IT’S A BIG night of Irish football at Oriel Park as victory for Dundalk will hand them the Premier Division title — their third in as many years.

The Lilywhites, who were narrowly beaten by Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League on Thursday night, hold a four-point advantage over Cork City with a game in-hand.

Tonight’s meeting with Bohemians is followed up with a trip to Richmond Park to face St Patrick’s Athletic on Tuesday before they wrap up their league campaign at home to Galway United on Friday.

Three points from those remaining three fixtures will ensure they retain the trophy. Only four clubs have won three-in-a-row in the League of Ireland’s top flight before: Cork United (1943), Waterford (1970) and Shamrock Rovers (1986).

Here are the teams. Dundalk captain Stephen O’Donnell is again missing through injury, while Gary Rogers returns in goal. Elsewhere, Alan Keane comes in for Sean Gannon at full-back and John Mountney replaces Thursday’s goalscorer Robbie Benson.

Eighth-placed Bohs, who are missing Ismahil Akinade, Dylan Hayes and Ian Morris through injury, make five changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Derry City last week.

Dundalk: Rogers, Keane, Gartland , Boyle (c), Massey, Shields, Horgan, Mountney, McMillan, Finn, McEleney.

Bohemians: Supple, Pender (c), Byrne, Prendergast, Fitzgerald, Lopes, Kavanagh, Buckley, O’Halloran, Byrne, Quigley.

KICK-OFF – Were underway here and Dundalk start brightly with Horgan down the right. He crosses to a central area but Supples collects confidently.

Gary Rogers, back in goal tonight having been dropped for Gabriel Sava a couple of weeks ago after a number of costly mistakes, has hasn’t started the game as well as he would have hoped with two mis-hit kick-outs.

Sava was at fault for Zenit’s opening goal in Thursday’s defeat.

Bohs have looked assured in possession during the opening ten minutes, but Dundalk have just carved open the first real opportunity of the night.

Horgan finds Mountney with a quality ball and the Mayo man forces Supple into a save.

GOAL! Dundalk 1-0 Bohemians (Andy Boyle) 

The home side are ahead and it’s their captain with his third goal of the season. McEleney’s corner is slightly too high for McMillan but Boyle gets in front of his man to force the ball home.

Finn attempts to play in McEleney but the pass is marginally too long and Supple gets down to smother.

Boyle celebrates his opener with defensive partner Brian Gartland.

Tommy Dickson / INPHO Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO

Dundalk continue to push for a second and Supple has to take the ball off the head of Boyle from Horgan’s in-swinging free-kick.

Down the other end, former Lilywhites man Kurtis Byrne gets a yard to shoot but fires high and wide.

PENALTY TO BOHS…

GOAL! Dundalk 1-1 Bohemians (Mark Quigley) 

The visitors are level after a very dodgy penalty decision as Buckley goes down under a challenge from Finn.

Former Dundalk striker Quigley steps up to send Rogers the wrong way.

Stephen Kenny, speaking to RTÉ about the penalty decision: “It looked unbelievably harsh. No one appealed for it and it was just given, that sets us back a bit”.

YELLOW CARD – O’Halloran booked for leading with his arm in an aerial challenge with Boyle.

BOOKING – A second Bohs player has been cautioned as Kavanagh trips Mountney.

JUST OVER – McMillan picks out the run of Finn and the midfielder dinks over Supple but it doesn’t come down in time to find the back of the net.

McEleney’s cross comes all the way through and hits a surprised Supple.

Half-time: Dundalk 1-1 Bohemians 

Bohs goalscorer Mark Quigley and Paddy Kavanagh. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Irish football legend and proud Dundalk man Steve Staunton is in attendance tonight.

RTE Player RTE Player

Here’s that penalty decision… doesn’t look to be any contact made at all.

RTE Player RTE Player

SECOND HALF – We’re up and running again. No substitutions made during the break.

Horgan gets his head to Keane’s cross from the right but his angles are all wrong and he directs the effort well wide.

Great move by Bohs, which ends in O’Halloran flicking Byrne’s cut-back off-target.

Pender is down injured in the Dundalk box after a challenge by Boyle. Byrne headed a cross back into the danger area and the Lilywhites skipper collided with the full-back.

No penalty given but it looked much more a foul than the one that was awarded in the first half.

SUBSTITUTION – Robbie Benson is in for Mountney.

OFF THE POST! Horgan’s lofted cross is heading in before Supple tips it onto the post. Benson follows up with an attempted overhead kick but it’s wide.

YELLOW CARD – Prendergast takes out Horgan on the halfway line and goes into the book.

GOAL! Dundalk 2-1 Bohemians (Brian Gartland) 

Dundalk are back in front and it’s another central defender on the scoresheet. Massey helps the ball on and Gartland heads past Supple for his seventh of the season.

The Dubliner has a knack for popping up with important goals.

MORE CHANGES – Darren Meenan will play the last 20 minutes in place of McEleney, while Eoin Wearan is on for Bohs.

Horgan goes probing yet again and cuts back onto his right before sending a ball over. It’s too close to Supple though, and the Bohs keeper catches the cross.

Dundalk break through Finn and he looks to feed Benson but Supple is out quickly to boot the ball clear.

Full-time: Dundalk 2-1 Bohemians 

THE LILYWHITES ARE PREMIER DIVISION CHAMPIONS YET AGAIN!