GALWAY UNITED claimed a first win at Dalymount Park in 13 years despite playing for more than a half-hour with 10 men.
Maurice Nugent gave the Tribesmen an 18th minute lead with Bohs’ first-half performance prompting Alan Reynolds to make three substitutions at the break.
But there was no marked improvement and Galway dug in after Karl O’Sullivan was sent off in the 58th minute for a second bookable offence.
Galway assistant boss Ollie Horgan – calling the shots from the dugout with John Caulfield suspended – said: The sending off played into our hands in a funny sort of way.
“We had to get the 10 men behind the ball whereas with 11 v 11 we were trying to push to get a second.
“I thought we defended well, we blocked crosses, we blocked shots and we limited them. It’s a good day, I don’t know when Galway won up here last.”
That was in 2011 but, although Galway overtook Bohs on goal difference with this win, Horgan said: “We need to kick on. The lads have a habit of, when they get a good result, they get carried away a little bit.
“I remember Finn Harps won the first three games of the season and they were talking about going to Europe.”
Bohs’ European ambitions look in poor health after the worst display since Reynolds took the reins in March and he warned things will have to change.
Reynolds said: “One thing for sure is that’s not acceptable. I am not trying to throw players under a bus – I will look at myself and reflect – but we have to be a lot better than that.
“It’s OK raising yourself for a Dublin derby and then you come in and give that? We have five/six weeks to get to a window and improve and make things better but I can’t fool anyone with that performance.
“I have given people a chance, no one can come back and say they’ve not had a chance.
“Everyone is on trial, these players either get better or we find better. I don’t want to be talking about moving players on, I just want them to get better.”
The goal came after McCarthy picked out Nugent with a throw-in. He played it back to McCarthy. Dylan Connolly tried to clear but it ricocheted off McCarthy into the path of Nugent and Connolly failed to stop him from cutting in along the byline.
The Ennis man decided to try his luck with a shot with Kacper Chorazka beaten at his near post.
It was a comedy of errors but Bohs could have had a penalty straight away. A corner was half cleared and Paddy Kirk was caught by a high foot by McCarthy as he prepared to shoot but nothing was given.
Galway had their own shout at the other end when Stephen Walsh went down when he and Jordan Flores collided but a free out was given.
And, after a loose pass from Flores, Bouba Keita was just outside the box when he upended David Hurley with the felled played unable to keep his free-kick on target.
Bohs had some half-chances with Adam McDonnell having an effort charged down and Kirk cutting inside and letting fly with an effort which did not unduly trouble Brendan Clarke.
But they continued to look vulnerable with Keita failing to deal with a kick-out from Clarke with O’Sullivan ghosting in behind Kirk to get his shot off but Chorazka was quick off his line to deal with it.
Luke Matheson, Martin Miller and Filip Piszczek were brought on at the start of the second half and helped up the tempo but still Bohs lacked quality, even after O’Sullivan was sent off for a foul on James Clarke, his second bookable offence.
The best they could muster was a James Akintunde header which did not trouble Clarke.
Reynolds sighed: “There is no fixture where I look at it and say, ‘We are winning that’.
“We could just as easily lose to Dundalk and beat Shelbourne, which we have done in the last few weeks. We need to find consistency and that might take longer than I thought.”
SUN STAR MAN: Rob Slevin (Galway United)
BOHEMIANS: Chorazka 5; Lilander 4 (Matheson 46, 6), Mills 6, Keita 5 (McDaid 64, 5), Kirk 6; Flores 5, McDonnell 5; Connolly 4 (Miller 46, 6), Clarke 6 (Reinkort 79, 4), Grant 4 (Piszczek 46, 6); Akintunde 6.
GALWAY UNITED: Clarke 7; Esua 7, Slevin 7, Brouder 7, Kazeem 6 (O’Keefe 79, 5); Nugent 7 (Borden 54, 5), Hickey 6 (McCormack 70, 5); O’Sullivan 5, Hurley 6 (Gaxha 79, 4), McCarthy 6; Walsh 7.
REFEREE: P Norton (Dublin) 5