The Blues picked up a point on the road at Dalymount Park on Monday afternoon, as John Mahon’s first-half header was cancelled out by Colm Whelan’s second-half penalty for Bohemians.
Ahead of kick-off, Jon Daly made three changes to his side from Friday’s 1-1 draw at the RSC against Shamrock Rovers, with Hayden Cann, Ronan Mansfield & Conor Carty all coming into the Blues starting-eleven.
With three minutes on the clock, it was the hosts who threatened first, as Arlo Doherty punched Dawson Devoy’s free-kick away from goal, before Conor Parsons headed wide from the following corner kick.
On the quarter-hour mark, Sam Todd’s back-pass to Kacper Chorazka was inches away from being intercepted by Conor Carty in the hosts penalty area, as the Bohemians shot-stopper Chorazka cleared Todd’s blushes just in time.
Hayden Cann weaved his way through the Bohemians defence on 25′, as his through ball to Jesse Dempsey was intercepted just in time by Patrick Hickey to relieve the pressure on the home defence after clever build up play from Waterford.
Just after the half-hour mark, Arlo Doherty produced an excellent save from Conor Parsons’ deflected effort, as the Blues net-minder made a finger-tip save to keep the score level.
And after soaking up the Bohemian pressure, the Blues were rewarded for their efforts with ten minutes remaining in the first-half, as John Mahon got his head on the end of Evan McLaughlin’s set-piece delivery to give the Blues the lead in Dalymount Park, as Mahon’s header at the back-post found it’s way to the far corner.
The hosts looked to reply instantly, as Colm Whelan forced Arlo Doherty into a smart low-save on 43′, before the Blues saw out the remaining first-half minutes to earn a half-time lead.
Evan McLaughlin produced an excellent last-ditch tackle to deny half-time substitute Jordan Flores from the edge of the Blues area minutes into the second-half, before Flores himself headed wide from the resulting corner.
Dawson Devoy tested Doherty once more in the Blues goal on the hour-mark, with the Blues keeper equal to the Bohemians captains effort.
The Blues were forced into two changes inside the opening twenty-five minutes of action in the second-half, with Evan McLaughlin & Conan Noonan both replaced due to injuries picked up, with John Mahon also replaced at the break in place of Kevin Long.
The hosts found their equaliser on 73′ through the penalty-spot, when Dawson Devoy was fouled inside the Blues area, as Colm Whelan’s effort found the bottom corner, despite Doherty almost getting a hand on it.
Minutes later, Patrick Hickey headed wide from Jordan Flores before Arlo Doherty again produced a stunning save to palm Whelan’s header from close-range onto the underneath of the Waterford crossbar and away from danger.
Despite late pressure from the hosts, the Blues saw out the remaining minutes to pick up an important point on the road in the capital.
Bohemian FC: Chorazka (GK); Power, Hickey, Todd, Mullen (46′ Flores); Devoy (C), Diallo (57′ McDonnell), Myers (57′ Tierney), Vaughan (57′ Strodds), Parsons (76′ Byrne); Whelan.
Waterford FC: Doherty (GK); Zborowski, Cann, Mahon (46′ Long), Mansfield, Dempsey; McMenamy (76′ Faria), McLaughlin (61′ Heeney), Noonan (68′ Barrett); Amond (C), Carty (76′ Voilas).
Attendance: 4,193
