Like their impressive new stand that, while open for the first time yesterday, still has a bit of a snag list to be looked after before the builders move out, the Bohemians team looks to be some way short of being the finished article.
On their day Roddy Collins' men can be the most exciting team in the league going forward but defensively, it seems, the next blunder is never very far away. In this game, an exciting encounter in which the lead changed twice and which was certainly good enough to bring back the 2,500 spectators who packed the new part of the ground, both aspects of the Dublin club's current form was there for all to see. Collins may have been beaming afterwards but the words "we're still learning" were rattled out more than once.
Inexperience could hardly be said to have been the main problem yesterday, though, for it was Eoin Mullen's off day that caused a good portion of the problems. Over the course of the 90 minutes Rovers had to work very hard to stay in touch against opposition who enjoyed far more possession and yet they had enough chances, particularly in the second-half, to take home at least a point from their second visit of the season to the capital.
With his team trailing by a goal and looking likely to fall further behind, recalled Jim McInally said "I told them at half-time that there were two things they could do - lie down and take it or go out there and show they could play a bit of football. From then on I thought we were great. " There was certainly no lack of fight about the second-half performance as they got to grips with their opposition. In a contest jam-packed with tactical switches they must have rued the defensive softness that allowed Mark Dempsey to carry the ball some 50 yards before setting-up Glen Crowe, who finished well from the edge of the area.
When Dale Gray, a newly arrived 21 year-old from Scotland, equalised four minutes into the second period with a long range shot that Wayne Russell really should have kept out, it looked like we might have more than a game on our hands. When Mullen, who had already been blessed to see Padraig Moran make a mess of a one-on-one with Russell after his poor back pass, sent a calamitous header into no-man's land 14 minutes later, though, and Moran rounded the keeper perfectly before slotting the ball home the Bohemians party looked set to end in tears.
Glen Shannon had had the opportunity to score just before the goal and Conor O'Grady should have made it three shortly afterwards. If either had found the net that would surely have been that but at 2-1 Bohemians clearly saw a way back and bolster by the arrival of Derek Swan and the switching of Garreth O'Connor to the right, it all started to click. Swan said later that he has been distracted from his game of late by his son's illness, from which, happily, the youngster is now recovering, but he looked razor sharp as he pounced on Matt Boswell's blunder with 11 minutes remaining to pull the ball wide and then slot it home.
The occupants of the stand had barely recovered their composure when Dempsey's cross from the left caused havoc in the Rovers box again. When Ray Kelly headed off the crossbar it seemed briefly as though the visitors might scramble the ball to safety but Kevin Hunt was there to round-off a fine afternoon's work in midfield with a blasted shot from not far outside the six-yard box.
The goal was good enough not only for the win but also, with Cork being beaten in Derry, to send Bohemians to the top of the table on goal difference. "Not bad," grinned Collins, "for a team that's still learning."
BOHEMIANS: Russell; T O'Connor, Maher, Mullen, Dempsey; G O'Connor, Caffrey, Hunt, John; Harris, Crowe. Subs: Byrne for John (33 mins), Kelly for Harris (63 mins), Swan for Byrne (77 mins).
SLIGO ROVERS: Boswell; Sheridan, Rossiter, Lynch; Charles, McInally, Findlay, O'Grady, Bonner; Shannon, Moran. Subs: Davey for Charles (20 mins), Gray for McInally (33 mins) El Kaliffy for Lynch (82 mins).
Referee: J Stacey (Athlone).
