Bohs - V - Big Scary English Club
Match Report on Bohs v Spurs:
HODDLE & SPURS ARE A DOODLE
Bohs dish out some White Hart pain
Bohemians reopened the debate as to how good the standard of the Eircom League is with a magnificent victory over Tottenham last night.
Dalymount Park was expected to witness a comfortable win for the Premiership side, especially since Bohs had only began pre-season training on Saturday.
Instead one was left wondering what the Eircom League Champs could have done to spurs if the Gypsies had been fully fit!
The Premiership side visited Dublin for the first time in over a decade - and may not be back after this tanking.
Of course, the result has to be qualified a little as Spurs were without one or two superstars (Ed- Superstars ???).
Robbie Keane was injured, while Kasey Keller and Jamie Redknapp amongst others were not available. (Ed- Sorry, that is not a viable excuse)
But Glenn Hoddle did have the likes of Steve Carr, Gary Doherty, Ledley King, Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton ad Neil Sullivan in his team.
And it was a team that included just two players who have not played in the League this term.
But Bohs can point to the fact that they were without an Irish International in Glenn Crowe - and they can look back with pride on a result that sets them up nicely for the season ahead.
Goals from Paul Keegan, Colin Hawkins and new boy Robie Doyle were more than enough to see off the Londoners, for whom Donegal man Doherty scored.
When the game kicked off in front of a sold out 8,000 crowd Bohs were itching for action and Spurs were stunned by the tempo of their opponents' play from the start.
In the very first minute, after they failed to clear their lines, the visitors' defence breathed a sigh of relief when a Kevin Hunt effort was deflected wide.
But the Gypsies did take the lead with 80 seconds on the clock - Bobby Ryan's corner was flicked on by Jason McGuinness and although Hawkins' shot was blocked Keegan followed up to score.
Spurs were under pressure again in the 70th minute when Ryan found Bohs' Ukranian debutant Andrei Pereplyotkin, whose shot was saved by Sullivan.
The busy Ryan, beginning were he left off last term (Ed- Aye, scoring dodgy Penalties against Derry :) ) went close soon aftr with a header.
Then Hunt - a life long Spurs fan - could have done better when he raced clear but shot weakly at Sullivan.
Tottenham finally began to show something round the 20 minute mark, when Doherty bundled McGuinness off the ball and hit a low shot that was taken by Kelly in goal.
Then Milenko Acimovic drilled a free-kick towards the top corner but Kelly did well to get a finger to it.
Sheringham took the corner quickly in the 28th minute though, and a move that also involved Maurico Taricco and Anderton was bundled home by Doherty.
If the Spurs support thought that was the signal for the floodgates to open, they were right - but it was Bohs who did the scoring.
Again the excellent Ryan was the architect, sending a corner ball onto the head of the towering Hawkins. There could only be one outcome.
Mark Rutherford followed up that with two fine efforts before Doyle banged in a memorable first goal for his new club.
By Irish Mirror Chief Soccer Writer Michael Scully .
