DAWSON DEVOY’S delicious injury-time chip sealed a first Bohemians win in Dublin 7 for seven months after a rollercoaster clash at Dalymount Park.
Devoy scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure the points as Bohs moved clear of bottom club Sligo Rovers and relieved the pressure on boss Alan Reynolds.
The Gypsies’ only points at home this season came at the Aviva Stadium against Shamrock Rovers.
So it was another rollercoaster of emotions for Bohemians fans waiting for a first win at Dalymount Park since the Dublin derby against the Hoops on September 1.
Within five minutes of kick-off it seemed they were cruising to victory as Colm Whelan and Ross Tierney scored to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
Yet there was still time for ‘We want Rennie out’ to be chanted twice as the Gypsies let Sligo back into the game to level matters by the 29th minute thanks to goals by Francely Lomboto and Owen Elding.
There was joy for the home support again when Tierney found the net for the second time on 74 minutes before Devoy’s goal sealed it and ensured Bohs walked off winners at Dalymount for the first time in nine games.
It was a deserved victory too against a Sligo Rovers side who, like Bohs, did not play like strugglers but were let down by some poor defending.
Bohemians got off to a dream start, forcing two corners in the opening two minutes and they went ahead off a set-piece in the third.
Devoy almost caught out goalkeeper Conor Walsh with a whipped free-kick in to his near post but he spilled it and Whelan was on hand to steer home. On five minutes, it was 2-0 when Devoy broke from halfway and picked out Tierney running in from the right. The Dubliner finished from 12 yards with a first-time left-foot curling effort.
He ran to hug Reynolds and the hosts could have added to their tally.
But instead they let it slip.
Sligo had shown some threat through Elding, who had a chance to cut the deficit on seven minutes when picked out unmarked by Will Fitzgerald.
But when he moved to centre-forward and Lomboto went to the right wing, Bohemians were all at sea.
On 25 minutes, Lomboto found the net when he raced on to a Ronan Manning pass and beat Kacper Chorazka with a composed finish.
Four minutes later, Elding ran from the halfway line on to another Manning pass as he skipped past Chorazka before coolly beating Niall Morahan as he got back on the line.
The ‘We want Rennie out’ chants started from a section of the home support but the Gypsies pressed on and Reece Hutchinson cleared off the line from Seán Grenhan before Bohs took over early in the second half.
Walsh made an unbelievable point-blank save to deny Whelan after a John Mountney header was deflected into his path.
And substitute Lys Mousset missed a gilt-edged chance just before the hour when a Mountney cross picked him out unmarked, but the ex-Premier League forward could only head fresh air.
Bohs were not going to be denied and Tierney added a superb third goal on 74 minutes when Devoy found him on the left and he cut inside to drill past Walsh. Devoy then scored his brilliant chip to make the points safe.
SUN STAR MAN
Dawson Devoy (Bohemians)
BOHEMIANS: Chorazka 6; Mountney 7, Grehan 7 (Smith 90, 6), Lacey 5 (Kavanagh 38, 6), Flores 5 (Mousset 59, 6); Morahan 7, McManus 7, Tierney 8 (Buckley 90, 6), Devoy 9, Rooney 7; Whelan 8 (Clarke 90, 6).
SLIGO ROVERS: Walsh 7; Van Hattum 5 (Lintott h-t, 6 [Patton 51, 6]), Denham 4 (Reynolds 19, 6), McElroy 6, Hutchinson 7; Wolfe 6, Malley 6; Elding 8, Manning 7 (McDonagh 66, 6), Fitzgerald 6; Lomboto 7.
REFEREE: D Dunne (Dublin) 6.
