With a week off competitive football, due to a disappointingly early exit from the FAI Cup, Bohemians have Jake Kelly (hamstring) fully fit but Anto Murphy (abdomen) is a doubt for Friday. Murphy “put his body on the line”, when he played through pain in the Tallaght draw two weeks ago.

Bohemians’ defence kept Shamrock Rovers to a single goal despite missing stalwarts Roberto Lopes and Derek Prendergast through suspension. Both return this week, though the manager must sit out his second game in the stands, completing a two-game suspension.

Bohemians’ long-term injured – Derek Pender, Dan Byrne and Marc Griffin – remain out.

Partly through necessity, some squad members have had game-time in recent weeks after months on the bench. Dylan Hayes and Jason Caffrey have had chances and Long will aim to give these and others game-time between now and the end of season.

“Dylan has come into the team and done well. I was pleased how he played against Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers. We’ll take it one game at a time but I’m sure there will be opportunities for players between now and the end of the season to make a claim for next year,” Long said.

“There are six games left, and there is a bigger picture, but our goal is to get the maximum points from the remaining games. We’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that but we’ll also have one eye on what might take shape for next season.”

Following a disappointing brace of results against Bray Wanderers, Long was pleased to see a much-improved performance against Dundalk last Friday. “I thought it was a good all-round team performance against the likely Champions. Obviously it was disappointing to concede so late on, but overall we can be nothing but pleased with the performance,” said Long.

With a win, a loss, and last week’s last-gasp draw against the reigning Champions / Champions Elect, Bohs have shown they can stand toe to toe with the best in the country. “We’ve shown in most of the games against the teams above us that we can compete. The players know that on their day, if they perform to their maximum, we can match any side in this league,” said Long.

“We’ve proven to be a thorn in the side of Dundalk this season, and it shows us that we’re not a million miles off if we can add to the squad wisely over the Winter months.”

With a raft of injuries as well as suspensions to two key leaders (Roberto Lopes and Derek Prendergast), this game gives some Bohemians players a chance to step up to the plate in the biggest game in Irish football.

“We’ll miss characters like that – Roberto has been outstanding this year along with Derek, who’s been an unsung hero for us. He’s been the consummate professional since he came to the club,” said Long. “But it’s an opportunity for other players to come in. It’s a great game to be involved in – and I’ve asked the lads to make sure that they don’t let Saturday pass them by.”

As mentioned above, Bohs will be without the suspended duo of Roberto Lopes and Derek Prendergast, with manager Keith Long also in the stands as he starts a two game touchline ban. Defender Anto Murphy is likely to miss the rest of the season with a groin injury. Jake Kelly (hamstring) is rated as highly doubtful, with Robbie Creevy and Jason Caffrey 50-50 to be fit in time for Saturday. Eoin Wearen returns to the squad following a concussion. Derek Pender (achilles), Marc Griffin (cruciate) and Dan Byrne (knee) remain on the longer-term injury list.

Seeing the draw for the quarter-finals was “salt in the wound”, said Long, as he considered the prospect of a home tie against Killester United.

“We just have to dust ourselves down and make sure we’re right for Friday. It’s another big game and we’ll try to give our supporters something to shout about and get behind the team.”

Long aims to have his team find again the approach that brought such good returns. “We have to try and enjoy the game again and play with the courage we showed in the early part of the season,” he said. “We need to get back to having a go at teams, and being defensively organised.”

After a first series of league games in which Bohemians were largely injury-free and suspension-free, they have had several major set-backs, notably the long-term sidelining of Derek Pender, Marc Griffin and Dan Byrne.

Now midfielders Eoin Wearen (head injury) and Robbie Creevy (knee), who missed the cup match last weekend, remain out. Jake Kelly was cup-tied for the Bray game and now he is out with a hamstring injury from the earlier league match against Bray, while Anto Murphy is sidelined with an abdomen injury.

Despite this, Long insists that Bohemians “want to finish the season as strongly as we possibly can”. The squad is focused on getting the maximum return from the remaining eight games.

“We have committed to each other that we will give everything to every game. That’s the least that the team and the club deserve and we’ll see where that takes us,” Long said.

“Some games we haven’t been good enough to break down the opposition even when we’ve dominated the possession. It’s a learning curve and we are already planning ahead. But we won’t dilute the team in the coming games and we’ll be giving it a right go to the end.”

However, Monday’s defeat cost Bohemians not only potential points, but also injuries to two midfielders, Robbie Creevy (knee) and Eoin Wearen (head). Their injuries unsettled Bohemians’ approach to Monday’s game and both will be out for Friday. So too will recent recruit Jake Kelly, who is cup-tied.

Long paid tribute to the Bray players for battling hard through two changes of management. Bray have won six of their eight league games since the summer break, gaining nine points on Bohemians. However, it would take extraordinary circumstances to change Bohs’ league position as there are still 11 points separating them in fifth place from Bray in sixth.

“You’ve got to give the Bray players huge credit. They work extremely hard and we won’t take them lightly. We didn’t do soon Monday. I wasn’t surprised at Bray’s performance, but I was disappointed with our own.

“I would expect our players to give a good account of themselves because they know how important this game is to us as a group and to the club in general.

“The players will need no extra motivation and that’s going to be a big factor on Friday. I feel it will come down to which team that shows greater desire and I hope that will be us.”

Karl Moore missed the last league game through sickness, but he returns for Friday. Derek Prendergast, Anto Murphy and Keith Buckley, who were rested on Monday, are also available. Derek Pender, Marc Griffin and Dan Byrne remain out with long-term injuries.

Bohemians and Bray have already met four times this season, as they did in 2014 and 2013. In these 12 matches in three competitions, Bohemians have won eight. Bray’s last win in Dalymount Park was in October 2013.

“The players recognise where we have to improve. We’ve got to get back to being difficult to beat. The last couple of games we’ve been very open to play against, and that’s something we’ll try to solve.”

Long had always anticipated there would be “low moments as well as high moments” and he is looking to “hard work” and “a strong performance” from the players to secure a win on Friday and ensure more high moments.

The Bohemian manager saluted the fans who continue to “believe in the honesty of this group”, and particularly those who made the journeys to Cork and Limerick.

“We didn’t give them value for money and we’ve got to build back that trust with them on Friday night. We’ve got to make sure we leave nothing on the pitch.”

Long insisted that Bohemians still have a lot to play for in the league despite their position between the groups above and below them, with a six-point margin on one side and nine-point gap on the other.

“We’ve got to win every match we possibly can. We owe that to the supporters, to the club and to ourselves,” he said. “The club is moving forward on and off the pitch and we’re not going to carry anyone who doesn’t buy into what we’re trying to do.”

Bohs’ 4-3 defeat in Limerick last weekend had a strange echo of a result last May against Friday’s opponents, Galway United.

Having started the league campaign conceding only seven goals in 12 games, Bohemians scored three but let in five in Galway.

That night, Derek Pender was missing and, last Friday, he and Lorcan Fitzgerald were both out. “We’re making no excuses but we have really missed our full-backs. These are two of the best full-backs in the country,” said Long.

He has had to shuffle his back line repeatedly due to Pender’s absence since June, then Anto Murphy’s injury and his later suspension and, more recently, Fitzgerald’s hamstring injury.
For this Friday, Fitzgerald returns, as does Eoin Wearen, who was out last weekend with an ankle injury from the Cork game two weeks ago.

Goalkeeper Lee Steacy returns to the squad having missed last weekend due to a training injury on his hand.