DUNDALK’S TITLE BID ON THE ROCKS AFTER JUST FOUR GAMES
GEORGIE Kelly came back to haunt his old club on Friday night as his 12th minute penalty earned Bohemians their first win of the season and piled the pressure on a Dundalk side whose title credentials are under question just four games into the campaign.
Both sides came into the game with just a single point from their opening three league matches to date but it was the 24-year-old - released by the Lilywhites after being shipped out on loan last season - who decided the contest with what was the 50th league goal of his career.
Peter Cherrie was selected in goal for Dundalk for the first time in 2,360 days since the title-winning final game of the 2014 season but on his 225th start for the club he could do little as Kelly sent him the wrong way after Daniel Cleary had upended Ross Tierney in the box.
Keith Long’s side had the better of the exchanges after that as the home side struggled to put that setback behind them after what was a bright start prior to falling behind.
It marked the end to a good day for Bohs who hours earlier had received the good news that the redevelopment of Dalymount Park had moved to the design and planning stage.
As they look to the future, up the road in Oriel Park it looks like an empire is crumbling with the pressure now firmly on Shane Keegan and Filippo Giovagnoli, who were probably fortunate fans weren’t present as there is a strong likelihood the side would have been booed off after a third consecutive defeat - the first time this has occurred since 2012.
The result means they have equalled the club’s worst ever start to a top flight campaign. 2006 in the First Division was the only year in the club’s history where they had less points after four matches having lost the first four games of that season under John Gill.
The last time they had just a single point after four league matches of a Premier Division season was in 1998/99. It would take until the 10th game for Dundalk to claim a win that year with the Lilywhites eventually finishing bottom and dropping out of the top flight for the first time.
While such a prospect looks unlikely now given the Lilywhites’ resources, it is an unacceptable return for a side with arguably the largest budget in League of Ireland history.
Since taking charge on a temporary basis last summer, bottom of the table Derry City are the only side currently still in the league who Giovagnoli has master-minded a league win against. His only positive result in Oriel Park was also his first game in charge when Dundalk beat Shelbourne last September.
While rumours of the managerial team’s demise proved to be premature at the weekend, with top of the table St Patrick’s Athletic up next their task doesn’t look like getting any easier in the short term.
The side look devoid of shape and rhythm at times and tactically it has the look of a scattergun approach. Dundalk also continue to pay the price for a lack of games in pre-season with the three changes to Friday’s starting 11 seeing players come in - Cherrie, Han Jeong Woo and Ole Erik Midtskogen - who each have played less than 90 minutes so far in 2021.
It might only be four games in but there are already question marks over whether Dundalk can compete for the title this season as the three defeats to date is equal to or more than they suffered en route to four of their last league title wins.
Off the field matters and the peculiar managerial setup aren’t helping and while you can never really write this side off, it’s difficult to see how Keegan and
Giovagnoli turn their fortunes around from here.
The home side started well on top and should have taken the lead on four minutes when Andy Boyle crashed a header from Michael Duffy’s free kick.
Duffy then pulled a shot just wide two minutes later before Raivis Jurkovskis fired across the face of goal from Patrick Hoban’s cross on 11 minutes.
The Latvian international would be at fault, however, for the lead goal for Bohemians a minute later.
A heavy touch allowed Tierney to skip past him with the youngster hauled down by Cleary. Kelly then stepped up to what was just the second penalty kick he has ever taken in a game and sent Cherrie the wrong way to make it 1-0.
Dundalk struggled to respond to that setback although Hoban did go close with a header from Duffy’s corner on 27 minutes with the striker’s appeals for a penalty after a bit of wrestling with Rob Cornwall dismissed by referee Rob Harvey.
The Lilywhites then had a let-off on 34 minutes when Cherrie was caught in possession by Kelly but fortunately for them Cameron Dummigan got back to hook clear before Tierney could pounce.
Liam Burt then flashed a snap shot just wide on the stroke of half-time as Bohs went off leading at the break.
Dundalk were almost level within two minutes of the restart after Bohs keeper James Talbot was deceived by Hoban’s attempted flick from Duffy’s cross but James Finnerty was back covering to hook the ball clear on the line.
Patrick McEleney was introduced at half-time in place of Han and was given a chance to level matters with a free kick on 54 minutes but despite curling his effort around the wall it was straight into the midriff of Talbot.
The 23-year-old then denied Sam Stanton by pushing away a close range header before Ole Erik Midtskogen flashed a header from Duffy’s corner just across the face of goal in what was his last act of the game on 63 minutes.
The triple change at that time unbalanced the side and, in truth, after that point it looked like Dundalk could be there still and wouldn’t have scored. Instead it was Bohs who looked the more likely to seal the victory.
Tierney went close to a second for the Gypsies
on 68 minutes when he sent an acrobatic effort over from Burt’s cross before Finnerty fired over from close range two minutes later after Kelly headed down Keith Ward’s corner.
The chances continued to come for the visitors with Cornwall heading just wide from another corner with 15 minutes to go before Kelly fired over from just outside the box soon after.
Dundalk had strong calls for a penalty with two minutes to go when Darragh Leahy’s cross appeared to strike the arm of Cornwall but referee Harvey waved away the appeals, much to the frustration of the home side.
DUNDALK: Peter Cherrie; Raivis Jurkovskis (David McMillan 64), Daniel Cleary, Andy Boyle, Cameron Dummigan (Ryan O’Kane 78); Chris Shields, Sam Stanton (Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe 64); Ole Erik Midtskogen (Darragh Leahy 64), Han Jeong Woo (Patrick McEleney HT), Michael Duffy; Patrick Hoban. Subs not used: Alessio Abibi, Greg Sloggett, Val Adedokun, Jesus Perez.
BOHEMIANS: James Talbot; Andy Lyons (Rory Feely 51), Rob Cornwall, James Finnerty, Tyreke Wilson; Keith Buckley, Ali Coote (Ciaran Kelly 84); Liam Burt, Ross Tierney Keith Ward (Dawson Devoy 84); Georgie Kelly. Subs not used: Stephen McGuinness, Anto Breslin, Brad Rolt, Jack Moylan, Robbie Mahon, Bastien Hery.
REFEREE: Rob Harvey (Dublin).