corner, and scored the opening goal. Having saved his team in his own six yard box, Fitzpatrick was left with too much room in the Bohs six yard box to head home at the back post.
Grant was causing all sorts of difficulty for Cabo down the right and he gave Bohs the chance to equalise after he was hauled down in the box. He had got to the end line and then tucking the ball by Kieran Butler was arrowing in on goal only to be upended.
Referee Derek Tomney pointed to the spot and while Cabinteely captain McGuinness saved Watts’ spotkick, the midfielder was following up and was able to head home the equaliser as the ball bounced up nicely for him on 37 minutes.
A couple of minutes later the Gypsies had doubled their lead. Manley scored with a tap in after Grant’s shot after a lung busting run came back off the woodwork straight to the feet of the Bohs striker.
Manley then got his second three minutes from the break with a timely back post run onto a gorgeous flick from Watts after a well worked Bohs short corner.
Having led for so long in the first half and conceded those three goal before the break, Cabinteely lacked impetus in the second half with Bohs finding more and more space that Ward was able to exploit.
Pat Devlin made two tactical switches before the hour mark before losing Luke Clukas to injury on 64 minutes and they really struggled to make an impact after that.
Ward’s free kick from all of 30 yards tested McGuinness who did well to deal with the bouncing ball in front of him to turn it away for a corner.
Grant wrapped up a man-of-the-match winning performance with the teenager scoring on 65 minutes with a superb shot from 40 yards wide on the right that caught out McGuinness in goal.
Watts then matched Manley by getting his second and Bohs’ fifth after a fine run in the box on 76 minutes. He had the time to wrap his right foot around the ball to take it into the back of the net off the bottom of the Cabinteely post.
Bohs opponents in the second round tie to be played on Monday 2 April will be either Athlone Town or UCD. They face each other on Tuesday evening in the last remaining first round tie.
Bohemians: Colin Mc Cabe; John Ross Wilson, Dan Byrne ©, Paddy Kirk, Jamie Hamilton; Dylan Watts, Philip Gannon (Dylan Thornton 80); Daniel Grant (Ryan Graydon 67), JJ Lunney, Keith Ward (Steven Nolan 72); Rob Manley.
Subs not used: Sean Bohan, Cian McMullen, Mitchell Byrne, Luke Nolan.
Booked: None.
Cabinteely: Stephen McGuiness ©; Karl Byrne, Sean Fitzpatrick, Kieran Butler, Jamie Broderick (Stephen Ball 55); Eoghan Morgan, Anthony Dolan; Kaleem Simon, Luke Clukas (Jack Tuite 64), Paul Fox; Michael Scott (Keith Dalton 58).
Subs not used: Finn McGowan, Jack Hudson, Kyle Hogan, Brandon Perry.
Booked: None.
Referee: Derek Tomney.
Attendance: 410.
Extratime.ie Player of the Match: Daniel Grant (Bohemians).
