A superb display, arguably the best of Roddy Collins' term in charge, catapulted Bohemians to the top of the Premier Division table at Tolka Park last night.

Goals from Glen Crowe, Paul Byrne, with a delightful free-kick, and Jamie Harris wrested Derry's leadership in clinical fashion.

A competitive and tight game, for the opening half-hour at least, came to life in the fifth minute when a free-kick conceded by Derry captain Peter Hutton for a foul on Crowe almost cost his side a goal; Bohemians skipper Mark Dempsey hit the 25-yard effort over the wall and narrowly wide of David Platt's left-hand post.

Derry came to play and they exposed the Bohemians defence five minutes later from a Johnny McIvor free-kick that wasn't cleared. Liam Coyle picked up the loose ball only to miscue his shot and striker Harris, back helping his defence, cleared.

With several earlier errors having gone unpunished, it was no surprise that one led to Bohemians taking the lead three minutes later.

A long ball over the top should have been cleared by Darren Kelly, but he hesitated and Crowe punished him by nicking the ball and calming shooting past Platt for his second goal of the season.

That merely gave Bohemians further impetus and they attacked Derry with relish, fully deserving their second goal which arrived 30 seconds before the interval.

Stephen Caffrey pulled down Eamonn Doherty about 22 yards out and in a variation of their earlier set-piece, Dempsey stepped over the ball this time for Byrne to curl it with his right foot onto the inside of Platt's right hand post. There was little let-up by a rampant Bohemians in the second-half and they should have added two further goals before the hour.

Kelly again erred as he missed a cross from Byrne within five minutes of the re-start, but recovered admirably to take the ball off the toe of Harris.

But Bohemians weren't to be denied a further goal and it duly arrived on 69 minutes when Harris rose well to plant a firm header, from Byrne's cross, beyond Platt's reach.

BOHEMIANS: Russell; O'Connor, Maher, Mullen, Brunton; Byrne, Hunt, Caffrey, Dempsey; Crowe, Harris. Subs: Lawlor for O'Connor (inj half-time), Swan for Harris (79 mins), Crawford for Dempsey (82 mins).

DERRY CITY: Platt; McCallion, Hutton, Kelly, Hargan; Doherty, Quigley, Hegarty, McIvor; Coyle, Beckett. Sub: Moran for Quigley (60 mins).

Referee: H Byrne (Dublin).