That question will be dealt with by Alan Reynolds and his staff in the coming days but for now, the Bohs boss will enjoy the huge relief that comes with a first win in 10 games, following back-to-back draws. After a dismal first-half effort, Bohs battled back to take victory with the game’s crucial moment coming via a 69th-minute penalty converted by Douglas James-Taylor which also led to a sending off for ex-Bohs man Rob Cornwall.
The Dundalk camp, who went away frustrated by the slew of yellow cards that came their way, did their best to get back into the game and almost had a late equaliser of their own, only for a superb Bobby Burns shot to be kept out by Kacper Chorazka. Bohs then pounced on the counter in injury time to add a third goal, from sub Zane Myers.
Dundalk took the early initiative when Aodh Dervin’s seventh-minute shot was saved by Chorazka, while, soon after that, a good run down the right wing saw Daryl Horgan do all the approach work well but no one was in the box to meet his cross.
Dundalk came close on 23 minutes, when Eoin Kenny burst forward on a counter-attack and played in Tyreke Wilson, whose first attempt was stopped by Patrick Hickey but the Bohs defender gifted the ball back to Wilson who fired a snap-shot over the bar.
The home side were growing in confidence and took a deserved lead on 34 minutes. The move was started at the back by Cornwall, the ball broke for Gbemi Arubi who shrugged off his marker and played a perfectly-timed pass for the run by Dervin who fired home his first goal of the season.
Bohs had no response as Dundalk went for blood, Kenny firing in a cross for Arubi which was met just in time by Chorazka, while just before half time Arubi tried his luck with a lob from long range when he saw Chorazka off his line but the effort sailed over the bar.
Reynolds reacted to what he’d seen and made three changes at half time, though Dundalk were forced to replace captain Horgan at the break and his leadership was missed. Two of the Bohs subs combined to set up the equaliser on 49 minutes, Sadou Diallo involved as Douglas James-Taylor dinked the ball to Ross Tierney and he beat Enda Minogue from close range.
The key moment came 20 minutes later when with Bohs now in the ascendancy, the home side went a man and a goal down, as Cornwall was given a second yellow card for a push in the box on Tierney and James-Taylor stroked home the penalty.
Dundalk were now struggling to show the power they’d had in that first half as Bohs’ experience showed, though Burns almost snatched an equaliser.
Their chase for a goal had them stretched in added time as Bohs broke free, Devoy had time to pick out his pass to sub Myers and he slotted home. It was a second successive home loss to a Dublin club for Dundalk ahead of an ominous visit next week by another, leaders Shamrock Rovers.
DUNDALK: Minogue; T Wilson, JR Wilson (Gaxha 82), Cornwall, Burns; Buckley (Warren 68), Dervin; Kenny, Teahan (McDaid 68), Horgan (Groome 46); Arubi
BOHEMIANS: Chorazka; Morahan (Power 46), Todd (Kavanagh 57), Hickey, Byrne; Devoy, McDonnell (Diallo 46); Tierney, Rooney, Vaughan (James-Taylor 46); Whelan (Myers 77).
REF: A O’Dowd