“They have a nice balance of experience and some talented young players coming through and will have ambitions on building on last season.

“It will be another tough game – our games against Sligo are always difficult and generally very close affairs.”

In fact the same can be said of Bohs’ opening five fixtures of this campaign – a draw and four 1-0 results.

Bohs came out on the right side the two most recent of those – away to Dundalk and then away Waterford – but lost out to Finn Harps in Ballybofey on the opening night of the season and again to St Pat’s in our last outing at Dalymount.
Long said: “After our defeat against St Pat’s in our last home game, I referred to the fine margins we have experienced so far this season.

“The same could have been said for our win in Dundalk where we came out on the right side of the result – a result which could have very easily gone the other way. The point is that we have not been a million miles off, despite not playing at our best.

“Against Waterford, we didn’t play anywhere near how we did in Dundalk but still kept a clean sheet and a win. Our performance was a bit flat, we didn’t create enough and our use of the ball was slow. Overall it was quite the contrast to the performance in Oriel Park.

“Our performance levels have to improve on Waterford but we hope the injection of confidence provided by back-to-back wins will lead to better performances and, by extension, improved results.

“We will improve as the season goes on and we will get more consistency in our performances. The attitude of the players has been excellent and we are all working very hard to get better.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohs are likely to be without Andy Lyons (hamstring) and Bastien Héry (ankle) once more.

Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) remains out also but there was some good news as he returned to training last week, while Promise Omochere (knee) and Conor Levingston (calf) were named on the bench against Waterford for the first time this season.

Long added: “It is pleasing to see some of the long term injuries return to training. Conor played 60 minutes in a recent behind-closed-doors friendly against St Pat’s and Promise Omochere is back training now on a full-time basis, which means he is closer to returning to playing competitive games.

“Stephen picked up an unfortunate metatarsal injury in pre-season but is back to light training now. He is a number of weeks away from playing but is making great progress and working extremely hard. He is doing everything right in order to get back playing and to make an impact at the club.”

But Scottish midfielder Coote, 22, says he will have little inside knowledge facing his former club, such has been the high turnover of personnel there under new manager and former Ireland international Kevin Sheedy, including the addition of former Bohs man Oscar Brennan as club captain.

He admitted: “I have no idea what to expect from Waterford! There has been a huge turnover of players. There are only a few left from when I was there last season.

“I enjoyed my time there, we did well last season. The RSC is a good place to play football with a good pitch. We are just looking forward to going down there and hopefully building on our performance last week against Dundalk.”

That performance in Oriel Park saw Bohs claim their first win of the season after a tricky opening to the season, which saw them pick up just one point from their first three games.

It was a hugely improved performance and deserved victory. Bohs created plenty of chances, but it was Georgie Kelly’s first-half penalty that was the difference between the sides.

Coote said: “We just clicked on the night – everyone was at it. We deserved the result. We knew going up there that they were a good side. They have been one of the best sides in the country for a number of years.

“But the gaffer told us to put in a performance we could be proud of and I definitely think we did that. If anything I thought we could have gone and scored more.

“We passed it about more, and that suits me personally as I get to show my qualities. The challenge now is to build on that performance and to try to get a run going.”

That victory marked 21-year-old Wilson’s debut in a Bohs shirt as he was chosen ahead of Anto Breslin, who had started the three previous games.

Breslin was an ever-reliable last season, so left-back is one of a number of positions where there will be healthy competition.

Wilson, who was on the books of Manchester City before joining Waterford, said: “I’ve had to be patient. The gaffer has been good to me though.

“There have been a lot of new players so it was always going to take a little while to get used to each other but we showed what we are capable of against Dundalk.

“It’s all about building momentum. We can take a lot of confidence as a team and hopefully we can go on a run.

“We are training well together too so hopefully we can bring that into the next few games.”

Wilson had Bohs fans cursing him when he stepped up and fired home a stunning free-kick that sealed that victory for the Blues back in September.

If a similar opportunity arises this evening, will he be putting his hand up again?

“Yeah, definitely! I fancy myself with free-kicks – I always practice myself after training. It’s something I have in my locker so if the opportunity presents itself yeah I’ll definitely be trying to take it and to score,” he added.

TEAM NEWS

Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) remains out.

Andy Lyons, who came off with a hamstring injury against Dundalk, and Bastien Héry (ankle) will not be risked.

But Promise Omochere (knee) and Conor Levingston (calf) come back into contention.

Long explained: “Andy came off with a tight hamstring last week so we won’t risk him for this game, especially as we have two games next week.

“Unfortunately Bastien went over on his ankle late in a training game so he is unavailable for us this evening.

“The good news is we have Levo and Promise back. Promise is looking really sharp and both of those will be with the squad this evening.”

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.”