Bohs title dreams lie in tatters as Utd stun champions once again
Date Published: {J}
Bohemian FC 2
KEITH KELLY
GALWAY United are gaining themselves something of a name as party poopers after all but ending Bohemians’ dreams of a third title on the trot thanks to Jason Molloy’s late winner in Terryland Parkon Friday night.
Last season, an Aaron Greene goal against Shamrock Rovers saw United hold the Hoops to a draw and pave the way for Bohs to win a second successive title. On Friday night, United had the sameimpact but with the sides reversed, grabbing a last-gasp win against the Gypsies to effectively gift-wrap the title for Shamrock Rovers with one game remaining in the campaign.
As they awaited the kick-off, the travelling hordes sang that they didn’t want to go home as they were on the best trip ever.
They travelled in huge numbers – 680 of the official attendance of 1,080 were away fans – expecting a comfortable win against a side filleted of its best players to set up a title-winning party against Dundalk at Dalymount Park next week.
By the final whistle, that dream trip had turned into a nightmare, and they still probably didn’t want to go home, but for very different reasons, as it means their most bitter of rivals are set to end a 16 year wait for a league title this coming weekend.
It was all set up for a Bohs win – the national media had taken an uncommon interest in a game in Terryland, with RTE covering the game and the national papers sending their main soccer writers West – the last time they travelled in such numbers was for the Roy Keane travelling circus that was Sunderand’s mini-tour of Ireland in 2007.
United had taken seven points from a possible nine in their three previous meetings with Bohs this season, but the defending champions were expected to flex their muscles and put belated manners on a side going through the horrors in recent weeks, one which had lost six of its last seven games, conceding 25 goals in the process.
For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.