Dundalk have been the pacesetters for the best part of the last decade but Ward is undaunted and is looking forward to taking on his former club.

He added: “Every game in this league is tough. Dundalk are a top side and it’s great game to look forward to.

“Like us they only have one point from three games. They have a lot of unknown players but they still have good quality too.

“But we have a real chance to turn things around too. We just have to stick with each other.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohemians are once again without wingers Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) and Promise Omochere (knee).

In reality, the interval lead could have more than double that such were the opportunities the home side created in an exciting first half performance, and Bohs continued to dominate proceedings until the 65th minute or so.

Ultimately, it was another unfortunate lapse in concentration that turned this game on its head – Bohs’ efforts to clear the ball from a dangerous position were too casual, which allowed Longford Town supersub Conor Davis in to claw one back.

From a position of being outplayed for much of the game, Longford’s tails were up and they sensed blood – and it was Davis again who swooped in at the back post to claim a share of the spoils for the visitors.

Long said: “Tomorrow’s game is a chance now for us to show our mettle. There is no doubt that we are all disappointed with our results and performances in the opening two games and there would be no better way to get our season fully up and running with a win against St Pat’s.

“We squandered a two-goal lead last week despite having the better of the play for most of the game. We should have been a goal or two more to the good before conceding the first goal.

“We looked nervous after that and Longford to their credit took advantage. We will need to improve and it is important that we do not come away from the values that have served us well in recent seasons.

“It will take time for new players coming to a new club with different demands being placed on them but the basics of the game remain the same, and need to be respected.

“There have been some positives in the form of Ross Tierney over the opening two games and it was great for Georgie Kelly to open his account for the club – on another day he could have had a hat-trick.”

Bohs will be aiming to build on those signs of encouragement when Stephen O’Donnell’s Saints come to Dalymount Park.

St Pat’s have started well with four points from their opening to games – a draw away to Shamrock Rovers on opening night and a win at home to Drogheda United last Saturday.

Long added: “We know it will be very difficult against a Pat’s side who will be brimming with confidence after their last-minute winner against Drogheda last week.

“But we understand the task ahead. Our focus is on trying to win the game. We must do the basics well, work hard, be aggressive and function as a team. If we can do that we will give ourselves a chance to win.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohemians are without Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) and Promise Omochere (knee).

Conor Levingston (calf) and Bradley Rolt (hamstring) are back in contention.

The senior squad, managed by Seán Byrne, was hastily assembled last season after the club’s application to join the WNL was belatedly accepted.

It was the first part of a building process he hopes will grow further this season as Bohs aim towards being the club of choice for women footballers in this country.

While they finished bottom of the table last term, they did so with one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams in the league.

It was a tough learning curve but one he hopes will stand to them this season.

Tomorrow, they host Treaty United, who finished one place and four points above them last season, at Oscar Traynor.

Byrne said: “This is a very strong league with the likes of Peamount, Shelbourne and Wexford ahead of the rest last year.

“We are one of four clubs in Dublin – UCD Waves have strengthened too – and our team is still very young.

“It is a long process to get up to those standards – we still have a lot of building to do. But the experience they had last season will stand to them.

“We have to be realistic but we want to build an environment where our players can fulfil their potential.

“We had a very young team but the likes of Chloe Darby, Abbie Brophy, Ciara Mulligan and others were thrown in at the deep end and showed what they are capable of.”

Bohs’ ranks have been bolstered by new arrivals: Goalkeeper Niamh Coombes, defenders Erica Byrne, Claire Conlon, Jade Reddy, defender/midfielder Isobel Finnegan and striker Naima Chemaou.

Byrne added: “We are happy that the players that we have brought in will add quality to the team. We are hoping to do well.

“They are good additions, Chemaou was with Peamount and an underage international. Erica played gaelic football for Kildare last year, switched codes last year and has looked excellent in pre-season.

“Jade is an underage international who has come in from Peamount, and Isobel is another ex-underage international who has returned from the US.

“We have the benefit of the U19 League starting this year too which will help with bringing players through by bridging the gap between U17s and senior football, and giving us an opportunity to give game-time to young players on the fringes of the team.”

Midfielder Sophie Watters, joint captain with defender Chloe Flynn this season, is already seeing a difference in the competition for places in the team this season.

The Dundalk woman said: “Last season, we were late coming into the league as a club, so we were late coming together as a team.

“We were young and maybe a little bit naive. We feel we can improve now with last season under our belts.

“With the new players coming in, you can already see the difference in training already – we have really good competition for places and we are all pushing each other.

“As a team we are going to try our best to improve on last season – we want to concede fewer goals and score more, and hopefully build from there.”

Prior to Watters’ stint with Crusaders in the north, her previous stint in the league here was with Shelbourne.

She believes the league, and women’s football in general, has come on leaps and bounds in that period.

She added: “You can definitely see that the profile within the three years since then has improved so much.

“The standard within the league keeps getting better and better, and the profile is growing too, with the live streaming this season adding to that.

“It is an exciting time to be a part of it.”

Four of those started in Ballybofey with full debuts handed to Rory Feely, Ali Coote, Liam Burt and Georgie Kelly, while Thomas Oluwa was introduced in the second half.

And Long believes that the more competitive games they play together, the more cohesion we will see, as they look to get back to winning ways against newly-promoted Longford Town, who will come into the game confident after their opening night 2-0 win over Derry City.

Long said: “The relative stability of last season has been replaced this year with change.

“To finish second last season, qualifying for Europe for the second year running with the youngest team in the country is evidence that we are making progress.

“We try to look at change as a positive and an opportunity but there is no doubt that we lost some key players from last year, which are not so easy to replace.

“Time will tell, but we hope we have recruited well and brought the right characters to the club. It takes a certain type to fill a Bohs jersey and it will squeeze out those that look for shortcuts.

“But with nine new players in a squad it will take time for them to settle in. Pre-season went reasonably well but only competitive games can bring cohesion to a team.”

As well as the five who featured in Ballybofey last Saturday, Tyreke Wilson, Bastien Héry, Bradley Rolt and Stephen Mallon, who is currently sidelined, have yet to be thrown into the mix.

Long said: “Of the new players coming into the club, we have looked to try and strengthen all areas of the team if possible.

“Sometimes that can be difficult in this league and replacing so many key players can be an exhausting process but, as in many other seasons before, we hope that we have brought players to the club that can help us improve.”

As well as the new recruits, Long has also promoted from within.

He said: “We have made progress at academy level with Bohs-SKB with eight of our high potential young players signing their first professional contracts at the club.

“It is important for me as manager to have the ability to look within and I believe we have an exciting crop of young players coming through – that extends to some of the players that we currently have in our system not on professional contracts.”

While there has been a lot to be positive over the closed season as the club strengthens for the future, the continued but necessary absence of supporters from stadiums continues to simultaneously frustrate and motivate Long and his players.

He added: “We cannot forget the suffering that people have gone through in this pandemic with the loss of so many loved ones to this horrible virus, with the real toll on our society yet to be seen.

“But, in my view, football is the most important of the least important things. It is our promise that we will try and represent our club and its people as best we can on the pitch until such a time as we can get supporters back into grounds and filling out Dalymount once more.

“It is different, it is not the same, and is almost unnatural to a degree not having them behind us. We understand and are cognisant of how lucky we are to be in a position to do what we love.

“But I long for the day we see supporters, families, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, back where they belong – in Dalymount wearing the red and black of our great club.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohemians are without Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) and Promise Omochere (knee).

Conor Levingston (calf) and Bradley Rolt (hamstring) have both trained well and could come into the reckoning.

Neither Andy Lyons nor Dawson Devoy featured for the Ireland U21s in Wales today so they may be included also.