Alternatively, tickets can be bought at the following locations:

• Dalymount Park: Monday – Friday (10-3pm)
• Bang Bang (Leinster St, Phibsborough): Tuesday-Friday (8am-5pm)

Away supporters must purchase tickets to the Des Kelly stand from the Shamrock Rovers shop. They will also be on sale at Rovers’ game v Dundalk.

GET DOWN EARLY: WE OPEN AT 5PM

Recent derby games have seen severe crowd congestion in Dalymount Lane in the run-up to kick-off, leading to people missing the start of the game.

The stadium and Members’ Bar are both open from 5pm and we encourage all supporters to get to the ground as early as possible to help alleviate the strain at the turnstiles.

Buying tickets online will allow the speedy entrance through a pre-sales only entrance.

Please assist us in conveying this information to fellow supporters.

“The most important thing was that we won the game. It’s given everyone a big lift and should inject some confidence into the boys.”

Having taken the lead through an own goal, Oscar Brennan sealed the deal with a stunning effort in the second half.

Long is delighted with the progress of the 21-year-old, who started the season in the centre of defence having signed from Cabinteely, but has since more often been deployed in midfield.

Long said: “It was a good goal and he deserved it.

“Oscar has been very good all year. It’s a big step up from playing in the First Division but he’s showing us what he can do.

“He really wants to do well for the team and has a brilliant attitude. That’s half the battle.”

The Gypsies face a Derry City side who are on a winless run of their own.

Having started the season with four league wins on the spin, Kenny Shiels’ side have struggled to regain that form since the tragic passing of club captain Ryan McBride in March.

The Candystripes are six league games without a win since but Long is understandably cautious of a team that beat Bohs 4-1 at Dalymount on the opening day of the season and who have now beaten the Gypsies in each of the sides’ five previous meetings.

He said: “We’ve seen how good they can be already against us on the opening night. They are an excellent side with some excellent individual players and they will get back on track.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohs hope to be boosted by the return of Dinny Corcoran. The striker has not featured since being forced off with a knee injury against Galway United on St Patrick’s Day.

He has trained all week and it is expected that he will take his place on the bench at Maginn Park.

Derek Pender (quad) and Dylan Hayes (hip) are both doubts, but it is hoped they too will be available for selection.

Ismahil Akinade (surgery to remove spleen) and Eoin Wearen (cruciate) remain out.

The game descended into a very scrappy affair with neither keeper being overly worked. Both teams opted for the killer ball over the top to pacey strikers. The valuable three points that were so crucial to both sides added an element of “tension” to the affair. Finn Harps manager was given a stern talking to by referee Graham Kelly and right before half time the flash point occurred.

Winger Caolan McAleer went down pretty soft under pressure from Georgie Poynton but didn’t hear the referee’s whistle. And as he got back up to chase the ball, clashed with Paddy Kavanagh in a 50/50, resulting in handbags from both sides.

Just five minutes after half time Bohs doubled their lead with an excellent 25-yard effort from midfielder Oscar Brennan following a neat little backheel set up from striker Simon. The physicality didn’t let down in the second half and just moments later things went from bad to worse for the visitors with Barry Molloy receiving a second yellow for a late challenge in the midfield.

Paddy “the Derry Pele” McCourt was unable to pull the strings in the middle as he would have liked, but it was evident he was not at 100%. And Bohs hardworking midfield gave the ex-Celtic man little or no space to work with.

Bohs saw out the game in professional manner, with Shane Supple having little to do but it it’s a hard earned three points as they look to pull away from the relegation zone. Finn Harps to their credit battled bravely right to the end but being down to 10 men and unable to fill a full bench ultimately proved just too far a stretch.

Bohs make the long trip up to Derry next week looking to build momentum whilest Ollie Horgan’s walking wounded face another tough away trip to runaway leaders Cork.

Bohemian FC: Shane Supple, Lorcan Fitzgerald, Derek Pender (c), Dan Byrne, Rob Cornwall, Kaleem Simon, Patrick Kavanagh, Oscar Brennan, Jamie Doyle, Ian Morris, Georgie Poynton

Subs: Greg Murray (GK), Philip Gannon, Keith Ward, Fuad Sule, Dean Casey, Dylan Hayes, Steven Nolan

Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher, Damien McNulty, Ciaran Coll (c), Killian Cantwell, Gareth Harkin, Ciaran O’Connor, Caolan McAleer, Sean Houston, Barry Molloy, Paddy McCourt, Ethan Boyle

Subs: Tommy Lee McCarron, Gareth Doherty, Simon McGlynn, Dylan McCroary, Eddie Dsane

Referee: Graham Kelly

Bohs’ cause has not been helped by the continued absence of Ismahil Akinade, who is recovering from surgery to remove his spleen, and Dinny Corcoran, who remains out with a knee injury first picked up against Galway United on St Patrick’s Day.

Corcoran had five goals in five league games before being sidelined and Bohs have scored just one league goal in his absence.

But Long is adamant it is time for others step up to the mark and said: “That’s the hand we’ve been dealt. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves.

“We’ve still no recognised out-and-out centre-forward, so the goals are going to have to come from elsewhere.”

It’s not just in front of goal where Long is demanding improvements.

While his team has earned praise, much of their good work in the middle of the park has been undone by costly mistakes at the back.

Long said: “We have to get better collectively from a defensive perspective. We want to be a team nobody wants to play against.

“But we are positive too and I think that will be seen in how we approach the game.

“It’s going to be a difficult one – Finn Harps have done very well on the road this year. But we are determined to go out and do what it takes to get the win.

“We’re not even a third of the way into the season yet, there’s a long way to go. But we want to finish off the last of the first series of games with a victory.”

Recent injury pile-ups and the focus on improving the team’s league position have seen experimental line-ups deployed in both the EA Sports Cup and Leinster Senior Cup.

That experiment fared well in the EA Sports Cup victory against Cabinteely and they put up a fight in the 3-1 defeat against a strong Shamrock Rovers XI in the same competition.

But Long was disappointed with the manner of the 3-0 loss to Shelbourne in the Leinster Senior Cup on Monday.

He added: “Obviously we want to move up in the league, that has to be our priority. We don’t necessarily have the squad to play three games in eight days either.

“We used the games in the League Cup as an opportunity to play younger players and players around the first team lacking game-time.

“It was the same in the Leinster Senior Cup on Monday, although Shels chose to play their first team.

“I was disappointed with our performance. We have a tight squad and you can’t be feeling sorry for yourself that you’re not in the first team.

“Monday was a chance for players to scream at us that they should be in the team every week, but we didn’t have that from enough of them.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohs continue with the exact same squad as last week, which means Dinny Corcoran (knee), Ismahil Akinade (surgery to remove spleen) and Eoin Wearen (cruciate) remain on the sidelines.

Those two ties have seen the likes of Fuad Sule, Brandon Perry, Paddy Kirk, Jamie Hamilton, Steven Nolan and Eoghan Morgan make their first starts for the club.

Before those games, Long insisted there were places in his first team up for grabs for those who performed well.

He was true to his word too with Sule, who made his debut in the 1-0 win over Cabinteely, retaining his place in the three games since, while Hamilton and Nolan have also tasted league action from the bench.

Long said: “We’ve a big game on Friday and obviously the league is the most important thing for us this year.

“But this is another chance for us to look at players from the under-19s and under-17s and for them to show us what they can do.

“It’s a big step-up to the first team but we want to give young players an opportunity and there are others around the first-team squad who we feel deserve a game too.

“Games like these will stand to them in the future. They were excellent in the win against Cabinteely and we want to see more of the same tonight.”

“We felt our performances really deserved something out of those two games. We obviously need players back, but we are on the right road.”

Long’s side dominated Sligo in the middle of the park a fortnight ago but frustratingly could not find the back of net, while Karl Sheppard’s long-range dipping volley was a real sucker-punch last week after an otherwise impressive Bohs performance against Cork City.

Clinical Cork went on to score a second three minutes from time through Garry Buckley to secure their ninth league victory in a row and maintain their 100% start to the season.

But Long said: “It was a good display. That second goal put a gloss on the result for them.

“The first goal was a hard one for any keeper to save, but we could have done a bit better defensively in the build-up.

“The second goal was disappointing. It killed any chance we had of getting something out of the game.

“We spoke about mistakes at the back costing us again so we have to stop making them.

“That’s especially the case against Dundalk. If we don’t all do our jobs, they have the players who can expose you.”

Bohs’ chances in recent weeks have not been helped by the lack of a recognised goalscorer.

Ismahil Akinade has missed all of the league campaign to date after undergoing surgery to remove his spleen on March 1. He resumed training last week but is still some way off a return to action.

It had been hoped that Dinny Corcoran (knee), who has not featured since hobbling off against Galway United on St Patrick’s Day, would be ready to return but he will not be risked.

There was more positive news elsewhere though with Jamie Doyle, forced off early against St Pat’s three weeks ago with a quad injury, ready to return.

Midfielder Ian Morris, a real star in Bohs’ opening games of the season, could be set for his first league start in a month.

He has been eased back to action with 20 minutes off the bench against Cork and after playing the first 45 in Monday’s EA Sports Cup 3-1 defeat to Shamrock Rovers.

That loss saw Long keep faith with much of the experimental and youthful line-up that had beaten Cabinteely in the previous round.

Long said: “We made seven changes from the team that started in the league against Cork to the one that started against Rovers.

“We obviously had one eye on the Dundalk game but it was also important to reward the under-19 players who did so well against Cabinteely in the previous round.

“It was a huge step-up for them, playing against a full-strength Rovers team.

“It was never going to be easy against such an experienced line-up and we knew that. But the young lads deserved their chance and that experience so early in their careers will stand to them.

“We lost the game but how they fared bodes well for the future.”

Bohs’ bid to end their losing streak comes against a Dundalk side hurting from their shock defeat to Bray Wanderers last week and desperate to claw back the nine-point advantage Cork currently hold over them at the top of the table.

It’s a daunting task, but Long wants his side to embrace it.

He added: “We have to look after ourselves and our own performance. We’re going up thinking we can get something out of it.

“Dundalk don’t lose many in Oriel Park. We are going have to work hard, play for each other and embrace the challenge.

“It’s a tough test. Dundalk have new players and they will click eventually. We just have to do our best to make sure they don’t click against us.”

TEAM NEWS

Jamie Doyle (quad) returns, while Ian Morris (knee) could be in line for first league start in a month.

Dinny Corcoran (knee), Ismahil Akinade (surgery to remove spleen) and Eoin Wearen (cruciate) remain out.