Alan Reynolds wants his Bohemians side to give fans something to cheer about tonight when they play their first game in Dalymount Park in a month.

Bohs have had two draws on the road since the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division returned following its mid-season break.

First, they drew 0-0 away to St Patrick’s Athletic a fortnight ago and last week they drew 1-1 away to Galway United.

Now Reynolds wants his side to turn draws into wins when they return to Dalymount Park tonight.

He said: “In the last two games, I think we have had some really good spells but we have to have them for longer and keep going for the whole game.

“That’s something that we are working hard on but I think we have seen improvements overall in our last couple of games, both of which were away from home.

“We’re back in Dalymount for the first time in a month now, so we want to build on those improvements at home in front of our own fans.”

Bohs’ last home game four weeks ago was one of frustration.

Reynolds’ side took the lead against Derry City through Danny Grant in the 15th minute but that last just three minutes and they eventually succumbed to a 94th-minute goal that saw the Candystripes claim all three points.

And they face another tough challenege against a Sligo Rovers side who have picked up some notable victories in recent weeks.

Reynolds said: “We are at home and we want to win and give our fans something to cheer about.

“We’re playing a good Sligo Rovers side who have some really good players as they’ve shown with their wins against Shamrock Rovers and Derry City in their last couple of games, so we know what we are up against.

“We have to focus on our own game though and keep building towards where we want to be.”

There has already been a lot of change in the month since Reynolds’ side last played at home.

Ross Tierney (Motherwell), Leigh Kavanagh (Brighton), Archie Meekison (Dundee United) and Alex Greive (St Mirren) have been added to squad, while Bart Kukulowicz, Michael Lilander, Sten Reinkort, Luke Matheson and Luke Dennison have departed, and Divin Isamala has gone out on loan.

Reynolds added: “We’ve had four new players in now over the past couple of weeks and I feel that we are in a better place.

“We are getting them up to speed and we look forward to getting them involved. Ross Tierney obviously came off the bench last week and did well, and they will all have big contributions to make.

“Alex Greive is the latest to come in this week. He has looked very sharp and bright in training all week, so we are looking forward to getting him involved and seeing what he can do.”

Team news

Jordan Flores and Jake Carroll are doubts, while Brian McManus, James McManus, Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.

Alan Reynolds was encouraged by Bohemians’ first game after the league’s mid-season break and hopes his July reinforcements can drive his side up the table.

Bohs and St Pat’s played out what was an entertaining and open Dublin derby at Richmond Park last Friday despite the game remaining scoreless.

Bohs had in-form goalkeeper Kacper Chorazka to thank for keeping St Pat’s at bay but will also feel they created enough opportunities to get on the scoresheet themselves.

Reynolds said: “I thought we played some good stuff at times and there was a lot to be encouraged by but there were areas where we know that we need to get better at and work harder at.

“It was a good game, and a draw was probably a fair result. Kacper Chorazka had some good saves but we created chances too and on another day we could have won it.”

Reynolds knows his side will have to be more potent in front of goal when they travel to Eamonn Deacy Park tonight to take on one of the meanest defences in the league – only league leaders Shelbourne have conceded fewer goals than John Caulfield’s men.

Reynolds said: “We know what we are going into down in Galway. They are a good, strong team with good management. Anything we get down there will have to be well earned.

“But we have a really good week and a good week’s training, so we are all looking forward to it.”

Bohs have made three additions to the squad in the July transfer window with fans’ favourite Ross Tierney returning from Motherwell, Leigh Kavanagh joining from Brighton and midfielder Archie Meekison signing from Dundee United.

Reynolds is pleased with what he has seen so far, and has stated that he hopes to strengthen further in the coming weeks.

He added: “The lads we have brought in are looking good, and we know that we needed to strengthen and we will continue to look to strengthen.

“Obviously Rossi has been with us a few weeks longer, and he has done really well in training. The aim is obviously to have them involved in the squad and playing sooner rather than later.”

Alan Reynolds hopes the mid-season break can act as a reset for Bohemians as they look to get back to winning ways and to push back up the table.

Bohs headed into the break on a sour note when they conceded an injury-time goal to lose 2-1 to Derry City at Dalymount Park a fortnight ago.

That defeat leaves Bohs in eighth position in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division, albeit with games in hand, in many cases several, on all the teams ahead of them.

Reynolds has been busy making changes to his squad in recent weeks as he looks to tackle the second half of the season head-on.

Bart Kukulowicz, Michael Lilander and Sten Reinkort all had their contracts terminated by mutual consent, while Luke Matheson returned to Bolton Wanderers after his loan spell came to an end.

One major arrival was announced last week, with Ross Tierney returning from Motherwell. He featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against TNS at the Oscar Traynor Centre on Monday, where Filip Piszczek scored both of Bohs’ goals in a 2-1 win, but he will have to wait until the transfer window opens on Monday before he can play in a competitive game.

Reynolds expects to announce further additions in the coming weeks but for now, his focus has turned to getting the better of his former mentor Stephen Kenny at Richmond Park.

Tomorrow’s opposition are three points ahead of Reynolds’ men but have played four games more, and St Pat’s come into this game buoyed by a 96th-minute winner at home to Shamrock Rovers a fortnight ago.

Reynolds said: “Stephen will have St Pat’s well prepared but we will be as well. We have our own game-plan and we have worked on a lot of things.

“Richmond Park is a great place to play football and there should be a great atmosphere, so everyone is looking forward to it after last weekend off.

“St Pat’s had a good result, scoring in the last minute, so they went into the break thriving on that so I’m sure Stephen will be looking to build on that.”

Reynolds comes into this game having addressed 250 of the club’s members at a members forum on Wednesday where he was joined by assistant manager Stephen O’Donnell and first-team coach Derek Pender.

It was the first opportunity for Reynolds to meet with the club’s members after his appointment at the end of March.

He said: “It was important to do. It was something that we wanted to do since I came in and we felt after the mid-season break was the right time to do it.

“It’s easy to do those things when things are going well but there is frustration there, which we get. There is frustration from everybody, so it was important to have that first conversation with our members and tell them what we are here to do.

“We know where we want to go. There is a short-term plan and a long-term plan. We want to change the culture here, and we are working on it.

“It’s going to take a little bit of time. We are chipping away with new signings, which is something we discussed with the members last night, but they have to be the right signings. That is the important thing. I know what type of player I want to bring to the club.

“We want good players with the right attitude and desire to get to where we want to be. We have brought Ross Tierney in, we finally got Jake Carroll playing before the break, and we are looking at more because we know we have to add to what we have here.

“Ross fits the mould of the type of player we want to bring in, and Jake brings the kind of experience at the back that we need. He is serious about his football and a model professional, similar to Keith Buckley and Rob Cornwall, who we have really missed this year.

“We want to build on what we have and build a team that has passion and real energy about it. That’s what I want and I believe that’s what this club wants.

“Listening to our members, I think they understand the phase we are in. There is frustration but they know we are working at bringing the right players in and at getting things right.

“We have got to stick together to swing it around. I am confident we will, and that we will be in a stronger place united together.”

Team news

Bohs are likely to be without Declan McDaid and Dylan Connolly.

Brian McManus, James McManus, Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.

Alan Reynolds says Bohemians need a big night at Dalymount Park tomorrow if they are to get back to winning ways before the mid-season break.

International call-ups saw last week’s Dublin derbies against Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers postponed so Reynolds’ men are refreshed and relishing taking on title-chasing Derry City.

To avoid a clash with the opening night of the European Championships, all of this week’s League of Ireland fixtures take place on Thursday night, with Bohs not in action again until the Friday June 28 Dublin derby away to St Patrick’s Athletic.

Tomorrow will be the third meeting between Bohs and the Candystripes this season with Reynolds determined to finish on a high before the league takes a mid-season break.

Goals from Dayle Rooney and James Akintunde gave Bohs a 2-1 victory over Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men when the sides met at Dalymount in March.

But Reynolds’ side were left cursing squandered opportunities in the reverse fixture at the Brandywell last month when Michael Duffy’s goal five minutes from time was enough for the hosts to claim all three points.

Reynolds said: “We need a really big night and a really big shift from everyone at Dalymount as we are expecting a tough game against a really good side.

“We know plenty about Derry and they know plenty about us. We’ve beaten them here before I came in and they’ve beaten us in the Brandywell.

“But we played well against them, and had chances to get a result. There has been very little between the sides but Derry have come into a bit of form now.

“They are only two points off the top of the table so we are under no illusions about how difficult this game is going to be and how hard we are going to have to work to get a result.”

Bohs’ last outing saw them succumb to a 2-1 defeat away to Reynolds’ former club Waterford at the RSC a fortnight ago.

They went into that game looking like they had turned a corner – buoyed by an encouraging injury-time 2-2 draw against St Patrick’s Athletic and a 3-0 win away to Sligo Rovers – so the result and the performance were of frustration for Reynolds.

He said: “We played well for 25 to 30 minutes but we weren’t good enough after that, and we failed to deal with Waterford’s direct play. But that has been the story of our season so far and it has to change. We need to have consistency.”

Those inconsistency issues predate Reynolds’ arrival to the club in March, and he is determined to make changes to his squad when the transfer window opens next month in an effort to address it.

One man who will not be part of those plans is Bart Kukulowicz, who has returned to Poland after his contract was terminated by mutual consent, while Luke Matheson is due to return to parent club Bolton Wanderers next week when his loan spell comes to an end.

Reynolds added: “Bart hasn’t been in the team as often as he would have liked this year, so we both felt that it was the right time for him to move on and find a new club. We thank him for his efforts and I wish him all the best for the future.

“We all know that we need to strengthen next month. We have some very good players at the club but there are clearly certain areas where we have to improve if we are to push on.

“We have watched a lot of players and we have spoken to a lot of players. It is an extremely competitive market out there for all clubs at the moment but we know the areas we need to prioritise.”

Team news

Declan McDaid is a doubt while James McManus (foot), Brian McManus (ankle), Keith Buckley (knee) and Rob Cornwall (knee) remain out.

Bohemians manager Ken Kiernan says his players are still on a high after the reception they received at last month’s historic game against Palestine.

Now they are hoping for another packed crowd for tomorrow’s Dublin Derby at Dalymount Park when they host Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division.

Last month’s international solidarity friendly saw the sold-out signs go up for the first time for a Bohemians women’s fixture.

Kiernan says the importance of the occasion will live long in the memory of his players, whose focus has now turned to redoubling their efforts to climb back up the league table.

He said: “All of our players recognise the gravity of the situation in Gaza, the historical significance of the game and the importance of the reception that the Palestinian players got when they came.

“The whole occasion meant a lot to our players – it was huge for everyone associated with the club. The run-up to the game and the game itself really set something off, and really captured the imagination of people.

“There were people all over the world talking about the game and, for our players, it was the first time that they had an opportunity to play in front of a sold-out Dalymount, which was brilliant for them.

“You could see after the game how they were buzzing, how they thrived on the reception of the crowd and on what it all meant to the Palestinian players. We were proud to be part of that.

“There was already a great sense of pride in this team pulling on that jersey but the reception the players have had since the Palestine game has brought that sense of pride to another level. They have really felt the love for the club that is out there.

“That buzz has continued since – tomorrow is our first game back in Dalymount since and we have been inundated with well wishes in the community.

“It is important to have that connection. Our players are real ambassadors in the community. They are in with different age groups in schools every week and it is important that young children, in particular young girls, have female sportspeople to look up to and to learn from, and that our players know that this club means something to them.

“Our players are fast-becoming role models for these children – they talk about their set-backs, and their determination to succeed. It’s important for the children but it’s just as important for our players.”

Tomorrow, Kiernan is hoping to harness that positive energy as his side go in search of victory against the club’s biggest rivals.

Shamrock Rovers entered the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division last year for the first time and finished third in their debut season.

Seven games into the 2024 season, Rovers are still in search of their first victory but Kiernan knows it will be a tough game.

He added: We all know the significance of this game. Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers is the biggest rivalry in Irish football.

“Rovers are a good side. I went to their last game against Galway United. They lost the game 1-0 but they went toe-to-toe with the team that is top of the league.

“For our part, our last few performances have been good and we are improving. I expect a very energetic game and, given the playing styles of both teams, I think there will be lots of chances so we will need to defend well.

“We have prepared very well for the game, and have worked on where we think we can exploit Rovers and where we need to work hard defensively. It’s been a very positive few weeks and we want to build on that now.”