Bohemians fall to Shelbourne defeat to hand title to Shamrock Rovers

League of Ireland Premier Division: Bohemians 0 Shelbourne 1 (Odubeko 85)

Shamrock Rovers are the League of Ireland champions for 2026 after Bohemians lost to Shelbourne in the same way St Patrick’s Athletic were caught by John Russell’s side last Friday at Richmond Park.

The sound of stunned silence was punctured by the 800 Shelbourne fans among a 4,425 attendance at Dalymount Park when Mipo Odubeko scored the game’s only goal in the 85th minute.

It was a classic sucker-punch as an increasingly desperate Bohs piled forward in search of a winner that would take the title race to the final Friday.

Odubeko put aside his injury-disrupted few months with a fourth goal of the season. But it is one that will be remembered as it allowed the visiting supporters celebrate like they were bringing silverware home to Tolka Park.

Back-to-back victories in Dublin derbies away from home is not a bad way to end a disappointing campaign.

Across town at Tallaght Stadium, the party could finally begin as Dylan Watts made it 4-0 to Shamrock Rovers against Sligo Rovers.

Before kick-off, the Shelbourne ultras in the Mono stand unfurled a banner that stated in block capitals: “F**k Dalymount.” The neighbours from Drumcondra felt this was an appropriate way to mark the last match at the old ground before the floodlights are removed ahead of a €64 million revamp.

Bohs will remain at Dalymount until next summer, playing games on Saturday afternoons before moving between Richmond Park, the RDS and the Aviva Stadium until construction of their 8,000 capacity venue is complete.

The current estimate has them returning to Friday nights at Dalymount in 2029.

Eight days before Halloween, kick-off was delayed by seven minutes as both sets of supporters launched rockets and lit flares that left the pitch shrouded in smoke.

“If any more objects are thrown on the pitch the referee has said that the players will leave the pitch,” said the stadium announcer. “This game is going out live on Irish television so can we have some behaviour from the Mono stand please.”

The opening 45 minutes lacked the intensity of recent Dublin derbies, particularly Rovers 2-1 defeat of Bohemians on October 12th and Shels 2-1 defeat of St Pat’s last Friday.

Bohs captain Dawson Devoy was suspended for the rest of the season, after being found guilty of violent conduct against Rovers, so Sadou Diallo was tasked with running midfield alongside Jordan Flores.

Alan Reynolds’ was forced into another significant change five minutes before half-time when Zane Myers replaced the injured Ross Tierney.

Myers brought energy down the right wing, even hitting the post before Shelbourne’s Sean Moore almost scored down the other end. Moore’s shot just cleared Paul Walters crossbar.

The usually ebullient Jodi Stand went quite before the second-half began as news filtered through from Tallaght that Adam Brennan had scored twice to give Shamrock Rovers a 2-0 lead.

Inevitably, the game turned into a ragged, end-to-end affair as Shels repeated the trick that ended St Pat’s title challenge by soaking up Bohs aimless attacks and hitting them on the break; Daniel Kelly almost got on the end John Martin’s low cross before Kerr McInroy shot straight at Walters.

Reynolds telegraphed an agricultural end game by replacing Diallo with Patrick Hickey. The big American slotted into defence but it seemed only a matter of time before he was sent into the Shelbourne box as a target man.

But the long ball approach never happened. Shels manager John Russell, perhaps sensing the ploy, withdrew a midfielder in Jonathan Lunney and added another striker in Odubeko.

Bohemians missed Devoy. There is nobody like him in the League of Ireland. Capped last summer by Heimir Hallgrímsson against Canada, the 24-year-old makes his team tick.

An exchange of views near the Bohs dugout prompted referee Robert Harvey show Shels fitness coach Mauro Martins a red card.

Reynolds kept pushing for a goal to take the title race to the last Friday, when Bohs face St Pat’s at Richmond Park and Rovers play Dundalk at Oriel Park. On came Senan Mullen, Collie Whelan and Latvian international Markuss Strods.

Seconds later Aaron Greene made it 3-0 to Rovers in Tallaght. Watts added the fourth to give Stephen Bradley’s men their sixth Premier Division title in the 2020s.

Meanwhile, down the other end of the table, Waterford beat Drogheda United 3-1 at the RSC to allay concerns about a relegation playoff ahead of their FAI Cup final against Derry City on November 8th.

Bohemians: Walters; Power, Byrne, Tood, Burke (Mullen 73); Diallo (Hickey 58), Flores; Tierney (Myers 34), Vaughan (Strods 73), Parsons; James-Taylor (Whelan 73).

Shelbourne: Beach; Kelly, Lunney (Odubeko 68), Casey, Ledwidge, Norris; Moore (Bone 87), Henry-Francis, McInroy, Caffrey; Martin (Boyd 84).

Referee: Robert Harvey.