Although there was little between the sides, and as a fascinating clash of styles unfolded, 4-2-3-1 for the hosts versus a fluid 3-5-2 for the visitors, it was Bohs who created the first two half-chances.

The first came from a bit of pinball in the Pat’s area from a whipped Anto Breslin corner. But as the ball fell invitingly for Ross Tierney, the youngster just couldn’t make contact as he swung and the ball trickled into the arms of the on-loan Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros.

Bohs’ best avenue of a breakthrough looked to be from Liam Burt who looked a threat throughout, and was finding some good space on the left wing. He was slipped in behind the Saints backline from an Andy Lyons through ball.

The pacey Scotsman showed good feet to cut inside and smash a low drive through a cluster of legs that was well blocked and eventually scrambled wide for a corner kick.

Stephen O’Donnell’s St Pat’s have started the season well with an encouraging draw away at champions Shamrock Rovers, followed by an injury-time victory against Drogheda United, and they really should have broken the deadlock midway through the first half.

Some sloppy play at the back saw Rob Cornwall dispossessed on the edge of his own area but Robbie Benson, under pressure from the recovering Cornwall, dragged his effort just wide of Talbot’s far post.

St Pat’s began to dominate possession, with Coughlan and Mattie Smith looking a threat in behind and clever movement.

With little goalmouth threat as the hosts held their shape well, the Saints came armed with some clever corner routines, which could have paid dividends before the break but Lee Desmond was unable to direct his powerful header goalwards.

The second half started very much a case of copy and paste of the first, as both teams failed to wear each other down with the Inchicore side building well from the back.

Cornwall had a very good chance to give Bohs the lead with a free header at the back post, from another good Breslin delivery.

It took until just after the hour mark for one of the visitors’ smart set pieces to pay off, as Coughlan rose highest from Benson’s inswinging corner to power a header home past the helpless Talbot, who could only push the ball into the roof of the net. That’s two in two now for the ex-Sligo Rovers man.

Bohs finally sprung to life as the urgency in their play increased greatly, but they struggled to carve out that one clear-cut equalising opportunity, with Jaros making just one save throughout the 90 minutes.

The impressive visitors, with a midfield trio of Chris Forrester, Jamie Lennon and Benson just had too much guile and graft about them and saw out the game in excellent fashion to keep their unbeaten start to the season intact. The final whistle was met with a huge roar of relief from the travelling party as they find themselves joint top of the league

Bohs were left frustrated with their new-look attack still finding their feet. Up next is a trip to Oriel Park on Friday to face Dundalk.

Bohemians: James Talbot, Andy Lyons, Rob Cornwall, James Finnerty, Anto Breslin, Keith Buckley (c) (Thomas Oluwa 82), Ali Coote, Liam Burt, Dawson Devoy (Keith Ward 68), Ross Tierney, Georgie Kelly. Unused substitutes: Stephen McGuinness, Rory Feely, Ciaran Kelly, Bradley Rolt, Tyreke Wilson, Bastien Hery, Jack Moylan.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Vitezslav Jaros, John Mountney, Sam Bone, Lee Desmond, Ian Bermingham, Jamie Lennon, Chris Forrester, Robbie Benson, Darragh Burns (Paddy Barrett 73), Mattie Smith (Jason McClelland 88), Ronan Coughlan (Billy King 78). Unused substitutes: Barry Murphy, Josh Keeley, Kian Corbally, Ben McCormack, Alfie Lewis, Nehum Melvin-Lambert.
Referee: Neil Doyle

Coombes won out initially, but the ball fell to Kate Slevin who shot first time into an empty net.

Bohs did well to get to the interval only two down. Manager Sean Byrne made four changes at the break, as he looked to bring a better performance in the second half.

But it went from bad to worse on the hour mark as Shauna Brennan’s throw-in found Chloe Singleton and she composed herself before flighting in a delightful cross, which found Lyndsey McKey in the six-yard box and she made no mistake from close range.

That goal seemed to kick Bohs into life and they started to play a better and eventually got back into this match in the 71st minute.

Chloe Darby swung in a corner kick that deceived everyone including keeper Maja Zajc and it fizzled into the back of the net to give the team hope.

Darby went very close to grabbing her and Bohs’ second as her long range free-kick cannoned off the crossbar and Galway managed to clear the danger and hold off for all three points.

An overall strong performance from the home side, who thoroughly deserved to win this match.

Bohs’ young side must pick themselves up during this Easter break and come back rejuvenated as they welcome Cork City to Dublin for their next fixture on Saturday April 17th.

Bohemians: Niamh Coombes, Paula Doran, Jade Reddy, Isobel Finnegan, Chloe Flynn (C), Ally Cahill, Sophie Watters, Chloe Darby, Abbie Brophy, Bronagh Kane, Niama Chemaou. Substitutions: Erica Burke for Chemaou (H/T), Annmarie Byrne for Reddy (H/T), Erica Byrne for Cahill (H/T), Aoife Robinson for Chemaou (H/T). Unused substitutes: Niamh Kenna, Katie Lovely, Claire Conlon, Ciara Mulligan, Courtney Maguire (GK).

Galway United: Maja Zajc, Savannah McCarthy, Shauna Fox (C), Shauna Brennan, Chloe Singleton, Aoife Thompson, Lynsdey McKey, Therese Kinnevey, Kate Slevin, Chloe Maloney, Rachel Kearns. Substitutions: Tessa Mullins for Thompson, Elle O’Flaherty for Brennan, Abbie Callinan for Kearns. Substitutes not used: Keara Cormican, Sinead Donovan, Saoirse Healy, Ruth Fahy, Anna Fahy, Trish Fennelly.

In reality, the interval lead could have more than double that such were the opportunities the home side created in an exciting first half performance, and Bohs continued to dominate proceedings until the 65th minute or so.

Ultimately, it was another unfortunate lapse in concentration that turned this game on its head – Bohs’ efforts to clear the ball from a dangerous position were too casual, which allowed Longford Town supersub Conor Davis in to claw one back.

From a position of being outplayed for much of the game, Longford’s tails were up and they sensed blood – and it was Davis again who swooped in at the back post to claim a share of the spoils for the visitors.

Long said: “Tomorrow’s game is a chance now for us to show our mettle. There is no doubt that we are all disappointed with our results and performances in the opening two games and there would be no better way to get our season fully up and running with a win against St Pat’s.

“We squandered a two-goal lead last week despite having the better of the play for most of the game. We should have been a goal or two more to the good before conceding the first goal.

“We looked nervous after that and Longford to their credit took advantage. We will need to improve and it is important that we do not come away from the values that have served us well in recent seasons.

“It will take time for new players coming to a new club with different demands being placed on them but the basics of the game remain the same, and need to be respected.

“There have been some positives in the form of Ross Tierney over the opening two games and it was great for Georgie Kelly to open his account for the club – on another day he could have had a hat-trick.”

Bohs will be aiming to build on those signs of encouragement when Stephen O’Donnell’s Saints come to Dalymount Park.

St Pat’s have started well with four points from their opening to games – a draw away to Shamrock Rovers on opening night and a win at home to Drogheda United last Saturday.

Long added: “We know it will be very difficult against a Pat’s side who will be brimming with confidence after their last-minute winner against Drogheda last week.

“But we understand the task ahead. Our focus is on trying to win the game. We must do the basics well, work hard, be aggressive and function as a team. If we can do that we will give ourselves a chance to win.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohemians are without Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) and Promise Omochere (knee).

Conor Levingston (calf) and Bradley Rolt (hamstring) are back in contention.

All of this was achieved by members and fans working together towards a common goal of saving the club and putting it on a sustainable footing.

In that time there has been great growth in so many areas of the club thanks to all involved. On the pitch, we have had success under Keith Long in qualifying for Europe for two successive seasons. But we are no longer just a first team – we are a proper club that is once again truly embedded in our community.

Great credit must be given to everyone involved but particularly the various boards during this period and, of course, Matt Devaney who did a great job as president between 2013 and 2017.

We only borrow the club for a short period of time and all we can do is try and pass it on in a better position than when we got it. I hope I played my part in achieving this over the last number of years.

I know some people will say we lost Dalymount during this period. But while we lost ownership, we secured it as our home ground for generations.

This is something many previously thought unthinkable and this represents a far better future for our club than moving away from Phibsborough.

Working closely with Dublin City Council, Shelbourne and local stakeholders, we have a rebuilt modern stadium and shared space to look forward to that will cement Dalymount Park’s place in the heart of our community.

I mentioned at previous AGMs that getting training facilities was a priority of mine and I am delighted that the club managed to get agreement with DCU before I stood down.

As well as providing first class training facilities for our players, this exciting partnership of shared values will leave lasting connections in football, social inclusion, social outreach and academic programme collaboration.

Before I go, I would like to thank everyone who supported me throughout the years as nothing would have been done without that support.

This has always been a team effort and we achieved everything by working together. This was evident right from those darkest of days right through to the present day. It has been particularly remarkable and appreciated since the onset of the pandemic, which could have proved to be a chaotic time for the club if it wasn’t for the loyalty of our members, supporters and sponsors.

This was never a vanity project and I had always decided to go when I thought others could do a better job than me. As a pensioner, I am beginning to feel my age and some new blood and fresh ideas will be good for the club.

I think that as we have grown over the last few years, things have started to move more quickly than we could have anticipated and now is the time for a new, energetic and more vibrant president who can lead us into what I believe can be a very bright future.

I know I rejoined the board before having resigned before, but I will not be doing that again. The first time I joined the board, we made the biggest loss in the club’s history and in my second time on the board, we have agonisingly gone a full year of games behind closed doors, so I don’t want to bring any more bad luck!

I will, however, continue my work with the Bohemian Foundation, so I will still be around and, obviously, if the board feel I can help with any particular issue, then I am more than happy to get involved.

Finally, I would like to thank you for allowing me to be your president. It has been a huge honour and privilege. I hope you feel I have made a positive contribution.

Thank you

Chris Brien

“Obviously the circumstances are bittersweet but the squad are thrilled to see their hard work rewarded with a much-coveted league title.

“We had a 100% record in the games we did manage to play pre-Covid, scoring 25 goals and conceding just two, which shows just how efficient we were as a team.

“I can’t pay tribute enough to the players who have continued to work extremely hard over lockdown, partaking in two training sessions a week over Zoom – this is a testament to their drive and determination to bring silverware back to the club.

“The support we have received has been phenomenal too, particularly from Chris Brien, and with special thanks to Des Kelly Interiors who provided the team with new kits.

“Everyone has really made the boys feel part of something bigger.

“We dedicate this win to every single Bohs supporter and we will work harder than ever to become the first side to win back-to-back league titles!”