Byrne bags crucial goal in Bohs victory
Youths undone in Dalymount again
BOHEMIANS WEXFORD YOUTHS 1 0 WEXFORD YOUTHS have struggled to put strong displays backto-back for most of the season, and the pattern continued in Dalymount Park on Monday of last week when the encouraging scoreless draw against high-flying Derry City was followed by a onegoal loss to Bohemians in this SSE Airtricity Premier Division back fixture.
Indeed, one has to go back as far as May 10 to 20 for the second of just two major flourishes when league wins over Longford Town and Shamrock Rovers were followed by victories versus Collinstown and Firhouse Clover in the Leinster Senior Cup and FAI Cup respectively.
Prior to that, the only other decent run of form came in the first eight days of April when wins versus Bray Wanderers in the league and Longford Town in the Leinster Senior Cup were followed by a creditable away draw with Cork City, the only team capable of dethroning Dundalk.
Otherwise, it has often been a case of one step forward followed by two steps back, so in the circumstances it’s no real surprise to see the team struggling for points near the foot of the table.
This time they were undone by a scrappy, messy goal on their third visit of the season to the spiritual home of Irish football, having played a 3-3 league draw there in March before losing the Leinster Senior Cup final 4-0 in late August.
Manager Shane Keegan made wholesale changes for this latest trip to Phibsborough, with no fewer than six alterations from the team which secured that share of the spoils with Derry City.
Only one was enforced, as centre-back Gary Delaney was suspended again after collecting his eighth yellow card of the season. One way or the other, he wouldn’t have been available owing to an ankle injury sustained at an early stage three nights earlier.
Into the starting eleven came Aidan Friel, Chris Kenny, Peter Higgins, Shane Dunne, Eoin Porter and Danny Furlong, with Delaney, Craig McCabe, Shane Dempsey, Andy Mulligan, Aidan Keenan and Paul Murphy missing out.
Bohemians continued to operate without the services of striker Ismahil Akinade, but their fluid 4-23-1 formation kept Youths guessing and ensured that front man Kurtis Byrne posed a constant threat.
The visitors shaded the corner count 4-3, with their first arriving inside two minutes after a long Graham Doyle delivery struck a defender. Andrew O’Connor swung it in from the left but Chris Kenny’s header lacked the power to trouble Shane Supple.
Youths also had an early penalty claim turned down, with referee David McKeon unimpressed when Eric Molloy went down under a challenge from Lorcan Fitzgerald after an O’Connor free-kick.
Aidan Friel directed a low cross too close to Supple after an Eoin Porter pass, while Shane Dunne saw his setpiece cleared by Eoin Wearen after Dean O’Halloran of Bohs was penalised for handball.
Eric Molloy fired over with a decent long-range effort in the eleventh minute, and the general impression by that stage was that Youths were more than capable of collecting another draw at the very least.
Bohs hadn’t threatened in any shape or form up to that point, and the trend continued as Molloy took the wrong option after Chris Kenny released him before he entered the notebook for a high tackle on O’Halloran.
The home side didn’t threaten until the 15th minute when fullback Aidan Friel made a vital clearance from a Paddy Kavanagh cross after Andrew O’Connor was blocked.
Shane Dunne over-hit a cross before Danny Furlong ran on to a long Stephen Last delivery, but it was expertly defended by Derek Prendergast, playing alongside his captain and near-namesake Derek Pender.
Last displayed his primary defensive duties in the 17th minute, making a timely tackle on Roberto Lopes after the ground opened up in front of the midfielder and he raced into the box.
A wild kick by Chris Kenny led to the first Bohs corner, with Lorcan Fitzgerald directing it to the far post where Kurtis Byrne volleyed over the bar.
Bohs netminder Supple claimed a well-struck Eric Molloy cross before passing the first serious test for either goalkeeper in the 22nd minute when he sprung like a cat to grab Aidan Friel’s decent strike from distance.
And just over three minutes later it was the turn of Graham Doyle to show what he’s capable of, denying Kurtis Byrne who got a strong header on Paddy Kavanagh’s right-wing cross.
Eric Molloy snatched at an Aidan Friel throw-in and fired wide before Byrne, Eoin Wearen and Roberto Lopes combined to create a decent Bohs chance, but Kavanagh couldn’t control the last pass in the box and Youths managed to clear.
The visitors created another good opening in the 34th minute when Shane Dunne sent in a freekick from right to left. Stephen Last managed a knockdown to Eric Molloy who volleyed across goal and wide.
Good pressure by Eoin Porter forced the second Youths corner on the left, with Andrew O’Connor’s delivery going off a Bohs head into the path of Chris Kenny who couldn’t get the power behind his effort to test Shane Supple.
Kenny then tried to send Danny Furlong away on the left following a breakaway when Paddy Kavanagh’s shot was blocked in the box, but the offside flag intervened.
Peter Higgins deservedly collected a yellow card for a bad tackle on Derek Pender, and it looked like the teams would retire at half-time scoreless before disaster struck for Youths.
Kavanagh managed to get in a cross from the byline on the right, with Graham Doyle having to alter his footing in order to get a hand on Kurtis Byrne’s header. However, the break fell invitingly for the striker who stabbed it to the net from close range.
It was a demoralising blow for Youths, but at least they had a full 45 minutes to atone. And they resumed on a reasonably positive note as the Bohs defence had to deal with early crosses into the box from Andrew O’Connor and Eric Molloy respectively.
The first corner of the half went to Bohs in the eighth minute after Kurtis Byrne’s cross struck Lee Grace. Lorcan Fitzgerald played it short to Keith Buckley on the right, got the return and whipped in an effort which Derek Prendergast sent over the bar with a glancing header.
Buckley was booked for a foul on Danny Furlong who endured a frustrating comeback from injury. This was yet another game where the star striker of last year’s First Division couldn’t manage even one shot on goal, and the frustration he is experiencing is a mirror image of that besetting the entire team.
Chris Kenny forced a corner in the 57th minute, with Stephen Last heading across the box from Shane Dunne’s delivery on the right before Bohs cleared their lines.
Last and centre-back partner Lee Grace dealt with probing attacks before Kenny was nearly severely punished for being too casual on the ball.
He was robbed in a central area and Keith Buckley picked out Kurtis Byrne who sent a weak shot across goal and wide.
Aidan Keenan came in for Eoin Porter before Aidan Friel did well to cut out an Eoin Wearen pass intended for Dean O’Halloran.
Paddy Kavanagh didn’t test Graham Doyle with a poor shot before Stephen Last intercepted an attempted through-ball from recently-introduced substitute Mark Quigley to goalscorer Byrne.
The frustration grew as the game entered the last quarter because, while Bohs couldn’t put Youths away, by the same token the visitors didn’t create even one chance with the potential to get them back on level terms.
Andy Mulligan was brought on to attempt some left-wing trickery against his former club, and his low cross was cleared shortly after Lee Grace got a vital header on a Kurtis Byrne cross which had Keith Buckley as its target.
The third and final Bohs corner was won with a deflection off Mulligan in the 76th minute, and centre-back Ian Morris wasn’t too far away from knocking in Lorcan Fitzgerald’s setpiece at the far post.
Morris then headed clear from an Andrew O’Connor free-kick after Keith Buckley was booked, with Youths going for broke in the last eight minutes. The introduction of Paul Murphy for Aidan Friel saw them change from four to three at the back, but it didn’t unlock the Bohs defence.
Indeed, the home side created the better chances before the end. Kurtis Byrne got a poor connection on a Keith Buckley cross after Lee Grace stumbled near the byline, and then the goalscorer wasted a free after the linesman spotted Graham Doyle advancing outside the box with ball in hand before driving it downfield.
Chris Kenny tried to send Aidan Keenan away but he was deemed to be offside, the third such call against Youths on a night when their own defence worked well as a unit, with the linesman’s flag denying Bohs no fewer than eight times.
The last of the game’s seven corners was won on the right by Eric Molloy in added time, but Andrew O’Connor’s effort was claimed by netminder Shane Supple.
The goalie then advanced smartly as Paul Murphy tried to find Danny Furlong, with that complete inability to test the Bohs ’keeper after the break costing Youths dearly.
It was an improved performance from that recent 4-0 Leinster Senior Cup final loss at the same venue, but that’s not much consolation given the outcome.
Wexford Youths: Graham Doyle (capt.); Aidan Friel, Lee Grace, Stephen Last, Andrew O’Connor; Eric Molloy, Chris Kenny, Peter Higgins, Shane Dunne; Eoin Porter, Danny Furlong. Subs. - Aidan Keenan for Porter (62), Andy Mulligan for Dunne (72), Paul Murphy for Friel (82), also Corey Chambers, Craig McCabe, Jonny Bonner, Shane Dempsey.
Bohemians: Shane Supple; Derek Pender (capt.), Derek Prendergast, Ian Morris, Lorcan Fitzgerald; Eoin Wearen, Roberto Lopes; Paddy Kavanagh, Keith Buckley, Dean O’Halloran; Kurtis Byrne. Subs. - Jake Kelly for Kavanagh (70), Mark Quigley for O’Halloran (70), Dan Byrne for K. Byrne (90+3), also Dean Delany, Marco Chindea, Warren O’Hora, Dylan Hayes.
Referee: David McKeon (Dublin).