BOHS AV EDGE
Connolly sends Gypsies to a final date at the national stadium
WHAT’S seldom is wonderful for Dylan Connolly who booked Bohemians’ ticket for the FAI Cup final with his first ever goal for the club.
The flying winger is in his second spell with the Gypsies having returned from stints in England and Scotland at the start of this season.
And just before half-time, he arrived like a train at the back post to stab home a Jonathan Afolabi ball, crushing the dreams of First Division champions Galway.
Overjoyed Bohs fans spilled over the advertising boards and invaded the pitch to add mayhem to the madness of a tie that saw more than half the starting players booked.
Referee Neil Doyle unleashed a blizzard of cards and controversy as 13 different players went into his book, including Kacper Radkowski who walked on two yellows (below).
Both of those were harsh yet the Polish defender now misses the November 12 final at Aviva Stadium against Cork City or St Pat’s – with no avenue to appeal.
Gypsies boss Declan Devine said: “We spoke at half-time about not doing anything silly and I don’t think he’s done much.
“I’m disappointed that a player is going to miss a cup final. He makes two challenges in the game and finds himself in the changing room. It’s absolute madness.”
But Galway felt an even greater sense of injustice as they screamed for a stoppage time penalty.
They felt Keith Buckley pulled Stephen Walsh to the ground and, no stranger to spats with the officials, Galway assistant Ollie Horgan fumed afterwards. He said: “I’ve bit my tongue for 10 years. We’re after looking at it. Neil is five yards away. A top class referee, he got that badly wrong. “There’s no point in saying it wasn’t a penalty. It was an out and out penalty. He grabbed Walshey’s arm. It was an open goal.” By that stage, Bohs were hanging on but they had defended manfully for the final 30 minutes once Radkowski was sent for the early shower. Bohs hit the post twice in the game – through Afolabi and James Clarke – and they restricted Galway to shots from distance and a little pinball wizard in the box. But it was scraps at best and match-winner Connolly said: “We knew what we were getting coming here, we saw it against Dundalk and UCD in the earlier rounds.
“You know it’s not going to be pretty, a good crowd and they bring the whole town out, balls into the box, but we dug in. Throw-ins, long throws, corners, we did well.
“There were lots of yellows for both teams but away to Galway in a semi-final, you know what it’s like. It’s the Dubs going up to Galway for a semi-final and it’s tough.
“You see our fanbase, 400 or something here. It felt like 5,000 at times. The club is going in a great direction and the Aviva is the pinnacle.
“Every player in the league wants to be there.
“You don’t want to be sitting at home or on holidays, you want to be fighting for silverware.”