A policy of 'same again' for Dundalk backfired in a major way as the FAI Cup holders suffered yet another disappointment in a very testing season with a 5-1 loss away to a Bohemians side inspired by former Dundalk player Georgie Kelly, who scored a hat-trick.

Confidence boosted by last week's win over champions Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk fielded the same starting XI in back-to-back league games for the first time in two years but that team were out of the race early on at Dalymount Park.

The Lilywhites found themselves 2-0 down after just 10 minutes and were unable to recover from that dismal start, even with Bohs playing the final 40 minutes with ten men after Tyreke Wilson was sent off, with time for that ten-man Bohs outfit to score twice more against a truly out of sorts Dundalk.

The win was badly needed by the home side and lifted them, even temporarily, out of the bottom half and into the top five, an added bonus from the fact that Kelly, whose confidence was low after a missed penalty last week, scored three morale-boosting goals, two of which he created while Scottish imports Liam Burt and Ali Coote stood out.

Kelly first struck against his former club after just five minutes, a move he started himself with a clever layoff to Burt who found Ross Tierney, and Kelly showed composure in the box to collect from Tierney, turn his marker and score past Alessio Abibi.

Bohs doubled their lead in the 10th minute, a superb free kick from full back Tyreke Wilson, their captain on the night in place of the absent Keith Buckley.

A tired looking Dundalk lacked bite, as James Talbot twice saved easily from David McMillan while at the other end Ross Tierney and Andy Lyons had chances.

Five minutes after the break Bohs were 3-0 up, a move started deep inside his own half by Kelly as he played the ball out to Burt and then worked his way into the box to connect with Burt's clever pass and finish past Abibi.

There was a blow for the home side within a minute when Wilson was booked for a second time, for a foul on Daniel Kelly, the response from Bohs to withdraw Tierney and throw on defender Anto Breslin to give cover and defend the lead.

Dundalk looked clueless as to making the most of that one-man advantage and conceded again, Kelly shrugging off his markers to head home from Coote's free kick on 63 minutes.

Dundalk, who also finished with ten men after Cameron Dummigan picked up a second yellow card with 15 minutes left, tested James Talbot a number of times before he was finally beaten by Greg Sloggett's effort on 81 minutes, and Bohs had time for one more goal, sub Promise Omochere with a well-struck finish in injury time.

Bohemians: Talbot; Lyons, C Kelly, Feely, Wilson; Devoy, Levingston (Ward 76); Coote, Tierney (Breslin 53), Burt; G Kelly (Omochere 71).

Dundalk: Abibi; Dummigan, Boyle, Shields, Jurkovskis (Leahy 55); Stanton (Murray 65), Zahibo (Sloggett 55); Kelly (O'Kane 75), McEleney, Duffy; McMillan (Junior 55).

Referee: Ben Connolly.