Bohemians 10

UCD 1

Darryl Geraghty reports from Dalymount Park

ANDRE WRIGHT HELPED himself to four goals and Danny Mandroiu added three to his tally for the season as Bohemians cut loose to inflict more misery on bottom-of-the-table UCD at Dalymount Park.

Keith Long’s side were in clinical form on Friday night as they scored eight second-half goals to record their biggest-ever league win and move ahead of Derry City in the race for Europe.

English striker Wright, a mid-season recruit after impressing on trial, set Bohs on their way just before the half hour mark and once the deadlock had been broken, the visitors dropped deeper and crumbled. 

The impressive Danny Grant burst to the end line before standing up a perfectly-weighted cross for Wright to power home his first for the club.

It was all too easy for the hosts as Conor Levingston doubled their lead just before the break. A cleverly worked corner routine saw last week’s hero Mandroiu drill a low ball to the edge of the area and up stepped the unmarked Levingston to sweep home with his left.

Any slim hopes UCD had of staging a second-half comeback were dashed almost immediately after the restart as Bohs scored three times in eight minutes.

Firstly, after winning the ball back from the kick-off, Mandroiu slipped in Grant on the inside right channel and the pacey winger got the goal his performance deserved.

This was quickly followed by an almost trademark Mandriou free-kick from the edge of the box, before Wright got his second of the game as he calmly slotted past Tom Murphy from a slack back pass. 

Wright wasn’t done just yet as he went on to net his hat-trick. Having seen his penalty brilliantly saved by Murphy, the rebound fell kindly to the big striker to tap home.

Seven and eight followed soon after as Ross Tierney struck for his first senior goal, cleverly turning home Luke Wade-Slaters’ low cross in off the bar before Mandroiu smashed home from the spot after Tierney had been brought down in the area by Murphy.

Incredibly, Bohs were gifted another penalty when Murphy clattered into Wright with 10 minutes remaining. Up stepped Mandroiu and with a carbon copy of his first penalty, grabbed a hat-trick for himself.

Chants of ‘we want ten’ were rewarded as Wright headed home from Keith Ward’s floated cross for his fourth as Keith Long’s charges considerably improved their goal difference.

Jason McLelland then went on to smash home a stunning consolation strike just before the final whistle but it will do little in the way of lifting his side after such a demoralising result.

BOHEMIAN FC: James Talbot, Darragh Leahy, Rob Cornwall (Aaron Barry 65’), Danny Mandroiu, Danny Grant (Ross Tierney 57’), Conor Levingston (Keith Ward 53’), Andre Wright, Keith Buckley (captain), Andy Lyons, Michael Barker, Luke Wade-Slater.

UCD AFC: Tom Murphy, Liam Scales (captain), Harry McEvoy, Isaac Akinsete, Jason McClelland, Richie O’Farrell. Dara Keane, Liam Kerrigan, Paul Doyle (Aaron McGrath 42’), Evan Farrell, Sam Byrne (Yoyo Mahdy 72’).

Referee: Anthony Buttimer.

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