“We didn’t make wholesale changes in personnel in the off-season. But there is a bit of an ongoing evolution in how we want to play.

“We haven’t had the start we would have liked. But I’m confident we have more about us than we have shown so far and that we will get better and continue to improve.

“We know we have to defend better than we have done in previous games and cut out the mistakes we’ve been making.

“We’re still finding that balance in terms of being difficult to play against at the back and how we want to attack teams when we’re in possession.”

Bohs know all too well that getting a result in Eamonn Deacy Park will be no easy task. Despite beating the Tribesmen twice at Dalymount Park last season, the Gypsies came unstuck out west in both the league (3-5) and EA Sports Cup (0-1, AET).

Long said: “We know it will be a tough game. Galway have had a bright start to the season, beating St Pat’s away in their opening game. They were very unlucky to come away from Derry last week with nothing too.

“Tommy Dunne will have his lads well up for it. It’s up to us to be ready for that and to give a complete performance for 90 minutes.”

Anto Murphy (hamstring) and Kurtis Byrne (foot) are back in contention, but Eoin Wearen (virus) remains out.

Ismahil Akinade, who came off with a hamstring strain against Longford, returned to training today but faces a late fitness test tomorrow.

The availability of Roberto Lopes (virus) is also considered extremely doubtful.

A long hopeful ball straight through the heart of the Gypsies backline ran through for David O’Sullivan who drilled the ball low under Dean Delaney to level things up.

Another blow was to come for the home side when Ismahil Akinade, who seemed to have the beating of the Longford defence, was forced off injured after just 16 minutes on his return from suspension.

Longford then had a glorious chance to go 2-1 up after some great work down the right wing, ever threatening Peter McGlynn, cut back to skipper Kevin O’Connor and his right footed shot rifled off Delaney’s bar, bouncing down but somehow not crossing the line.

With both teams conceding possession a bit too easy for their liking, the game became scrappy and also a little feisty. Adam Evans and Pat Flynn had an off the ball tussle resulting in both going into the book.

Right on the stroke of half time Bohs then had their chance to take the lead. A cut back from the end line fell to Adam Evan who fluffed his lines with the goal at his mercy after the ball took a nasty bobble on its way across.

Bohs started the second half the better side, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck with two quick-fire goals. Another excellent dribble from Ben Mohammed drew a nasty foul from John McKeown, who received a yellow for his efforts. Up stepped left back Fitzgerald, and with his wand of a left foot, crossed from the left wing. The top class delivery was delicately glanced in by Derek Prendergast to make it 2-1 in the 48th minute. Just five minutes later, the home fans were celebrating wildly once again when, that man again, Fitzgerald, whipped in an out swinging corner that caused all sorts of havoc in the visitors defence and the ball was eventually scrambled over the line by Jake Kelly.

From then on the hosts looked in control, keeping the ball much better than in the first half. Gypsies boss, Long, deserves a lot of credit for pushing Ben Mohamed into the number 10 position where he was able to see more of the ball and become a constant thorn in the side of Tony Cousins’ men. Langford’s frustration got the better of them when with just 10 minutes left to play, Pat Flynn hacked down Bohs substitute Patrick Kavanagh after his cross field dribble came to an abrupt end, resulting in the defender receiving his second yellow and marching orders.

The home side saw out the game comfortably enough and will be more than delighted that the defensive errors that plagued them in recent games seem to be coming to an end which will delight boss Keith Long. Next up is a tricky away tie to Galway on Saturday but the Gypsies will go into the game full of confidence now they are back to winning ways.

Bohemian FC: Dean Delany; Lorcan Fitzgerald, Daniel Byrne, Derek Prendergast, Dylan Hayes; Adam Evans, Keith Buckley (James Kavanagh 78), Roberto Lopes, Aymen Ben Mohamed (Jason Caffrey 84); Ismahil Akinade (Patrick Kavanagh 16), Jake Kelly.

Booked: Adam Evans (38).

Longford Town: Ian Molloy; Jamie Mulhall, Daniel O’Reilly, Pat Flynn, Mark Hughes; Kealon Dillon, Peter McGlynn (Kaleem Simon 58), Kevin O’Connor (Philip Gannon 84), John McKeown; David O’Sullivan, Karl Chambers (Josh O’Hanlon 63).

Booked: Pat Flynn (38 & 81), John McKeown (48), Daniel O’Reilly (82).

Referee: Paul Tuite.

“We will make changes tomorrow night. We need to eradicate mistakes and we will be putting out a team we feel are capable of winning the game.

“This is a competition we want to progress and do well in, so it’s important we don’t lose sight of that either.”

Long sought to address issues in defence against Wexford Youths with Daniel Byrne, who missed most of last season with cruciate and cartilage injuries, replacing Derek Prendergast after just 35 minutes.

He said: “I could have taken off any one of six or seven players at that stage, Del was the unlucky one.

“We needed someone to settle things down at the back. We were being bombarded by set pieces.

“Dan has great physical stature and he helped settle things. It was good for Dan too as he hasn’t played a lot of football in the last year or so.”

Another positive for the Gypsies was the performance of midfielder Ayman Ben Mohamed on his home league debut.

Long added: “Ayman was great, he was a real bright spark. He tired towards the end as he’s missed parts of pre-season and needs more game-time.

“But it was a fantastic home debut, we were really pleased with him. Mazy runs, taking on the opposition – that’s what fans want to see.”

Eoin Wearen (virus) is unavailable for selection again, while Kurtis Byrne (foot) also looks set to miss out. Anto Murphy (hamstring) is a doubt.

Some more slack defending led to the Wexford Youths taking the lead again on 20 minutes. A long throw from Craig McCabe was hurled into the box. It looked like it got a nick of a defender’s head and the unmarked Chris Kenny nodded home. The Bohs fans and players screamed angrily for an offside call but the linesman kept the flag down.

With some a very nervy defending from the Bohs backline, including a number of unforced errors, unhappy home boss Keith Long wasted no time in changing things. He replaced Derek Prendergast with Dan Byrne at the heart of the defence with just 34 minutes on the clock. The change brought about a bit more stability at the back as Bohs began chasing the equaliser.

Both sides then missed glorious chances to add to their tallies. First, Bohs hitman Quigley slipped a lovely through ball to strike partner Kurtis Byrne who managed to drag his shot just wide. This was followed a few minutes later by Youths frontman Furlong volleying just wide with only Delany to beat.

As half-time approached, the home fans were treated to a wonder strike from right winger Paddy Kavanagh, which evened things up. The Bohs wide man whipped a fierce shot from 25 yards out from the right wing into the far corner, leaving Graham Doyle with no chance. 2–2 at half time. A pretty impressive and hectic first half from both teams who, prior to tonight, had only managed one goal each in their previous three games.

The Gypsies started the second half much the better side with the tricky Aymen Ben Mohammed taking on all comers with a couple of exceptional runs that struck fear into the opposition defence. The talented winger drew a crunching tackle from Craig McCabe who caught him high around the midriff. He was shown a yellow but on another day he could have seen red. It was soon becoming “The Ben” show as the wide man was at the centre of everything good for the home side and looking the most likely to create something.

Bohs were really turning the screw now, desperately seeking the goal their second half play deserved but the away side continued to work impressively hard to keep Bohs at bay, while also looking dangerous on the counter. Furlong was a constant threat over the top all night.

Disaster struck for Bohs with just 10 minutes remaining, when another long ball into the box resulted in an almighty scramble. Chaos ensued and keeper Delaney looked to have been fouled from an attempted overhead kick of Chris Kenny but referee James McKell kept the whistle from his mouth and giant defender Gary Delaney rose highest to head into the empty net.

Facing the prospect of losing their second game in five days, the home fans despair turned to joy when in the 88th minute, midfielder Roberto Lopes was clipped in the box by Danny Ledwith after nipping just in front of him to collect a low cross. Quigley confidently stepped up, kept his cool and put the penalty high to the keepers right hand side.Youths keeper Graham Doyle will feel a bit unlucky as he got hands to it, pushing it in off the post, but the pace and accuracy was too much.

Bohs boss, Long, will be happy with how his side showed a dogged, determined and never say die attitude to rescue a point right at the death, having found themselves behind on three separate occasions. There is no doubt some work to be done on the training ground to cut out the errors at the back but if they continue to show this passion, the players, staff and fans could be in for an exciting season. The Gypsies will be hoping to get back to winning ways starting with a home tie against Longford Town in the EA Sports Cup this coming Tuesday.

Bohemians: Dean Delany; Derek Pender, Anto Murphy, Derek Prendergast (Dan Byrne 34), Lorcan Fitzgerald; Paddy Kavanagh (Jake Kelly 78), Dave Mulcahy, Roberto Lopes, Ayman Ben Mohamed (Adam Evans 90+2); Kurtis Byrne, Mark Quigley.
Wexford Youths: Graham Doyle; Craig McCabe, Gary Delaney, Lee Grace, Ryan Delaney; Aidan Friel, Jonny Bonner (Craig Wall 87), Chris Kenny (Stephen Last 90+2), Eric Molloy (Danny Ledwith 57); Danny Furlong, Paul Murphy.
Referee: James McKell (Tipperary).

He said: “They’re a good side and have been playing together under Shane Keegan for a few years now. They’re improving and only lost by the odd goal against Dundalk on Monday.”

Mistakes at the back are proving a concern – Bohs’ only clean sheet of the season so far came in the 1-0 victory against Sligo Rovers at Dalymount Park last Friday.

Long said: “We’ve conceded five goals in three games. We’ve got to tighten up both individually and collectively.

“We have to play to our strengths, become difficult to play against again and stop giving away soft goals.”

Despite a two-goal deficit at the break, Bohs looked like getting back into the game in the second half against the Saints before the dismissal of Ismahil Akinade for a second booking ended any hopes of a comeback.

Long said: “We obviously had words at half-time. For a 20-minute period in the second half, we dominated the game albeit without creating as many chances as we would have liked.

“But the game is played over 90 minutes, not 20. We’ve got to put in a 90-minute performance against Wexford Youths.”

Bohs’ chances against St Pat’s weren’t helped by the late withdrawals of defenders Anto Murphy (virus) and Lorcan Fitzgerald (calf).

Long said: “It doesn’t help when 50% of your back four is ruled out just before a game. But I am not making excuses for our performance, you play with the hand you’re dealt.”

Viral infections have again hampered preparations for the visit of Wexford Youths, with the availability of Murphy, Stephen Best and Eoin Wearen in doubt.

Fitzgerald (calf) is also a doubt, while Akinade is serving a one-game suspension for his red card against St Pat’s.

Keith Long will no doubt be furious at his side’s slack start to the game and bitterly disappointed his side didn’t match the intensity of their Dublin rivals. Despite this nightmare start, the raucous away fans were in full voice desperately trying to lift their side. It seemed to have an affect as they began to grow more and more into the game and looked comfortable in possession.

Kurtis Byrne, who was looking to follow up on his winner against Sligo, hit a nice right-footed volley which was well saved by Brendan Clarke. This was followed by a free-kick from former Saints frontman, Mark Quigley, from about 30 yards out which also hit the target. It was a reminder to the home side that the game was not yet over.

With Bohs desperately trying to claw their way back into the game, Paddy Kavanagh and Ismahil Akinade found themselves in referee Padraig Sutton’s book after some full-blooded tackles.

After what must of been a very stern half-time talking to, Bohs came out and dominated the start of the second half. As a unit they pushed a further 20 yards up the pitch to take the game to the hosts. Eoin Wearen began dictating play and the energetic Keith Buckley was a lot more vocal in trying to organise the side. Pat’s dropped deeper and deeper and seemed to take the foot off the gas a little, protecting their two-goal cushion.

Ex-Irish international Keith Tracey started to show his class in keeping possession, portraying his long-range passing ability, finding team-mates with ease, and in turn frustrating the visitors who were probing but to no avail. That frustration boiled over when Bohs striker Akinade was deemed late on Shane McEleney and subsequently picked up his second yellow of the game and received his marching orders. That seemed to end Bohs’ hopes of clawing their way back into the game.

Long decided to go with three at the back after replacing Derek Prendergast with Ayman Ben Mohammed in one last throw of the dice. The tiring Quigley was also replaced by the fresh legs of Jake Kelly in a bid to liven things up and hopefully pull one back.

But with the game coming to a close, Man of the Match Billy Dennehy got the goal his performance deserved and subsequently rubbed salt in the wounds of the away side by nodding in the third headed goal of the night, following good work by Conan Byrne down the right.

Despite looking good in possession and continuing to fight bravely with 10 men, there will be no time to dwell on this performance for Long’s men with a big game coming up at home to Wexford Youths this Friday and the passionate Bohs fans will no doubt be expecting a big reaction from the players after a night to forget.

St. Patrick’s Athletic: Brendan Clarke, Ger O’Brien (capt), Ian Bermingham, Darren Dennehy, David Cawley, Keith Treacy (Sam Verdon), Christy Fagan, Mark Timlin (Conan Byrne), Graham Kelly, Shane McEleney, Billy Dennehy
Subs not used: Dylan McGlade, Darragh Markey, Jason McGuinness, Patrick Jennings.
Bohemians: Dean Delany, Derek Pender (capt), Roberto Lopes, Derek Pendergast (sub Ayman ben Mohammed), Eoin Wearen, Keith Buckley, Mark Quigley (sub Jake Kelly), Kurtis Byrne, Stephen Best, Paddy Kavanagh, Ishmahil Akinade.
Subs not used: Lee Steacy, Daniel Byrne, David Mulcahy, Adam Evans, Dylan Hayes.
Referee: Padraig Sutton

“We were facing into the unknown a bit with a Sligo team containing so many new faces.

“If you had offered me a scrappy 1-0 win before the game, I’d have taken it.

“Sligo are a good side and will cause teams problems when all their new players settle in, so we were delighted to get the three points against them.”

Facing into a third league game in 11 days, Long is eager for his side to push on now.

He said: “There have been changes at St Pat’s with plenty of new faces. They’re fancied to be up there at the end of the season.

“But we can go to Richmond with confidence after Friday’s result, knowing we can improve on that as well.

“Without dominating possession against Sligo, we created enough chances to increase our lead. I’m confident there are goals in this side.”

With Roberto Lopes returning from his one-match ban, Long has a full squad to choose from.

He added: “It’s great to have competition for places. A selection headache is not a bad complaint to have.

“While we’ve no major concerns, games are coming thick and fast now. It is our third game already after a long off-season, so we don’t want to over-extend players either.”

The first half ended with a rare piece of Sligo pressure on the home side’s goal. Chris Lyons, the former Bohemian, twisted and turned his way into the box, but his cross was cut out just before it could reach Jaanai Gordon.

Keith Long’s marches had an excellent opportunity to double the lead barely two minutes into the second half, as a brilliant Akinade turn left the Sligo defence for dead, giving Mark Quigley the chance to shoot from a yard outside the box. Schlingermann was equal to the clever, low-hit shot that bended around the wall.

The pace picked up in the second half, as Sligo looked for the leveller. Jaanai Gordon caused headaches for the Dubliners’ defence all night, and after getting the better of Lorcan Fitzgerald, he whipped in a tantalising cross that Anto Murphy eventually cleared for a corner.

Keith Buckley came agonisingly close to capping off a fine performance with a stunning goal, but his 20-hard effort came back out off the post. Akinade was quick to latch onto the loose ball, but Sligo keeper Schlingermann was quick to reposition himself and snuff out the danger.

Paddy Kavanagh was introduced for Mark Quigley, and didn’t take long in making a nuisance out of himself for the visiting defenders. With twenty minutes remaining his pinpoint cross found the head of Akinade, whose strong header could only reach the palms of Michael Schlingermann.

The Bit o’ Red were wasteful throughout the evening, and a free kick on their left flank represented their last good chance to get something from the game. A poor delivery found no awaiting players, however, and Dean Delaney saw the ball sail out past his posts for a goal kick.