And the beaming Kelly, who now has 12 goals to his name this season, could not hide his delight after those efforts were recognised.

The 24-year-old, who joined at the start of the season from Dundalk having spent 2020 on loan at St Patrick’s Athletic, said: “It means a lot. A little personal accolade to collect.

“But it’s correlated with how the team has been performing and the chances we are creating.

“As we improve throughout the season, we are creating more chances, scoring more goals and getting more results.

“It would be nice to get a European goal, I haven’t got one yet. So it would be a nice little bonus.

“We are all itching to go. We have been playing well recently so we are going over with a bit of confidence and really looking forward to the two legs.”

Kelly’s overall performances in the opening stages of the season were good – his link-up play and overall contribution did not get the credit he deserved – yet it took him a little longer than he had hoped to find his scoring boots.

He has really found his groove over the past two months though – netting a hat-trick against his former club Dundalk, four against Drogheda United, a winner in the Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers and, most recently, the opener in the 3-2 win over St Patrick’s Athletic.

Kelly, from Tooban in Donegal, said: “It’s just about getting used to getting used to playing with new players. After a while, things begin to tick and the team kind of picks itself.

“It’s great playing with those five behind me. Ross Tierney in particular plays close to me. Having his legs behind me helps me a lot.

“Dawson Devoy is brilliant too for such a young player too. Who knows how far he can go or what heights he can reach?

“His performance against St Pat’s on Friday was probably one of his best of the season. He is a joy to play with and he is a Rolls Royce of a midfielder.”

Kelly played a bit-part role off the bench in Dundalk’s European qualifiers in 2018 and 2019 but this will be the first time he will be leading the line.

He said: “It is hard to compare. When you play in Europe the standards are all lifted and normally the games are more physical. Fitness and athleticism is all a step up but we will be well prepped.

“We are trying to work off momentum and I think we are still getting better. Because the team is so youthful, it is hard to know where we are at.

“Things can dip as we saw against Sligo. We are still learning and the season is only halfway gone. You can only judge us at the end of the season.”

Long, who had to contend with losing his three most attacking players last season – Andre Wright, Danny Grant and Kris Twardek – is equally delighted that Kelly’s efforts have been recognised.

Long said: “Georgie has got a lot of goals for us and was the natural choice across the league to be Player of the Month.

“I am delighted for him. He’s had highs and lows this year but we are delighted he has found his feet with us.

“He is playing with confidence, the team is playing with confidence. They’re creating lots of opportunities and Georgie’s been getting on the end of them.

“There have been some great team moves and team goals. Even at the start of the year, at the risk of repeating myself, Georgie was playing well. The goals validate some of those performances now.

“It took time for the team to gel. Our wide players are contributing now with assists to goals as are the boys in the middle of the park.”

And Long will be hoping that continues when his side take to the field at Stjörnuvöllur.

Bohs matched Hungarian side Fehérvár all the way in the Europa League last year before cruelly losing out on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

But the club’s previous excursion to Iceland nine years ago saw Bohs humbled by a second tier side Thor Akureyri. Despite taking the lead through Dave Scully, Aaron Callaghan’s side succumbed to a 5-1 defeat.

Captain Keith Buckley and Keith Ward are veterans of that trip, but Bohs on and off the pitch are in a much better place now.

Long and his backroom team have been busy since the draw was made doing as much homework on Stjarnan as possible.

Long said: “In the absence of being able to get to games, we have had to rely on video and one or two people on the ground who have been able to give us some information.

“The level of opposition is always going to be good in European competition. They are a big physical side, they are experienced.

“They have good technical players throughout and are a threat from set-pieces.

“We will have to perform to our very best, there’s no doubt about that to try to bring the tie alive back to the Aviva Stadium next week.

“It is something we have prepared for. We have had an eye on the opposition since the draw was made.

“Aaron Fitzsimons, our analyst, has done an unbelievable job pulling together all the clips and presentations for us. We have done as much due diligence on the opposition as we can but ultimately we have to go and perform.

“Stjarnan, albeit they have had an indifferent start to their season, we will have to put in a strong performance.

“Last year, against Fehervar, we played top quality opposition. Four of those players were in the Hungary squad for the Euros. One of them, Attila Fiola, scored against France.

“We are a different group this year though so we will have to adapt. We have some very young players in our squad but these are players that have played in the Uefa Youth League with the club, the likes of Ross Tierney and Dawson Devoy.

“We hope that those experiences and the experience of last year with the players who are still with us will stand to us. But we are in no doubt that the opposition are a good side.

“We have to make sure that our preparation has been as good as it can be. We want to give a good account of ourselves.

“It is a big challenge for us. On paper, we have a good chance of progression but Stjarnan will be feeling the very same way.

“We gave as good as we got. We scored some good goals and we deserved to win the game.

“That brings us into this week in a little bit of form and gives us that bit of confidence after we let ourselves down a little bit in Sligo last week.”

TEAM NEWS

Stephen Mallon (hip) a doubt and Promise Omochere (quad) misses out.

Tonight’s opposition top the table on goal difference ahead of Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers, with Bohs eight points adrift in fourth.

Long said: “This is an opportunity to refocus now. They have beaten us twice this season and we know how good a side they are.

“We had been on a good run prior to Sligo and it is important that we try to bounce back with a good performance.”

That defeat in the Showgrounds was a kick in the teeth for Bohs who went into the game in form with four wins in a draw from their previous five games.

But in an encounter that saw both defences carved open with unusual ease, it was Liam Buckley’s Bit O’Red who had their scoring boots on.

Bohs had an abundance of goal-scoring opportunities but could not – other than a Georgie Kelly effort that was controversially ruled offside – find the net.

Long said: “It was a chastening experience in the Showgrounds last Saturday as we struggled badly to follow up our wins here at home to Drogheda and Shamrock Rovers. The truth is we never got going, and were a little fortunate in the end that we did not concede more.

“It looked like we lacked energy and we did not play with the tempo and intensity of recent games.

“Sligo are a good side with good attacking players but we very much contributed to our own downfall, conceding some poor goals and failing to take the chances we created.

“I don’t want to take away from Sligo’s performance but it would have been interesting if the disallowed goal we got just after half-time had stood.

“Having watched the replay back numerous times, it’s difficult to see how Georgie is deemed to be offside and at 2-1 it would have been game-on having started the second half brightly.

“Instead, we conceded a bad third goal and were comprehensively beaten. It was a bad night for us and sometimes that can happen in football but it was not for the lack of effort from the boys.”

TEAM NEWS

Stephen Mallon (hip) remains a doubt.

The two meetings between the sides at Tallaght Stadium since then were both very close affairs from which Bohs emerged empty-handed.

Daniel Lafferty’s fourth-minute goal in September was enough to give the home side all three points.

And back in April, a bewildering refereeing decision at 1-1 when Bohs were in the ascendancy saw Rovers awarded a penalty from which they scored the winner, while James Finnerty was shown a red card for the same incident.

Dougie Bolger was the first fan in on Friday – Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Home fans in attendance in Dalymount will be hoping their vocal support can help their side over the line this time around.

Those lucky 100 aside, all other Bohemians will have to contend themselves from supporting the team from home on a stream once more.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and Long, his staff and players, have been all too aware of those fans every time they have taken to the pitch since football returned behind closed doors last August.

Long said: “It’s such a pity we won’t have more of a crowd in behind us for this considering the atmosphere the derby creates in Dalymount.

“But it was brilliant to have some fans back in the ground, even if it’s only 100 or so.

“They got right behind the lads on Friday, even during the warm-ups. It makes a huge difference having that support during the game and after it as well.

“The boys put on a bit of a display for them as well with a 5-0 win so we are pleased with that.

“Even though it is a limited number for now, it means a lot having them back in the stadium. We have really missed them.

“Dalymount is a special place to play football but what makes it even more special is when you have fans there; when the Jodi Stand is rammed with supporters right behind the team.

Georgie Kelly jumped top of the league’s goalscoring charts – Luke O’Riordan

“We have a team now that can excite supporters. We have a team with real talent and I think supporters will have enjoyed some of the performances we have put in here at home recently, so hopefully it won’t be too long before we can have more inside the ground.”

Long is right to say his side put on a display – Georgie Kelly grabbed the headlines with his stunning and deserved four-goal haul putting him top of the league’s goalscoring charts with 10.

But Bohs were purring in the middle of the park too, particularly in the second half after a more testing opening 45 despite going in at the break with a firm two-goal lead.

Ross Tierney was only on the pitch 69 minutes but in that time helped himself to four assists, propelling him to joint-top of the division assists chart with seven.

Still only 20, Tierney has been a standout performer this season having come through St Kevin’s, the Bohs-SKB U17s and the Bohemians U19s.

His replacement on Friday, 16-year-old debutant Jamie Mullins, will hope to follow a similar development path having started with St Kevin’s with their U9s and having won the league with the Bohs-SKB U17s last season under Derek Pender. He certainly did not look out of place on Friday.

Skipper Keith Buckley welcomes Jamie Mullins on for his debut – Stephen Burke

Long said: “Georgie got four goals on Friday and he was full value for them. His second goal was particularly important for us because Drogheda are a good side, they’ve been playing really well, and we needed that second goal.

“We certainly didn’t have it all our own way in the first half – Drogheda created chances. But we got ourselves 2-0 in front at half-time.

“We addressed a few things at half-time and we went out determined that we would get the next goal as that would be really important – and we went out and got it in 20 or 30 seconds.

“It was a brilliant goal by Liam Burt after some great work by Ross, who was immense in the build-up.

“Ross was fantastic throughout. He’s a great kid with incredible energy. He’s only 20 and still improving too, so he can only get better.”

Ross Tierney slips the ball through for Georgie Kelly’s opener – Stephen Burke

While the attacking players got all of the attention, Long was happy too with the side’s performance at the back.

Much has been talked about Bohs’ habit of conceding late goals – turning wins into draws and draws into defeats – too often at times this season, including the previous game against Derry City where Bohs conceded in the 93rd minute having taken the lead nine minutes previously through a wonder strike from Ali Coote.

Those lapses in concentration are at the back of everyone’s mind, so keeping a clean sheet was perhaps as pleasing as the goals scored at the other end.

One man central to that defensive display was Ciarán Kelly, who really has had to bide his time to break into the team since his arrival ahead of the 2020 season.

Last year he was a victim of the truncated football schedule necessitated by Covid-19 that cut the number of league games in half, and abandoned other opportunities for players to stake their claim, such as the EA Sports Cup and Leinster Senior Cup.

In all, he managed just 93 minutes of league football for Bohs in 2020 and an appearance in the FAI Cup against First Division Cabinteely.

Rather than take that disappointing return to heart, the former St Pat’s man seized the opportunity of a three-month loan spell with Ballymena United. He became a key man for David Jeffrey’s side in that time, featuring in 12 games and scoring once.

Since returning to Dalymount Park in January, injuries to Rob Cornwall and James Finnerty have seen the 22-year-old afforded his first extended run in the team. He has featured in 11 of Bohs’ 16 league games this season, starting nine of those, including the last five in a row.

Ciarán Kelly battles for possession with Chris Lyons - Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Long added: “It is important that we build a platform from the back where we don’t concede. We have dropped too many points late in games this year.

“We feel we should have more points than we have and there’s no doubt that the key to that changing is keeping clean sheets.

“Ciarán can play his part in that. It’s a good news story when you persevere and that when you get setbacks, you don’t roll over.

“Ciarán has come into the team and he has been really good. He hasn’t had it all his own way here at all – he has had to be very patient.

“It’s been tough for Ciarán at times but he’s come through it, he’s been resilient and he’s learning. He’s constantly improving and he’s getting the rewards for his performances now.

“He’s been quite consistent for us since coming into the team. He has shown that work ethic and tenacity to get his rewards when a chance to play came his way.”

TEAM NEWS

James Finnerty, who pulled out of the squad late on Friday due to tonsillitis, is available again as is Promise Omochere (quad).

Stephen McGuinness (arm) is rated 50/50, while Stephen Mallon, who shipped a heavy knock late on Friday night, will be assessed again ahead of the game.