Alan Reynolds is demanding a response from his Bohemians players in the Dublin Derby away to Shamrock Rovers tomorrow evening.

After improvements in performances and results in recent weeks, eighth-placed Bohs squandered a golden opportunity to put some distance between them and ninth-placed Drogheda United on Friday night.

Frantz Pierrot’s first-half goal was enough for Kevin Doherty’s men to claim victory, which closed the gap between the sides to five points.

Reynolds said: “We went into Friday’s game on the back of a positive few weeks and knowing what was at stake so our performance was very disappointing.

“We didn’t start the game in the way we set out to do. We weren’t good enough in that first 25-minute spell and we allowed Drogheda to punish us by not dealing with a ball at the back post, which gave them something to hold on to and to frustrate us.

“Despite our performance not being where it needed to be, we had more than enough chances to level the game and push on.

“We just can’t be passing up that amount of chances in this league. There was no lack of effort, but we simply have to be more clinical in front of goal.

“It was a frustrating night for us all round, particularly because we had been improving in recent weeks.

“We know it was a lost opportunity for us to put some breathing space between ourselves and Drogheda. That has given us a lot of work to do, so there needs to be a response from all of us.”

Reynolds’ men haven’t had much time to dwell on what went wrong, with focus quickly turning to tomorrow’s trip to Tallaght Stadium.

But they know there will need to be a big improvement at what has not been a happy hunting ground for Bohs sides in recent years, with their last victory at the Dublin 24 venue coming in 2019.

They do, however, come into this game on the back of beating Stephen Bradley’s side in their last two meetings, both at Dalymount Park; first in the FAI Cup in July and then in the league earlier this month.

Reynolds added: “We have shown we can beat them and we will be going to Tallaght very much in that mindset.

“On the pitch and in the stands we have risen to the occasion against the Dublin clubs over the past month but we are under no illusions that this is going to be the most difficult one yet.”

Team news

Bohemians are without the suspended Jordan Flores. Leigh Kavanagh, forced off on Friday due to illness, remains a doubt but Adam McDonnell could return.

James McManus, Filip Pisczek, Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.

Alan Reynolds says Bohemians have been approaching tomorrow’s game against Drogheda United as being the biggest game of their season so far.

Reynolds’ side have had a positive few weeks, progressing to the semi-final of the FAI Cup, winning a Dublin derby and drawing twice with league leaders Shelbourne.

It has been a welcome period after a disappointing league campaign this season, but Reynolds insists his side cannot rest on their laurels and has demanded further improvements.

He said: “For me this is the biggest game of the season so far and that’s how we have approached it all week.

“Drogheda have shown what they are capable of in the last while. They’re in the semi-finals of the cup, have had some really good and have scored a lot of goals in the process. They have good players and they have a system that works really well for them.

“So this is a massive game for us to see where we are. We have had some really good performances ourselves over the past number of weeks but we are striving to improve further still.

“You can’t have a good few weeks and be content with that. We have to keep improving, we have to keep striving to turn those draws into wins.”

Bohs come into this game buoyed by their biggest win of the season, a 4-0 victory away to UCD in the FAI Cup with a brace from Ross Tierney and late goals from Alex Greive and Martin Miller.

Bohs dominated the opening period to the extent that they would have been frustrated that it took them until the 34rd minute but in the end it was a comprehensive result, and a sense that lessons had been learned from the previous round’s lucky escape against Kerry.

Reynolds said: “We scored four goals and secured a clean sheet last week. We were dominant early in the game but for all the chances we had, it took us a while to make the breakthrough so we still need to be more clinical.

“But it was a professional performance. We know how difficult it can be in cup ties from the previous round, so we’re delighted with the result and the support we had from out there too.

“It would have been easy for the fans to get frustrated when it took us a little longer than we had hoped to get a breakthrough but they stuck with us, and the players responded to that encouragement and thankfully were able to reward it with a really strong win in the end.”

Team news

Dawson Devoy returns from suspension. Adam McDonnell (ankle) is close to a return but this game will come too early for him, while James McManus is ruled out with a knock.

Filip Piszczek (ankle), Keith Buckley (knee) and Rob Cornwall (knee) remain out.

Alan Reynolds says Bohemians’ performances in recent weeks are a cause of optimism but says they will have to improve even further to get past UCD in their Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup quarter-final at the UCD Bowl tomorrow.

Bohs go into the game after what many fans feared would be a gruelling run of league fixtures, with home and away encounters against table toppers Shelbourne sandwiched either side of a Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers.

But Bohs shared the points with Shels on both occasions, and claimed all three at home to Rovers.

Reynolds’ side went into that run under pressure on the back of a bruising 3-2 home defeat against Waterford having led 2-0, and needed penalties to get past Kerry in their last-16 tie in the FAI Cup.

And that result in Tralee alone will have focused the minds ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Belfield to take on William O’Connor’s Students, who are flying high in the First Division in second place, eyeing promotion through the play-offs and who went to the Showgrounds and claimed a 2-0 win against Sligo Rovers in the last round.

Reynolds said: “We are pleased with our performances over the last number of weeks but there is nobody in there patting ourselves on the back.

“We still have a lot of work to do, and we were disappointed we couldn’t turn those draws against Shelbourne into wins because I think we are top in both.

“But they were very good performances, with a lot of good play and positives to take out of all three games, and I think that our supporters can see now what we are capable of and we are all working towards.

“This will be another difficult game though. We are coming up against a very good team in UCD, and we will have to improve our performances even further because they are a confident side, in good form and flying high in the First Division.

“They have excellent young players and they have experience there too. You only have to look at their result away to Sligo Rovers in the last round to see how good they are, so we have analysed them extensively, and we know we will have to respect them.

“They are at home, they will have looked back at our game against Kerry and will be looking at this game as another big opportunity for them, so it is up to us to be at the very top of our game.”

Reynolds will be without the suspended Dawson Devoy after he picked up yellow cards in both the previous rounds as the FAI today confirmed that the Independent Appeal Committee rejected Shamrock Rovers’ latest appeal regarding his eligibility for Bohs’ second-round win in July.

But Bohs will also be without midfielder Adam McDonnell and striker Filip Piszczek, who are both sidelined with ankle injuries, with Reynolds adding: “It’s disappointing for both of them. Adam has been a really important player for us over the last while, and he’s been really in form.

“He was forced off against Shels last week and the good news is that it is not as bad as it looked on the night, but he will still be out for a number of weeks, and it is a big blow for us losing a player of his quality.

“It’s very unfortunate for Filip too. He got a really important goal for us against Shamrock Rovers two weeks ago and he wanted to build on that but he took a knock to his ankle later in the game and unfortunately that is going to rule him out for a number of weeks now too.

“So we are missing important players in Dawson, Adam and Filip, and we need those who come into the team to step up to the challenge now. We’ve had a positive couple of weeks but we need to build on that.

“We’ll bring another massive crowd over with us for this game and everyone comes into the team, and everyone on the pitch and off it, knows how big this game is for us. We all have our part to play.”

Team news

Dawson Devoy is suspended, and Bohemians are also without Adam McDonnell and Filip Piszczek, who are both suffering with ankle injuries. Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.

The Bohemians breakfast club had Dalymount Park rocking on Sunday morning and Alan Reynolds is hoping his side can build on that when they host Shelbourne at the more familiar time of 7.45pm on Friday night.

Sunday’s 11.30am kick-off saw Bohs claim the Dublin derby bragging rights when they came from behind to beat Shamrock Rovers 2-1 with goals from Ross Tierney and Filip Piszczek.

That win was a long time coming and the final whistle was met with delight and relief, but Bohs will have their work cut out to build on it when league leaders Shelbourne make the short trip from Drumcondra to provide the opposition at Dalymount Park.

The sides drew 1-1 at Tolka Park just a fortnight ago, with Reynolds’ men frustrated that they couldn’t find a winner.

But Reynolds expects Shels to come bursting out of the traps early at Dalymount tomorrow and said: “Listen, this is going to be a really tough test for us. Shelbourne are top of the league for a reason and I expect that they will come to Dalymount to have a real go at us.

“They are not going to come here to sit off, they’ll come and attack us, so we have to be ready for that.

“We have had a couple of really good performances now and we performed well against them two weeks ago but we will have to be better than that again because Shelbourne have real quality that can hurt you.”

After a difficult season in the league, the draw against Shelbourne and win against Rovers have been causes for optimism.

Reynolds said: “We have players who believe and buy in to what we are trying to do and what we are building towards.

“That hasn’t been easy when results were not going our way but I have to give credit to the group, they keep working harder and harder every week.

“They really wanted to give the fans something to cheer about on Sunday and obviously winning a Dublin derby has given everyone a lift, fans and players.

“That’s what we want every week – we want it to be a springboard for us between now and the end of the season so it’s important now that we continue to build and grow.

“But our players are flying in training, a derby win is the confidence boost and shot in the arm that we needed and one that I think our players deserved.

“We rode our luck at times but we grew into the game and we had our supporters behind us egging us on again, which is really important.

“The winner came from two substitutes too, which was pleasing as it shows that we have players who can come in and make a difference when games are in the balance.

“It was a massive goal for Filip, and he will want to build on that now, but it was a perfect cross into him from Jordan too, and it was great to have him back in the team.

“Those two are obviously champing at the bit to start now, and we have James Akintunde back this week too so we have options, and as a group there is a determination there and a belief in what we are trying to achieve.”

Team news

Martin Miller is away on international duty with Estonia, but James Akintunde returns from injury.

Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.

Alan Reynolds says Bohemians gave a glimpse of what they are capable of last week and has challenged them to build on it tomorrow morning when they host Shamrock Rovers in the Dublin derby at Dalymount Park.

After a bruising couple of weeks where they surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Waterford and needed penalties to scrape past Kerry in the FAI Cup, Reynolds’ men showed their mettle when they travelled to Tolka Park last Friday to take on league leaders Shelbourne.

They were frustrated that they could not find a winner despite long spells in the ascendancy but there were plenty of positives to take from the 1-1 draw.

Reynolds said: “We came out of last week’s game disappointed that we didn’t win it but very pleased with the performance.

“It was a great goal from Danny Grant to put us ahead but it was frustrating that we didn’t manage to hold onto our lead again.

“The most pleasing thing after that though was that we settled and didn’t allow our heads to drop. I felt that we really went after the game and we played some good stuff.

“Obviously the lads’ confidence had taken a knock after the manner of the cup game against Kerry and the defeat to Waterford.

“There is huge pressure playing the league leaders when heads are down a bit but we showed what we are capable of. We need to build on that fast but we can take confidence from how we performed.

“We had chances to win it but came up against a goalkeeper in form. If you look back on the game, there was only one team trying to win it in the end.”

But the fixture list doesn’t get any easier with another Dublin derby, this time at the unusual time of 11.30am on Sunday morning.

Reynolds added: “As I said last week, this is a very important period for the club. We are playing some of the top teams in the country over the course of the next month and it is vitally important for us to get points on the board.

“Our league form has been disappointing and we know how good Shamrock Rovers are so it is up to us to show how good we can be.

“The last time we played Rovers at Dalymount in the cup, the place was hopping and everyone was right behind the lads from start to finish, which helped get us over the line.

“Against a team as good as Rovers we will need that again, and I have no doubt we will as these games mean everything to everyone at the club whether you’re a fan or a player.

“I’ve no doubt our fans will have their alarm clocks set for early tomorrow to make sure they are in good voice in time for the early kick-off, and we all want to give them something to sing about.”

Team news

Jordan Flores is available for selection once more but Bohs are sweating on the fitness of Alex Greive and James Akintunde.

James McManus and Jake Carroll are close to returning, but Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.