DUNDALK'S lead at the top of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division was cut to eight points after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Bohemians at Dalymount Park on Friday evening.
An impressive first-half from Bohemians ended with them a goal up, an Ismahil Akinade cross from the right wing being converted by Keith Buckley to put Bohs ahead on 17 minutes.
Dundalk drew level when captain Stephen O’Donnell rifled a shot in to the top right hand corner on the hour, but the champions looked in trouble when the ever-lively Akinade collected a long ball and slotted past Gary Rogers to put his side 2-1 up with just ten minutes to play.
But as the game moved into stoppage time, Dundalk’s leading scorer Richie Towell salvaged a point for the Lilywhites with a speculative effort that deflected off two Bohs players on its way into the net.
Cork City took advantage of Dundalk’s slip up to narrow the gap at the top to eight points with a 1-0 win over Galway United at Turner’s Cross. It was a game that Leesiders dominated but in the end only had one goal to show for their efforts, a 57th minute volley from substitute Billy Dennehy which he drove home after a fine flick on from Steven Beattie.
Shamrock Rovers leapfrogged over St Patrick’s Athletic into third place after a 1-1 draw at Sligo Rovers. The Bit o'Red went ahead in the first half with a Sander Puri header from Gary Boylan’s cross, but Gary McCabe restored parity in the second half with a 25 yard free kick just before the hour.
St Patrick's Athletic had a night to forget at home to Derry City, losing 1-0 to a Derry team who played for over 45 minutes with 10 men, and Conan Byrne missed a late penalty for Liam Buckley’s side.
Ciaran O'Connor’s 19th minute goal proved decisive, and the visitors held on to collect all three points despite losing Cillian Morrison just before half time to a second yellow card.
Meanwhile, Limerick’s remarkable run of good form continued with an impressive 4-1 win at Drogheda United, a result that was pretty much confirmed within the opening 13 minutes when the Blues established a three-goal lead.
Goals from Vinny Faherty, Ian Turner and Darragh Rainsford put the visitors in control and although Tiarnan Mulvenna pulled a goal back for Drogs, Limerick restored the three-goal advantage just before half-time through a Robbie Williams header.
It was a latest in a poor run of form for Drogheda, who are now without a win in nine games and just four points above Limerick at the bottom of the table. Afterwards the club announced that manager Johnny McDonnell had left the club by mutual consent.
In the other game, a fine goal by David O’Sullivan clinched a 1-0 win for Longford Town over Bray Wanderers.
It was a hard fought victory for the home side against a stubborn Bray outfit, although there was no doubting the quality of the decisive goal, a fine strike from O’Sullivan after he collected a Mark Salmon pass and unleashed a cracking shot from the edge of the box.
In the First Division, both Wexford Youths and Finn Harps recorded 3-2 wins to keep up their title ambitions.
Youths once again had top scorer Danny Furlong to thank as the striker weighed in with his third two goal tally in successive games to edge his side to a 3-2 win at bottom of the table Waterford United.
With the score tied at 2-2 with ten minutes to go, Furlong clinched victory with his 23rd goal of the season, a result that keeps Youths two points clear at the top of the table ahead of Harps, who had a slightly more comfortable win by the same score at Cabinteely.
Veteran Kevin McHugh scored twice in the opening 22 minutes, and Nathan Boyle added a third just before the half hour.
A second-half revival from the home side saw goals from Karl Byrne and Conor Foley give them hope, but Harps held on for a deserved win.
Fourth-placed Shelbourne narrowed the gap on third-placed UCD to four points with a 2-1 win at Tolka Park in the Dublin derby, goals from strikers Philly Hughes and James English ending UCD's 17-match unbeaten league run.
In the other game, Cobh Ramblers earned their third successive win, with first half strikes from Stephen Christopher and Jason Abbott seeing them through to a 2-1 win over Athlone Town.
Results:
Premier Division: Bohemians 2 Dundalk 2, Cork City 1 Galway United 0, Drogheda United 1 Limerick 4, Longford Town 1 Bray Wanderers 0, Sligo Rovers 1 Shamrock Rovers 1, St Patrick’s Athletic 0 Derry City 1.
Division One: Cabinteely 2 Finn Harps 3, Cobh Ramblers 2 Athlone Town 1, Shelbourne 2 UCD 1, Waterford United 2 Wexford Youths 3.
