Bohs Pile Woes on Lilies with Second Half Blitz
Dave Jones reports from Dublin
BOHEMIAN 5 (Byrne 52, Heary 60, Brennan pen 63, Fenn 72, Crowe 81)
RHYL 1 (Oman og 24)
IT all looked so good at half time for Rhyl as they held a 1-0 lead against the odds but the second period saw a complete turnaround as Bohemians' superior match fitness told.
Bohs, top of the Eircom League of Ireland Premier Division, were strong favourites to see off a Lilies side that had only had three warm-up games prior to yesterday's test, but the first half saw the script turned upside down.
Rhyl's physical approach really rattled the home side and by the half time whistle Lilywhites keeper Lee Kendall had rarely been troubled. By contrast the Principality Welsh Premier League visitors could have been 2 or 3-0 up by the break.
In the early stages both Marc Lloyd Williams and Craig Jones failed to make the most of great crossing opportunities, but on 16 minutes Bohs had a remarkable escape. James Brewerton's ball over the top of the defence put Lloyd Williams in the clear, but the WPL's record marksman was twice denied by keeper Brian Murphy and both Jones and Mark Connolly were unable to put away the rebound.
Craig Garside lashed just wide for the Welsh team, then on 24 minutes Bickerstaff's battlers took a shock lead. Lloyd Williams played a neat one-two with Connolly whose angled drive ended up in the net off home defender Ken Oman. As the half wore on Bohs started to threaten more and in added time Kendall was forced into his one serious piece of action, a tremendous point blank stop from John Paul Kelly.
After the second half kicked off in torrential rain the picture changed as Bohemian's match fitness came to the fore. In the 52nd minute George Horan fouled Stephen O'Donnell 25 yards out and Jason Byrne's brilliant free-kick gave Kendall no chance. The hosts now had their tails up and on the hour a Neale Fenn corner picked out an unmarked Owen Heary who headed home from eight yards.
Three minutes later Kendall committed a needless foul in the box on Killian Brennan who picked himself up and put away the resulting penalty. It was now total backs to the wall for Rhyl and on 72 minutes a sweeping move saw Heary's cross cause havoc in the away defence and ex-Tottenham player Fenn headed over Kendall to make it 4-1.
There was controversy on 81 minutes when a quickly taken free-kick saw Neil Rossiter strike a moving ball but his successful target, substitute Glen Crowe, was allowed to run on and slot confidently past the unprotected Kendall. Rhyl rallied and did all they could to grab another away goal but it was not to be and the Lilies crashed to their heaviest defeat in Europe.
Bohemian: Murphy, Heary, Hunt (Turner 84), Oman, Burns, Rossiter, O'Donnell, Brennan, Fenn (Crowe 73), Byrne (Mansaram 79), Kelly.
Rhyl: Kendall, O'Neill, Brewerton, Horan, Ruffer, Garside (Kelly 73), Jones (Holt 90), Wilson, Lloyd Williams, Connolly, Roberts (Powell 74).
