Galway United's defensive woes continue in defeat to Bohs

The Tribesmen have now kept just a single clean sheet in 17 league games this season as the visitors extended their fine run at Eamonn Deacy Park, where they have lost just once in the last decade.

United were unchanged from the side that started in the 4-1 drubbing of Sligo Rovers in the Connacht derby last Saturday; while the visitors showed one change from the side that had beaten Drogheda United 24 hours earlier, with Harry Vaughan coming in for the injured Markus Strods.

Bohs exerted the early spells of pressure, but it was United who had the first sights at goal. Wasiri Williams sent a free-header wide of the near post after getting on the end of Jimmy Keohane's first-minute corner; while Stephen Walsh rushed a shot wide in the eighth minute after Ross Tierney's stray clearance fell to him 25 yards from goal.

Bohs never really tested Evan Watts in the Galway United goal, but the goalkeeper's nerviest moment coming when Killian Brouder sliced an attempted clearance back towards the United goal, Watts having the palm the ball away froim the right top-corner of his goal

However, when the ball was sent towards the other top corner in the 25th minute, he could do nothing to keep it out as the visitors took the lead.

Dawson Devoy showed just why he was called up this week to the senior Republic of Ireland squad for then friendly with Canada in Montreal next month with a wonderful piece of skill.

Vaughan picked him out 25 yards from goal just left of centre of the goal. He feinted a pass down the channel to Dayle Rooney, which bought him space and time, and he made the most of both, casually flicking a shot around Watts and inside the far top corner.

The visitors doubled their lead five minutes later, with Devoy going from scorer to provider at the end of a lovely move by Bohs.

Darragh Power drove forward down the right wing before playing a ball inside to Devoy. The Bohs captain dummied it and ran forward into space, the ball rolling on to Sadou Diallo, who then played it on to Devoy.

He carried possession in the penalty area, drawing a couple of defenders before laying the ball off for Douglas James Taylor, and he fired under Watts to stamps Bohs' authority all over the game.

Jimmy Keohane had a chance to pull one back when Stephen Walsh lifted a ball over the top for his skipper four minutes from the break. He tried to lift the ball over the advancing Kacper Chorazka, but the Bohs keeper jumped high to bat away the ball.

United were a pale imitation of the side that had run riot in that derby win a week earlier, and John Caulfield reacted by making three changes at half-time, with Kris Twardek, Lee Devitt, and Mattie Wolfe all introduced to the action as Frantz Pierrot, Connor Barratt, and Conor McCormack were all called ashore.

Devitt had a chance to pull a goal back on the hour mark when Ed McCarthy's long throw fell to him,. but he couldn't get a clean connection on a shot that was blocked. The ball fell for Stephen Walsh, who also had a shot blocked, but it injected some self-belief into the home side, and two minutes later they were back in the game.

It was football at its simplest: Twardek made some yards down the right before crossing to the back post, and McCarthy ghosted in off the wing to power a header across goal and inside the far post of the goal at the car-park end of the ground.

Twardek was full of energy, and went close to an equaliser against his former club when shooting from the edge of the box in the 72nd minute, but his effort clipped a Bohs defender, taking the sting out of the shot and allowing Chorazka to comfortably gather.

Any chance of United completing the fightback looked to have ended three minutes later when Bohs restored their two-goal lead. Hesitancy in the United defence allowed Connor Parsons get on the end of a Jordan Flores throw-in from half-way down the left tramline.

The substitute raced on, getting to the byline in the box before pulling the ball back, and Ross Tierney tapped home from close range.

McCarthy threw his side a lifeline with a stunning 30-yard effort that flew past Chorazka in the 77th minute, but you are never more vulnerable than just after you score, and former United man Pat Hickey headed Bohs 4-2 in front less than 60 seconds later, a goal which finally sucked the air out of the United fightback.

Galway United: Watts; Barratt (Twardek h-t), Williams, Brouder, McCormack (Devitt h-t), McCarthy; Keohane, Hurley, Bolger; Walsh (Chateau 79), Pierrot (Wolfe h-t). (Lomboto 79).

Bohemians: Chorazka; Power, Byrne, Hickey, Flores, Rooney (Burke 85); Devoy, Diallo (Morahan 70); Tierney (Myers 85), Vaughan (Parsons 70); James-Taylor (Whelan 70).

Referee: Lucas Keating (Cork).