Dundalk 2
Bohemians 1
Niall Newberry reports from Oriel Park
DUNDALK LIFTED THEMSELVES out of relegation danger in the SSE Airtricity League after they recorded a 2-1 win over Bohemians in what was an entertaining match at Oriel Park.
Goals in either half from Sam Stanton and Patrick Hoban had put Vinny Perth’s side in total control, but Tyreke Wilson’s 71st-minute strike ensured a nerve-racking finish.
A close first half was perhaps edged by Dundalk, but it was Bohs that had the first shot inside 15 seconds when Conor Levingston’s audacious attempt dipped just over the bar.
Though the visitors were enjoying good spells of possession, Dundalk were creating the better chances – starting with Darragh Leahy’s skied effort from just outside the box.
At the other end, however, Greg Sloggett’s misplaced pass was picked up by Keith Buckley, but the Bohs captain’s shot was comfortably kept out by veteran Peter Cherrie.
Dundalk almost went ahead on 14 minutes when a good Leahy cross from the left was headed onto his own post by Levingston, who was under pressure from Sean Murray.
Stanton was covering a lot of ground and after his long ball down the left flank, Hoban outmuscled James Finnerty before his final shot was pushed away by James Talbot.
The hosts took a deserved lead right on the stroke of half-time after Michael Duffy played it into Stanton, who brilliantly turned Finnerty before firing into the roof of the net.
That was the industrious Scotsman’s first goal for the club and it could hardly have come at a better time, as Dundalk looked to lift themselves out of the bottom two on the night.
Dawson Devoy saw two shots go over in quick succession; while at the other end, Stanton – after combining with Duffy – had a low effort tipped around the post by Talbot.
Despite that magnificent save, Dundalk doubled their lead on 59 minutes from the resulting corner which eventually found its way to Hoban, who took a touch before unleashing a volley from outside the box which gave the Bohs goalkeeper no chance.
Bohs should have pulled one back immediately after that when Liam Burt’s low cross from the left was turned over by Georgie Kelly when it looked much easier to score.
Linked with a move to Oriel at the start of the year, Talbot produced a superb double-save to deny Hoban from point-blank range before saving from Murray’s follow-up.
Burt turned over from Ali Coote’s delivery not long after that, but Bohs did pull a goal back on 71 minutes through Wilson, whose shot went through the Dundalk rear-guard.
The Gypsies threw the kitchen sink at Dundalk after that and Cherrie did brilliantly to deny Rory Feely, as this rip-roaring Monday night contest entered its closing stages.
However, Dundalk held on to lift themselves into eighth place in the league standings.
Dundalk: Peter Cherrie; Cameron Dummigan, Daniel Cleary, Andy Boyle, Darragh Leahy; Sam Stanton, Greg Sloggett (Raivis Jurkovskis 50); Sami Ben Amar (Han Jeong-Woo 72), Sean Murray (Sonni Nattestad 88), Michael Duffy; Patrick Hoban.
Bohemians: James Talbot; Rory Feely, James Finnerty (Rob Cornwall HT), Ciaran Kelly, Tyreke Wilson; Keith Buckley (Ali Coote HT), Conor Levingston (Jamie Mullins 79); Liam Burt, Dawson Devoy, Ross Tierney; Georgie Kelly.
Referee: Neil Doyle.
No they’d be terrible. As a Forest fan, I think the team have been, for the most part playing good attacking football and scoring goals. They’ve been inconsistent – a little soft at the back is all. Due to the influx of cash, the standard in the EFL is far more technically proficient and tactically sophisticated league (at the top end at least) than it was when O’Neill and Keane last managed this division. I’ve seen nothing in their recent work to suggest they have the tactical savvy to do a job for Forest. They certainly don’t have tne man-management skills to get the best out of the modern professional footballer.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: yes because they got to the last 16 of the euros and 90 mins from a World Cup without having a clue about tactics. Sick of people churning out this shpeel about o Neil and Keane.
@Lorcan Cunningham: there was a horrible amount of luck and just plain heart and fight by the players to get there though. When the adrenaline of the Euros died, then the will of the players did too. There’s nothing motivating about playing the same aimless football for the following two years when smaller countries with less talent become more proficient and confident.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Nah! You’ve cherrypicked one example of things working out – and there’s probably one or two other properly “impressive” displays e.g. Germany and Serbia. (But even then what exactly was their tactical master stroke? ) And anyway, the last 12-18 months have been abject – deplorable even – with ZERO semblance of a tactical game plan . And on top of that, you need to be even better man-managers in a club environment because of player/agent-power. The two lads are beyond abysmal in that department.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: last 12 months things crumbled due to injuries/retirements. The lads were at the helm for some memorable nights for Irish football over their tenure, nights that had been lacking for a decade. Get off the o Neill’s a dinosaur bandwagon lads it’s embarrassing.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: I don’t think anybody could disagree with you . O’Neill would be absolute disaster for Forest. In fact I think he would be a disaster for any team. If you want to watch dross week in week out, get Big Sam. At least you would have some chance of promotion
In the context of management, to mention Brian Clough and Martin O’Neill in the same sentence is sacrilegious. Brian Clough was one of the greatest football managers who ever lived. Martin O’Neill was at best a journeyman manager.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: The Big Sam thing was a joke by the way. You should also pray the don’t get Big Sam.
@Lorcan Cunningham: I’m not on the “dinosaur bandwagon” apropos of nothing (like I’d never bring it up for the sake of getting a dig in – that’d be puerile, and indeed embarrassing) …I only make the case for his lack of tactical nous in making the case against his being considered for the role
@CrabaRev: Ha! I get you! To be honest, we’ve almost been relegated for the past few seasons, been banned from the transfer market for FPA transgressions, had parts of the stadium closed off etc. I just think that being 4 points off a promotion spot in mid January isn’t a bad place to be, and this manager should have been given more time and resources.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Not as embarrassing as O’Neill himself. From his amazing lack of on-field tactics, to his total lack of regimented training sessions (no practicing of set piece defending?!) to his contemptuous attitude to the Irish media and Tony O’Donoghue in particular.
The man belongs in the dustbin of history, and should be let nowhere near any professional setup.
Let’s see what they can do when they can actually buy in players unlike international football. The ‘we haven’t got the footballers’ excuse would work here
He wasn’t fired!
“RUNNN FORREST RUNNN”
I’d like to see Keane work as a No. 2 for a manager who plays attacking football such as Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez.
1. Karanka was not fired – he resigned, as per the club website.
2. In what parallel universe would either O’Neill or Keane be a good fit for Forest? A generation of Forest fans were brought up on free flowing passing football as practiced by Brian Clough. The younger ones want this to remain as the club ethos – we do not want to watch ‘$hit on a stick’ football with no real tactics as played by O’Neill sides. Clough once famously said “if god had wanted football to be played in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there”. O’Neill has never heeded his mentor’s coaching philosophy as a manager, somewhat ironic given that O’Neill was a cultured playmaker himself.
No, two coaches we definitely do not want to see employed at the City Ground are Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.
@Colm O’Sullivan: I hope it’s neither of those two. I’ve a feeling it could be Jokanovic
Always liked O’Neill as a manager, gave Leicester a great belief when they were down and out! I don’t think he will be considered though…feel Marinakis will look for someone like Mark Hughes or David Moyes
That is ironic; good last line.
Daryl Murphy will end up there if Roy Keane goes there, Roy Keane and Daryl Murphy go together just as well as Harry Redknapp and Nico Kranjcar
@Eddie Dillon.: Daryl Murphy is already there.
@Eddie Dillon.: Ah jaysus Eddie