Joshua Lindsay reports from Oriel Park
It finished a stalemate 0-0 draw at Oriel Park between Dundalk and their Premier Division counterparts Bohemians in their Leinster Senior Cup tie.
Holders Bohemians have exited the competition following their draw with the Lilywhites coming second in the group.
The first chance of the game came to the visitors nine minutes in when Billy Gilmore released Markuss Strods down the left wing.
He tried to cut in and it eventually came to Onesime Tembe who couldn’t put it past Dundalk keeper Samuel Safaei who came charging out to save the shot.
The Gypsies came close again a few minutes later when the same link up of Gilmore and Strods caused another problem for the hosts.
Gilmore played a wonderful cross field pass to Strods, who stood up Finn Cowper Gray and beat him.
He then cut inside and sent a shot flying over the crossbar.
Dundalk’s first chance of the game came 18 minutes in.
Eoin Kenny’s press paid off as he nicked the ball from Declan Osagie and pulled it back for a shot for Conor O’Gorman on the edge of the box but it was blocked and cleared by Trevor Croly’s men.
Moments after, Kenny’s relentless nature gave him another chance.
The ball was kicked back to Bohs’ Rian Hogan, but the pass came up short and ended in a foot race between Kenny and the Gypsies’ Callum Doyle-Travers.
Kenny won the race and tried to take the ball around the goalkeeper but his effort was blocked by brave defending by the visitors.
Tembe showed continuous glimpses of his hold up play throughout the game and in one instance he caused Vincent Leonard to pull him down resulting in a bohs free on the edge of the box.
The resulting free was put over the bar.
Another chance broke for the Lilywhite’s striker Kenny, as he was played in 1 on 1 with Hogan from a lovely ball played by Luke Povall.
He was forced out wide due to great defending by Callum Doyle-Travers, which ultimately led to his near post attempt being saved.
Dualta Honney looked to break the deadlock for the hosts just before half time, he came inside from the left wing and let off a thunderous strike that was rising that forced Hogan to tip it over the bar.
The visitors had the first chance of the second half when the home side’s Vincent Leonard stalled on the ball when playing out, leading to Tembe stealing the ball in the box.
He played it into an oncoming Bohemians attacker, but the Lilywhite’s Benjamin Fagbemi made a brilliant sliding tackle to push the ball out for a Bohs corner.
Strods got another chance at goal moments ten minutes into the second half when Hugh Smith advanced into the box from the left wing and pulled it back to the number ten, who pulled his shot just wide of the near post.
Trevor Croly’s men would’ve felt they should’ve been 1-0 up by the 66th minute as Nickson Okuson picked up the ball from the midfield and advanced through the centre of the field before playing a lovely outside of the foot pass to Smith.
Smith pulled the ball across the box in which Rhys Brennan Black mishit the ball from six yards out just missing the far post.
With 20 minutes to go, Samuel Case missed a golden opportunity for Dundalk. #
The ball was pulled back to Case, who was just in the box with no one ahead of the right midfielder.
He took the shot for the first time on his right foot and drastically missed the target.
83 minutes in Mark Griffin had his heart pounding out of his chest when a dangerous chance against his men opened.
Gypsies' Jake Hough charged down the left flank and lofted one into the back stick.
The cross was met by Okosun’s effort that was saved by Safaei, but the rebound for Okosun was blocked on the line from the Lilywhite’s defence.
Bohs kept the pressure mounting as another ball got clipped into the Dundalk box from Brennan Black.
But the header attempt from Nickson was unsuccessful and it went out for a goal kick.
Both teams were unsuccessful in putting their team ahead, which ended in a stalemate 0-0 between the Lilywhites and the Dublin side.
Dundalk: Samuel Safaei, Luke Povall, Adam Byrne, Vincent Leonard, Benjamin Fagbemi, Scott Brady (Jack O’Flatherty, 45), Samuel Case (Nico Lovrekovic, 82), Aidan Russell, Dualta Honney (Fionn McNamara, 89), Eoin Kenny (Rhys O’Hare, 45), Conor O’Gorman (Cian Spaight, 82).
Booked: Nico Lokrenovic (88).
Bohemians: Rian Hogan, Finn Cowper Gray, Jake Hough, Declan Osagie, Callum Doyle-Travers, Viktor Lace (Rhys Brennan, 63), Billy Gilmore, Hugh Smith, Sean Moore, Markuss Strods (Taylor Mooney, 63), Onesime Tembe (Nickson Okosun, 63)
Referee: Robert Harvey.
Attendance: 400 (estimated).
Extratime Player of the Match: Benjamin Fagbemi (Dundalk).
