BOHEMIANS climbed to second thanks to their biggest home win in 20 months.
Douglas James-Taylor’s first goal for the club – on his first appearance at Dalymount Park – plus two in 10 minutes from James Clake were enough to put Galway United to the sword.
Although they had twice won 3-0 on the road since, it was their largest margin of victory in Phibsborough since defeating Cork City 4-0 on the final day of the 2023 season.
They are now eight points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers, with a game in hand, although Derry City can leapfrog them if they beat Sligo Rovers.
The next league game for Alan Reynolds’ side is away to the Candystripes on Friday week with both sides looking to establish their credentials as the Hoops’ main challengers.
For Galway, it is about trying to stop the rot. They have won just two of their last 12 games.
They had taken three points here in March but that was thanks to two goals by Moses Dyer who had since left.
His effective replacement Malcom Shaw was handful here but is not as clinical. This was his fifth appearance and he has yet to score. He went close with a bicycle kick from Jeannot Esua’s cross.
And his physical presence did give Galway an outlet in the first half at least.
Esua was involved in Galway’s only real other opportunity of the first half when his path deflected nicely into the path of Ed McCarthy.
Kacper Chorazka was alert to the danger and raced off his line to block. The ball came to David Hurley but his chipped effort went wide.
But Bohs had the bulk of the ball and more chances. From Chorazka’s goal kick following Hurley’s shot, Greg Cunningham misdirected a defensive header.
That allowed James Clarke to nick the ball, he shifted the ball on to his left, and then back on to his right and tried to curl one into the far corner but Evan Watts made a good save.
There was nothing he could do when James-Taylor stroked the ball across his goal but a deflection off Esua helped it onto the post and the danger passed.
Earlier, Rob Slevin had headed behind when Dayle Rooney thumped the ball into the ground from Adam McDonnell’s cross when he would have hoped to have made a cleaner connection.
But perhaps a bigger concern than not getting a goal in the opening 45 minutes was the departure of Rob Cornwall – who missed the rest of last season after tearing his ACL on the opening night – through injury.
His replacement Leigh Kavanagh was the unlikely source of an assist for the opening goal in the 47th minute.
After Walsh had failed to trouble Chorazka, Kavanagh was allowed to carry the ball over the halfway line without anyone making an effort to dispossess him.
The centre-half played it into James-Taylor who had his back to goal. Again, Galway stood off, giving the striker the time and space to swivel and rifle the ball into the bottom corner.
He almost turned provider in the 55th minute when he won the ball ahead of Galway debutant Aaron Bolger.
He prodded the ball forward with Clarke getting ahead of Cunningham whom he left trailing in his wake. The shot which followed was good but, again, Watts thwarted the Meath man.
Clarke then teed up McDonnell in front of goal but, as he moved to pull the trigger, Slevin made a block.
But Bohs doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute when it was a case of third time lucky for Clarke who scored with a tap-in after good work by McDonnell and Dawson Devoy.
It was 3-0 10 minutes later. Devoy carried the ball forward before slipping in Clarke who cut inside one of the substitutes Garry Buckley before letting fly into the far corner.
Cillian Tollett went close to a consolation goal after coming on but his header struck the bar.
SUN STAR MAN: James Clarke (Bohs)
BOHEMIANS: Chorazka 7; Byrne 7, Cornwall 6 (Kavanagh 39, 7), Flores 7; Rooney 7 (Mountney 85, 5), Devoy 8, Morahan 7; McDonnell 7 (Buckley 76, 6); Tierney 7 (Whelan 76, 6), Clarke 9; James-Taylor 8 (Parson 85, 5).
GALWAY UNITED: Watts 7; Esua 7, Slevin 6, Cunningham 5 (Piesold 67, 5), Burns 5; Hurley 5 (Brouder 67, 4), Borden 5 (Buckley 67, 4), Bolger 5 (Thiam 77, 5), McCarthy 5 (Tollett 85, 5); Walsh 5; Shaw 7.
REFEREE: R Harvey (Dublin) 6
