BOHS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK

shelbourne-bohs

PREVIEW: SHELBOURNE v BOHEMIANS (Easter Monday, Tolka Park, 7pm)

Bohemians meet north Dublin rivals Shelbourne on Easter Monday when both teams will be determined to come back from heavy defeats on Friday.

Manager Aaron Callaghan found some encouragement from aspects of his team’s performance against league-leaders Sligo Rovers and his counterpart Ian Baraclough acknowledged their 3-0 win was “not a drubbing”.

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“For long periods of the game I thought we played well, and moved the ball well,” said Callaghan. “The early goal was a kick in the teeth but we responded well and we were back in the game for 25 minutes after that. But we didn’t pass and move it as quickly as we would like and we’ve got to work on that.”

That work begins immediately with Monday’s clash with Shelbourne who have, according to Callaghan, been “performing well, but losing by a goal here or there, rather like us at the start of last season”.

The Bohemian manager fully expects Shelbourne to improve.

“They have a lot of experience through the side with players like Glenn Cronin, Paul Crowley, Graham Gartland and Philly Hughes. But then, every team in this league has the potential to turn over any other.”

Bohs and Shels had exactly the same satisfactory result, a scoreless draw, in their recent matches against Shamrock Rovers, suggesting they may be more closely matched than the league points indicate.

In last season’s encounters, the sides won one match each, both away from home, and drew the third match at Dalymount.

Bohemian goalkeeper Dean Delany and defender Stephen Paisley will be making a quick return to Tolka Park after signing from Shelbourne in the off-season. Paisley made his Bohemian debut on Friday as a half-time substitute for Owen Heary.

Heary, a long-serving and inspirational leader at both clubs, will miss this north Dublin derby due to a knee injury which caused that substitution. Chris Lyons remains out for Bohemians with an ankle injury.

Website by Simon Alcock