“On Monday, we deservedly put a number on Dundalk and we were delighted with how clinical the team were on the night.

“It would have been easy for the team to lament the concession of a late goal in Inchicore last Friday when a superb team performance did not translate into points on the board, so in that context, our performance was really excellent and full of character.”

Georgie Kelly was the man of the moment as he went home with the match ball after a perfect hat-trick – left foot, right foot and header – in the 5-1 win against his former club.

Long said: “It is fair to say that Georgie needed the confidence boost and despite his overall performances being very good it is always good when your striker gets on the scoresheet.

“I think the reaction of the dressing room after the game when Georgie came in with the match ball spoke volumes as to the esteem he is held within the group and I hope Georgie will continue to grow in a Bohs jersey.”

Both the result and classy style of play were all the more pleasing given key men in midfield and the heart of defence were missing.

Long said: “Equally as pleasing was the team performance minus our captain Keith Buckley and vice-captain Rob Cornwall through injuries.

“To a man, the boys stepped up and despite whatever difficulties Dundalk may be experiencing at this time they are still a squad full of quality players so nothing should detract from what our boys did on the night.

“Rory Feely was majestic at centre=back and, alongside Ciarán Kelly who was also excellent, restricted Dundalk attacking threats to a minimum.

“Andy Lyons was superb at right-full and fully deserves his Ireland U21 call-up along with Dawson Devoy, whose performances defy his tender years and his development as a footballer of real substance is there for all to see.

“Conor Levingston coming into the engine room after a period out of the team again epitomised the collective spirit within the group.

“It can be difficult to come in and perform after a lengthy lay-off but I thought Conor was fantastic and again reminds us of the quality he possesses and what he offers the team.

“An unassuming character, Conor is made of the right stuff. Ali Coote and Liam Burte continue to improve and show their qualities. The lads have real quality on the ball, and both have the ability to create and score goals which is a real asset for the team.”

Bohs may once again be without senior men Buckley and Cornwall who are both rated as doubtful, while Tyreke Wilson, who took the captain’s armband in their absence and score Bohs’ second on Monday with a thunderous free-kick, sits this one out as a result of the two yellow cards he picked up in the game.

Long said: “The only blemish on the night was the dismissal of Tyreke for two yellow cards having scored a brilliant free-kick and captaining the team on the night.

“I can understand why the referee deems the first tackle a yellow but for me that was a good, strong challenge and if we are taking that out of the game we might as well become basketball or some other non-contact sport.

“I’m not proportioning blame to the ref as he has to adhere to the Laws of the game. The second yellow for a tug on the jersey is very harsh but again the referees are dictated to by the laws. There is no allowance for commonsense in such scenarios and we just have to accept it and move on.

“A silver lining in this for us is the fact that we have Anto Breslin chomping at the bit to play and his contribution coming on for the sacrificed Ross Tierney shows you what type of character he is. Anto has never let us down, in fact he has been brilliant since he arrived at the club and was excellent when called upon and will continue to be a very important member of this team.”

TEAM NEWS

Tyreke Wilson is suspended while Keith Buckley (leg), Rob Cornwall (ankle) and James Finnerty (wrist) are doubts.

Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) could be named in the squad for the first time.

Winger Liam Burt, a closed season arrival from Celtic, has also been a key man in Bohs’ upturn in form with a keen eye for goal.

Liam Burt: “I have three goals now but the main thing is trying to help the team win.

“We take huge confidence from the last two games. We had a rocky start to the season but we can take confidence from those two performances.

“Before the second run of games we had a group discussion and thought of it as a fresh start. We got the three points from the first game, which obviously boosted our confidence. But we are just taking it one game at a time.”

Manager Keith Long was also encouraged by the recent performances.

He told Ríomhaire Teilifís Bóihéamach: “We had a really good win against Longford last Saturday. Another clean sheet and another decent team performance.

“We had a particularly good first goal with quality build-up play from Dawson Devoy and Tyreke Wilson, and Liam finished it off with a wonderful strike.

“Liam has shown in previous games that he is capable of that and we are looking forward to working with Liam to continue to try and get the most from him along with others. Ali Coote got another goal too. That’s three in two games from him playing on the right-hand side.

“Two wins, two clean sheets. That brings us into the St Pat’s game. We are looking forward to the game now. We have a little bit of confidence.

“It’s a Dublin derby. Form and league positions go out of the window in a Dublin derby.

“Pat’s have had a great start to the season. They are up there near the top of the table. It is a tough place to go at the best of times but it is a good place to go and play football.

“The pitch is always good in Richmond. We are looking forward to it and hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves and get a win if we possibly can.

“It won’t be easy, it will be difficult. But we go there in a positive frame of mind and we are looking forward to the game.”

TEAM NEWS

Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) is Bohemians’ only absentee.

“I am happy playing on the wing or in the middle, and I’m more of a goal threat the further up the pitch I am playing.

“We felt that the performances have been there in previous games but we just weren’t clinical enough to turn them into results, which has been very frustrating.”

With nine new signings, it has taken time for this team to gel, with Coote one of those to arrive over the closed season.

House-sharing with fellow new boys Georgie Kelly, Liam Burt and Stephen Mallon has assisted him in settling in at the club, although he bemoaned that he is left to ‘do all the cleaning’.

Some of those new boys have started to show what they are capable of, now the next test is to see if they can do it week in, week out.

And reminding themselves of the last time they faced tonight’s opposition should serve as a timely warning about how a failure to be clinical up front can see you punished.

When these sides met in Dalymount Park in March, Bohs were coasting at 2-0 at half-time and bossed the game for an hour. But given the chances they spurned, their lead could and should have been double that.

And they paid the price when Longford’s supersub Conor Davis capitalised on sloppy play to snatch a share of the spoils.

Last weekend’s composed and clinical performance against Harps is, hopefully, an encouraging sign that Bohs have found their groove both up front and at the back.

But nobody will get carried away by one result. They know they have to be right at it from the off.

Coote added: “The challenge now is to keep that intensity up and to be consistent in every game.

“In previous games, we were giving away silly goals too so it was important for us to get a clean sheet too.

“We were conceding from set pieces so we have worked really hard in training to eradicate that.

“We want to build on that result and the clean sheet, and push on.”

TEAM NEWS

Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) remains out.

“Recent performances at home to Derry and away to Drogheda sum up our season to date. We have looked good in spells but a lack of incisiveness, and basic errors at critical times have cost us with the concession of late goals in both games.

“This has been a trend in many of the games over the first round and we need to improve our output in the last third of the pitch and eliminate the basic errors.

“I believe in our boys, I believe we are better than what we have shown so far this season. We are not making excuses and are not looking for excuses.

“We need to improve and only by remaining together we will do so. I understand supporters’ frustrations and trust me, we all very much share those. However we must stay together and only by doing so we can overcome this period.

“We have made great strides in recent years both on and off the pitch. Progress is never linear and sometimes you have to take a step back in order to move forwards. Now more than ever we need our supporters to get behind this team.

“I know they can’t be with us in Dalymount and we hate not having them in the Jodi. I know also that they would not accept some of our displays.

“But I can absolutely tell you we are doing everything we can to improve results, improve performances and we will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of becoming a better team. We feel pain but are not broken, and we need to use that pain to drive us forward.”

This evening Bohs welcome Finn Harps to Dalymount Park.

Ollie Horgan’s side have proved difficult opponents in recent seasons and have won the two most recent meetings between the sides.

Long said: “We start the second phase of games like we did the first against an extremely organised Finn Harps team that have many good players in their ranks with real threats around the pitch in every position.

“Games against Harps are always challenging and they will test you in every facet of the game. They work extremely hard, are well organised and play to a system that really suits the attributes of the team. They will come to Dalymount with confidence and we will need to be absolutely on our game to get a result.”

TEAM NEWS

Bastien Héry is available for selection once more. Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) is continuing with his recovery but is still a number of weeks off.