BOHEMIANS were crowned Division
One champions in Ozier Park on
Wednesday night last when they came
out on top against Southend United.
A lone strike from Dillon Griffin just
after the hour mark was good enough to
win the silverware for the red and blacks.
They dominated the opening 45
minutes but had nothing to show for
their efforts.
Gary Wallace made the United
goalkeeper Sean Walsh work after three
minutes with a snap shot from the edge
of the penalty area.
Ten minutes later Dillion Griffi n took
off on a strong run from just inside the
halfway line before fi ring in a shot from
20 yards and again Sean Walsh was up
to the task posed as he tipped the ball
around his left upright.
Andy Phelan was dreadfully unlucky
not to score on 28 minutes. He cracked in
a shot from 25 yards which looked destined
for the net but the ball came back
off the crossbar. It struck Sean Walsh on
the back of the head and somehow came
back off the goalkeeper’s left upright.
It certainly was a big let off for the
Tangerines. Damien Kelly did have a
half chance for Southend before the
interval but the opportunity went astray.
The same player tried his luck with
an angled shot from the right side of the
penalty area two minutes into the second
half but his effort went wide of James
Grogan’s far upright.
proved to be the golden goal arrived
on 61 minutes.
Andy Phelan went on a strong run
towards the Southend penalty area.
The ball broke off a United defender
and rolled into the path of Dillion Griffi n
who still had a lot of work to do but he
managed to curl the ball past Sean Walsh
from just inside the left side of the 18
yards box.
Bohemians almost cemented their
triumph on 79 minutes through Andy
Phelan but not for the fi rst time Sean
Walsh displayed a safe pair of hands in
between the Southend posts.
The tiring Southend team very nearly
levelled matters with four minutes
remaining.
David Croke sent over a menacing
cross from the right which was met by
Adrian McEvoy but he clipped the top
of the crossbar with his header at the
back post.
The victors went close once again
with the last action of the contest. Dillon
Griffi n struck the woodwork after
taking a pass from David Barrett. Willie
O’Callaghan, the chairman of the Waterford
Junior League presented Dillon
Griffi n with the Man of the Match
award and the Bohemians captain Conor
McArdle (who put a holiday in Madrid
on hold to play in the fi nal) accepted the
Sheridan Cup on behalf o f
his colleagues.
BOHEMIANS: James
Grogan, Dean Hayes,
Andrew Reid, Luke Brown, Callum O’Neill, Andy
Phelan, Dillon Griffi n, Conor McArdle, David Barrett,
Alan Curran, Gary Wallace.
SUBS: Adam Doheny for Hayes (83 mins) Jermey
Goldsmith for Wallace (88 mins)
SOUTHEND UNITED: Sean Walsh, Liam
O’Rourke, Jonathan Sheridan, Paul Devereux, Kevin
Gahan, Barry Phelan, David Croke, Alan Fitzgerald,
Paddy Dooley, Damien Kelly, Jamie McDonald.
SUBS: Adrian McEvoy for McDonald (64 mins)
Chris Dempsey for Dooley (77 mins) Stephen
Vereker for Kelly (84 mins)
REFEREE: Paul Butler. Assistants. Noel Purcell
and Christopher Maher.
