Bohemians Secure Second Place with Derby Comeback Against St Pat's
Bohemians walked into Richmond Park needing a result to rubber-stamp second place. They walked out with a comeback win, extra European money in the bank, and the last word in a Dublin rivalry that has shaped both clubs’ season.
For St Patrick’s Athletic, this was supposed to be a night to reclaim their home ground, to close out a promising campaign with a statement. Instead, a second straight home defeat to city opposition left them winless in four and limping over the line, even with Europe already secured.
This was no dead rubber. Second place meant a bye into the second round of the UEFA Conference League qualifiers next summer and a significant bump in prize money: at least €525,000 instead of €325,000 in European revenue alone, plus the domestic uplift for runners-up over third. Bohemians played like a club that understood every cent of that.
St Pat’s start fast, but don’t finish
Two points behind Bohs at kick-off, the equation for St Pat’s was brutally simple: win, and they leapfrog the Phibsborough side. They flew out as if they meant it.
Within 30 seconds, Jamie Lennon forced Paul Walters into action from the edge of the box. Three minutes later, Zach Elbouzedi tore down the right and teed up Anthony Olusanya, who dragged his effort wide when he should at least have hit the target.
The pressure told on eight minutes. From the game’s first corner, Aidan Keena whipped a teasing delivery to the back post. Sean McHale, handed his first start of the season, lost Jordan Flores and stooped to guide his header past Walters. A dream moment for the defender, and a deserved lead.
Bohemians, missing suspended captain Dawson Devoy and the injured Ross Tierney, looked disjointed early on. Their first real foray into the box brought penalty shouts as Jay McClelland tangled with Darragh Power, but referee Rob Hennessy waved it away. Power then went into the book for a foul on Keena, who sent the resulting free-kick just over Walters’ crossbar.
St Pat’s had Bohs rocking and the chance to twist the knife came on 28 minutes. Again Olusanya found space wide and picked out Keena in front of goal. Again the finish went missing, Keena somehow steering his shot wide when a second goal seemed inevitable.
Momentum turns, Bohs bite back
Those misses lingered. Surviving those scares allowed Bohemians to finally settle, and the pattern of the half began to tilt.
Connor Parsons signalled the shift with a rising effort that Joseph Anang had to tip over. Bohs started to pin St Pat’s back, pressing higher, biting into challenges, snapping into second balls. The equaliser, when it came on 36 minutes, felt like the logical next step.
Latvian international Markuss Strods showed real determination and a sharp touch to drive to the byline and dig out a cross. Parsons met it at the near post, Anang managed to get a touch to divert the header onto the bar, but Flores followed in and nodded home. From nowhere, Bohs were level and brimming with belief.
St Pat’s, rattled, never really recovered before the break. In first-half stoppage time, the game flipped completely.
From a corner, Patrick Hickey appeared to bundle Luke Turner off the ball, but no foul was given. Hickey didn’t wait for a whistle that never came. He pounced, drilled a low ball right across the face of goal, and centre-half Cian Byrne arrived to apply the finish. Two defenders combining like seasoned forwards, and Bohs walked off at half-time 2-1 up, having turned the derby on its head.
Saints chase, Bohs punish
St Pat’s needed a spark and turned to youth at the restart, introducing 17-year-old Ryan Sheridan. The tempo lifted, the tackles sharpened, and frustration with Hennessy’s decisions began to bubble from both pitch and stands.
Just as it looked like the home side might wrestle back control, Bohemians struck again with cold precision on 57 minutes. Parsons linked neatly with Collie Whelan, whose low strike beat Anang but cannoned back off the keeper’s right-hand post. Parsons had gambled, followed in, and coolly side-footed the rebound home despite stumbling. From 1-0 down to 3-1 up, the visitors had ruthlessly cashed in on their moments.
Richmond Park braced for a collapse. Kian Leavy refused to accept it.
Four minutes later, he lit the place up. Picking up the ball wide on the right, he cut inside Parsons and unleashed a superb curling effort from distance that arced beyond Walters and into the far corner. A stunning goal, and a lifeline at 3-2.
Forrester’s farewell, but no late rescue
The goal injected noise and belief back into the home crowd, and the roof almost came off when Chris Forrester emerged from the bench on 67 minutes. Alongside Ryan Edmondson, he entered to a rousing ovation for his 455th appearance in a St Pat’s shirt – a record-extending outing, and his final one for the club.
It felt like the script was being written for one last Forrester moment. The game, though, refused to play along.
St Pat’s never fashioned another clear chance. Bohs, managed smartly by Alan Reynolds, tightened their shape, rotated fresh legs into midfield and defence, and simply refused to be drawn into a frantic finale. Substitutions on 75 minutes – Senan Mullen, Sadou Diallo, Harry Vaughan, and Douglas James-Taylor all introduced – helped lock the game down. Zane Myers arrived late to help see it out.
By the closing stages, the urgency had drained from the home side. The early verve, the first-half chances, Leavy’s thunderbolt – all of it felt a long way off as the clock ticked down and Bohemians held their line with calm authority.
A season’s verdict in 90 minutes
When Hennessy blew for full-time, the storylines were stark.
Bohemians, three points behind champions Shamrock Rovers, had come from behind in a derby to cement second place and secure a lucrative European advantage for next summer. They finished five points clear of St Pat’s and with a tangible reward for their resilience.
St Pat’s, beaten again at home by Dublin rivals, saw a bright season end with a whimper rather than a roar. European qualification remains an achievement. The manner of the run-in, and the sight of Forrester bowing out without one last piece of late drama, leaves a lingering question: when this derby rolls around next year, which club will carry the momentum?
