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The Bohemians secured European football for the second season in a row with a sweeping 3-0 win over Cork City in Dalymount Park on Friday night.
The Phibsboro team moved within five points of league leaders Shamrock Rovers and mathematically remains in the title quest with three games remaining.
A goal in each half for Andre Wright, on either side of a spectacular Danny Grant finish, saw Keith Long side in what was an easy win.
City, led by Colin Healy following the dismissal of Neale Fenn on Thursday, now have only four games to escape automatic relegation – trailing Finn Harps by two points.
The Turner’s Cross academy director relied on the youth, with under-19s Ricardo Dinanga, Uniss Kargbo, Cian Bargary and Jake O’Brien all starting.
Their pace of work couldn’t be faulted, but they had already given up a number of chances when Andre Wright broke the deadlock in the 16th minute.
Wright blew one of those opportunities in three minutes when a good pass from the game left him with a close-up view of the goal, but he was deflected from behind.
From the resulting corner, former City defender Dan Casey leaped headlong into goal and Mark McNulty reacted well to hit the crossbar.
Dawson Devoy threw a wide volley, Promise Omochere shot straight at McNulty and Rob Cornwall threw the ball open during a busy opening period.
It was only a matter of time before Bohs made the breakthrough and they split Cork’s defense once more when Omochere played a deft one-two with Conor Levingston.
The winger, replacing Kris Twardek at sideline after the Canadian was sold to Polish Jagiellonia, slid the ball through Wright, who knocked down a defender before conceding.
Four minutes later, the score was 2-0 and Levingston again intervened centrally, taking the ball in the chest with his back to the goal and hooking the ball over his shoulder for Grant.
Grant, fresh off a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Shelbourne last week, showed his confidence when he saw McNulty out of his station and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper from 25 yards.
However, City kept their heads high and came within inches of halving the deficit when Cory Galvin’s impressive shot bounced off the top of the bar.
They were also the best team early in the second half, and Cian Bargary forced a save from a Gearoid Morrissey cross before Ricardo Dinanga fired wide.
However, the locals were clinical and scored with their first chance of the half when Dawson Devoy crossed for Wright to double with a header off the back post.
McNulty was forced to make another quick save to deny Andy Lyons, the full-back scooped the ball deep into the Cork half and sent a searing shot into the top corner.
Morrissey and Bargary had attempts to land off target and an attractive cross from Galvin was almost thrown off the back post by substitute Henry Ochieng, but City’s imprecision in front of goal remains.
Bohemians: James Talbot; Andy Lyons, Rob Cornwall (Michael Barker 79), Dan Casey, Anto Breslin; Keith Buckley (JJ Lunney 79), Conor Levingston (Keith Ward 66), Dawson Devoy; Promise Omochere (Ross Tierney 75), Danny Grant, Andre Wright (Dinny Corcoran 75).
Cork city: Mark McNulty; Uniss Kargbo, Joseph Olowu, Jake O’Brien, Kevin O’Connor; Gearoid Morrissey, Dale Holland, Cory Galvin (Cian Murphy 87); Ricardo Dinanga (Sean Kennedy 66), Cian Bargary (Henry Ochieng 79), Deshane Dalling.
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