Alan Reynolds says Bohemians’ inability to break down Derry City last week was an all-too familiar story of their season.

Bohs had an opportunity to salvage something from a disappointing season when they hosted Derry City at Dalymount Park in an FAI Cup semi-final but fell well short of the performance required as Ruaidhrí Higgins’ side ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.

A brace from Michael Duffy was the difference between the sides but Reynolds concedes it was all too easy for the Candystripes, and that Bohs failed to rise to the occasion.

Bohs had good reason to be aggrieved with Derry’s opener, with the referee awarding the softest of free-kicks five minutes before half-time, which Duffy duly rifled home.

But the frustrating reality is that they never looked like getting back in the game in the 58 minutes that followed.

It doesn’t get any easier for Bohs tomorrow as they travel to Foyleside to take on the same league and cup double-chasing opposition once more, this time on their home patch.

Reynolds said: “It was an extremely frustrating night for our supporters to say the least. We had well over 60% possession but we huffed and puffed with it, and we never tested their goalkeeper.

“That’s just not good enough. We know we are lacking an out-and-out striker but players need to step up to the challenge and we didn’t do that on Friday.

“It has been a disappointing season for the club. Last Friday was an opportunity to salvage something for ourselves and for our supporters, and there’s no shying away from the fact that we fell well short of what was required. In a cup semi-final, you have to be so much better than that.

“The supporters are obviously deflated. We wanted to give them something back after the season we’ve had but we didn’t live up to the occasion.

“We’ve seen in flashes this season when we give them something to cheer about that they respond to that and get right behind us but we didn’t give them anything to cheer about last week. That has been too often the case, so the frustration is well understood by all of us.

“Their opening goal was obviously a killer, we didn’t feel it should have been a free-kick but we allowed our heads to drop instead of fighting back. We didn’t do anywhere near enough to try get back into the game, and we have all had to reflect on that and we need to learn fast from that.”

That need to learn fast cannot be overstated with Bohs, currently in eighth position, in a battle for points to remain ahead of Drogheda United.

Reynolds said: “We have a big couple of weeks ahead of us. It will obviously take supporters a long time to get over the disappointment of last week, and that’s on all of us.

“But as a team and backroom team, we don’t have that time. We don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves.

“We can’t turn back the clock on what’s gone before us this season. We are in a battle between now and the end of the year. There’s no hiding place, and to a man we have to stand up and be counted.”

Team news

Bohemians are without the injured Leigh Kavanagh, James Akintunde, James McManus, Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley, while Martin Miller is away on international duty with Estonia.