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Paul O’Hehir reports from Dalymount Park
SHELBOURNE THOUGHT THEY had found a way to win again and breathe life into their stuttering season until Harry Vaughan popped up at the death to rescue Bohemians.
The Gypsies would have faced a frosty reception on full-time having blown a lead, but that late intervention and their general have-a-go approach ultimately stood to them.
Adam McDonnell had fired the Gypsies into an early first-half lead at Dalymount Park as Bohs looked to end an eight-game winless run after a grim time of it of late.
But John Martin cancelled out that opener six minutes later before Bohs’ defender Sam Todd carried Harry Wood’s shot over his own line with 18 minutes to go.
After winning in Dundalk on Friday to end a four-game losing streak, Shels felt they were about to repeat the trick and finally put themselves on an upward trajectory.
But Vaughan, a livewire off the bench having gone close with another effort, rescued the Gypsies in the 88th minute, albeit that unwanted winless streak now stands at nine.
Bohs’ issues have been laid bare and their tally of just eight goals scored in 10 games before this told its own stark story.
So the sight of the net rippling in their favour after only 10 minutes allowed the Gypsies’ faithful to believe that an upturn in fortunes was heading their way.
It was a good move too, with Patrick Hickey and Markuss Strods combining before Ross Tierney took three Shelbourne defenders out of it with a sweet through ball for McDonnell to drill home.
But although Bohs played with more adventure throughout the opening half, they could only enjoy that lead for six short minutes as Martin ghosted between Hickey and Todd to bury a header off an Ali Coote free-kick and pull Shels level.
Rodrigo Freitas hasn’t yet hit the heights that Shelbourne fans would have hoped for, after the Portuguese striker joined over the winter. This was only his second start but he wasn’t far away with a volleyed effort while Sam Bone then flashed a drive over from distance.
Still, Bohs were the more cohesive unit up to that point with Strods once again to the fore after his impressive form of late. His injury on the stroke of half-time, and subsequent forced withdrawal at the break, was a blow for the Gypsies’ cause.
But Wood’s arrival off the bench 11 minutes into the second-half, aided Shelbourne and they played with more purpose. Wood was certainly claiming the lead goal with 18 minutes to play, even though it was Todd’s misfortune that handed Shels their advantage.
Will Jarvis and Wood combined in the box and Wood got a low shot away that Kacper Chorazka parried. But in palming the ball away, it fell at the feet of defender Todd who was scrambling as last man back and he inadvertently carried it over the line.
The mood started to darken around Dalymount but then Vaughan popped up as a ray of sunshine with two minutes remaining, slotting home an equaliser from just inside the box to spare the Gypsies a world of pain.
BOHEMIANS: Chorazka; Morahan (Harpur 79), Todd, Hickey, Mullen (Kavanagh 45); Devoy; Strods (Vaughan 45), Tierney, McDonnell (Power 71), Rooney; Whelan (James-Taylor 65)
SHELBOURNE: Speel; Gannon, Bone, Barrett, Ledwidge,Caffrey (Jarvis 67); Coote (Henry-Francis 67), Lunney, McInroy (Chapman 90); Martin (Boyd 90), Freitas (Wood 56).
Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin)
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LOI First Division Results
Written by Paul O’Hehir and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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