5th April
Whatever about the performance the record books will state that Dundalk have given 9 points to Bohemians and 7 points to Bray this season. When the fixture list came out and the league table started to develop we knew these two games could make or break or season. When we were in top form coming up to Christmas we had these two games. Six points then would have moved us to 6th or 7th but we lost both games and ended up back in real trouble. Coming into these two games for the third time we needed to win at least one to give ourselves and outstanding chance of avoiding the dreaded drop but again we have lost both and now find ourselves in really deep trouble , a line I seem to be rolling off after every match. We have now lost all 4 games this month, Cork has been well documented but this is the only match of the other three that we really deserved something from. The change from bad play to bad luck is welcomed but lets hope it won't prolong the agony. We have to turn bad play and bad luck into good play and good luck. Lent is over now and hopefully Dundalk have stopped abstaining from playing well up and taken up the pre Ash Wednesday form again.
For big games like this defence is the key to attack and to keep it tight for the first 25 minutes or even the first half. That is why the first Bohs goal yesterday was so ridiculous. Before the supporters even had time to adjust to the dreary surroundings of a spacious Dalymount Park , Ray Campbell dribbled towards his own half but he was heckled and robbed and Tony O Connor won the ball and with one good but straightforward pass carved open the Dundalk defence. Derek Swan picked up the ball and ran into the area where he pushed the ball past Noel Melvin who quite clumsily bundled him over. Penalty after 1 minute. Swan stood up and bashed it past Williams. I hadn't even got time to find out who was playing. As it transpired David Hoey had returned in an unfamiliar forward role alongside Ward with Fortune dropped and Jumbo on the right wing. Otherwise the team was unchanged. Dundalk tried to get into the game but were dealt a hammer blow on 13 minutes when Thew lost possession and a Reddish slip let Lawlor in down the left wing. He had a clear run on goal but the former Dundalk target instead unselfishly slipped it across to the onrushing Derek Swan who gleefully slotted it past Williams. Dundalk tried to pick themselves up after that and in fairness did have some chances. The most notable when Shane Reddish had a shot from 8 yards blocked by a Bohs defender. Dundalk won some free kicks as well which were tame and straight at Dempsey while Hoey was probably one of our better players in the first half. Despite not being fully fit which was obvious for all to see he was still as fresh and enthusiastic as normal in a position which does not suit his style of play. However it was his bustling style that gave Dundalk a lifeline after 38 minutes when outside the Bohs box he was pushed over. Dundalk had a free kick , perfectly suited to a left footer and up stood David Crawley who has missed so many in the past. He shut me up when he curled the ball around Brennan who was used as a decoy in the Bohs wall and into the top corner of the net. A bit unexpected but with half time approaching a brilliant time to score.
At half time Dundalk introduced Peter McGinnity, a member of the victorious under 17 National Cup team a few years back and who played with the reserves and the Leinster Senior Cup team two years ago. Now well known for his Gaelic exploits he was called into action at half time. He has plenty of pace but did not really have time to show his touch at the end. Reminded me of Peter Withnell in a way. However Dundalk nearly equalised just after the break when Hoey and Ward chased down a ball bound for Bohs keeper Mick Dempsey whose attempted clearance deflected off one of his defenders bounced back over his head and onto the crossbar and over. The Dundalk faithful now really believed they could get an equaliser. Bohs had really let Dundalk back into the game when they sat back on their lead and it was inevitable we would have a lot of possession but we were converting the possession into chances. We won a series of free kicks and corners. Dundalk were breaking in numbers and one such break nearly led to an equaliser when Ray Campbell curled a low ball into the Bohs box where John Brennan was reluctant to go for a low diving header from 6 yards which would have led to collision with Dempsey so Brennan's half hearted attempt was saved. From a corner soon after Noel Melvin saw the ball fall right onto his head and his goalbound effort was saved by Dempsey. In a lull in the play 5 minutes later I looked towards the Dundalk bench where Tommy Connolly was motioning at Jim McLaughlin and it was plainly obvious he wanted to make a sub, after two minutes of this motioning Connolly told Martin and Dunne to get ready and six months too late Brennan and Ward were replaced. Ward hadn't had his worst game but compared to his better performances this is still not good enough. Brennan might have made the dressing room to see the end of the Galway cup semi. Martin injected some life into the Dundalk attack alongside McGinnity with Hoey alongside McNulty in centre midfield when Thew was replaced at half time. However there was still a large level of incompetence in the Dundalk ranks and silly possession was being lost just before a cross or shot was taken. There was no doubting the commitment but the concentration was not there as Dundalk became desperate. In the last 15 minutes the most disappointing aspect was that Bohs had plenty of possesson which all came from Dundalk mistakes. We had no notable chances in the final 15 only a couple of weak shots, a few badly taken corners and a free kick from Crawley which went over the bar. We lost, that is the sad fact. Now we must win on Thursday, just like we had to win last week against Bray and against Bohs today. If we can play for 90 minutes on Thursday with a little more conviction in the Shels half, maybe just maybe we could have a chance.
Stike out McNulty, Thew, Reddish, Melvin, Brady, Ward, Campbell and Brennan who all had pretty average and disappointing matches then you are left with Crawley, Williams and Hoey and given the fact it was his first game back I would give it to Hoey who tried really hard.