O’Flynn matches Crowe exploits
O’Flynn matches Crowe exploits
Bohemians 1-1 Cork City
Glen Crowe took just six minutes to find the net on his return to full fitness for Bohemians, but the league’s leading goalscorer John O’Flynn responded before half-time as the big match of the week ended all square at Dalymount Park.
Crowe and O’Flynn enjoyed a titanic battle for the league scoring honours last season, with the more experienced Bohs man just coming out on top at the death.
But Cork’s under-21 international is keen to make it a different ending this time around, and Monday night’s strike made it ten for the season, six more than his great rival.
Cork started brightly, and could well have taken the lead in the opening exchanges. However, Crowe demonstrated the ability to convert half-chances when, after six minutes, he capitalised on a spot of confusion by Neal Horgan, held off City centre half Alan Bennett before flicking an audacious lob over the head of stranded netminder Michael Devine.
After a month out through injury, during which he missed both of Ireland’s June Euro 2004 qualifiers, it was a statement of intent by Crowe.
However, O’Flynn has been announcing his own talent for more than a season now, and he grabbed the spotlight once more after 23 minutes.
Put through on goal by strike partner George O’Callaghan, the 21-year-old slammed the ball past Matt Gregg, who started between the Bohs’ sticks in place of Shay Kelly.
Controversy reigned before the break when a linesman appeared to be drawing referee Jimmy O’Neill’s attention to a foul inside the Bohs box that would have yield a Cork penalty, but O’Neill waved play on to the consternation of the visitors.
Bohs continued to dominate territorially, but were unable to convert any of the chances that came their way.
And by the finish, Cork could consider themselves unlucky not to have taken all three points, with O’Callaghan guilty of two glaring misses in the closing moments.
Twice he cut inside a Bohs defender to find himself one-on-one with Gregg, but on both occasions he failed to find the target, much to the relief of the Dalymount faithful, who have not witnessed a Bohs win since May.
Bohemians: Gregg, Lynch, Webb, Oman, Hawkins, Hunt, Caffrey, Ryan, Rutherford, Doyle (Pereplyotkin, 75), Crowe (Keegan, 89-).
Cork City: Devine, Horgan, Woods, Bennett, Murray, O’Grady, C. T. O’Brien, Hedderman (Behan, 55 (Buckley, 85)), Doyle, O’Callaghan, Flynn.
Referee: J. O’Neill (Waterford)
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