- Patrick O'Connor
- Sat, Aug 19 2023
Patrick O Connor reports from Dalymount Park
Bohemians had the easiest of passages into the quarter-final of the FAI Cup when they trashed non-league side Rockmount at a rain sodden Dalymount Park on Friday night.
The game ended 6-0 but it could easily have been double figures only for the ultra-defensive approach adopted by the Cork side coupled with the atrocious weather conditions throughout the match.
The die was cast for the visitors when the team sheets were produced. Bohs manager Declan Devine ignoring the opportunity to give a start to some of his fringe and underage players and instead electing to go with arguably his strongest possible XI.
The contest was as good as over midway through the first half when the Gypsies had scored two quickfire goals.
They were camped in the Rockmount half from the first whistle and played some lovely intricate passing moves on the wet surface, with one such move leading to the first goal in the 18th minute.
The pass was chipped into Adam McDonnell inside the box and he dinked a lovely reverse pass into the path of James Clarke who had time to strike the ball past Declan Browne in the Rockmount goal.
The visitors had no time to recover when Bohs went 2-0 up straight from the kick off. Clarke was involved again, this time feeding Danny Grant with a ball over the top. The speedy winger got past Ian Mylod before squaring the ball to Jonathon Afolabi to fire home goal number two in the 22nd minute.
A 2-0 deficit would have been considered a good outfit for the Munster Senior League team for the opening 45 minutes but right on the stroke of half time, they conceded a third. Clarke again was the key player on this occasion, he received the ball at the edge of the box and chipped a delightful lob over Browne into the top right-hand corner of the net.
Devine emptied his bench early in the second half and two of his substitutes got onto the scoresheet to make it 5-0.
James Akintunde was credited with the assist for Declan McDaid’s goal in the 56th minute and another substitute, Kris Twardek, headed home from a corner in the 67th minute.
Captain Adam McDonnell drove the final nail in Rockmount’s coffin in the 86th minute when his left footed free kick from the right touchline went all the way to the net past an overworked Browne for the sixth goal.
It was a tough introduction to the rigours of top flight football for the MSL side and the weather certainly did them no favours on a night that they will quickly want to erase from their memory.
Bohemians were ultra professional in their approach and now await the draw for the third round. They will not have it as easy next Friday night however when Derry City arrive in Phibsborough their Premier Division clash.
Bohemian FC: James Talbot, Paddy Kirk, Bartlomiej Kukolowicz, Kacper Radkowski, Krystian Novak (Louis Holzman 56), James McManus, James Clarke (Ali Coote 46), Adam McDonnell, Jonathan Afolabi (Declan McDaid 46), James Akintunde (John O'Sullivan 56), Danny Grant (Kris Twardek 56)
Subs not used: Luke Dennison (GK); Louis Holzman, Jordan Flores, Dylan Connolly, Cian Byrne
Booked: None
Rackmount: Declan Browne, James O'Connell (Bradley Walsh 62), Ken Hoey, Cian Murphy, Jack O’Sullivan, Alex Hill (Patrick Vaskak 75), Daniel Akinrinbola (Daniel Smith 80), Danny Aherne ©, Jake Courtney (Dean O’Connell 62), Nathan Broderick, Ian Mylod.
Subs not used: Karol Malecki (GK); Eoin Murphy, Brian O’ Mahoney, Sean Kirby, Colin Healy.
Booked: Bradley Walsh (82), Dean O Connell (85).
Referee: David Dunne
Attendance: 2, 746
Extratime.com Player of the Match: James Clarke (Bohemians)
