“It was a quick turnaround playing Friday and then again on Monday. That tested us a bit, we’d a few tired bodies.

“But, over the course of both games, the lads showed all of the qualities that we are going to need throughout this season.

“They worked extremely hard from start to finish to earn those results.”

The victory at Markets Field also saw Bohs keep their first clean sheet of the season having shipped eight goals in their opening three games.

Bohs’ negative goal difference is what sees them currently occupying seventh position in the table instead of fifth, so Long was encouraged to see his team stem the tide at the back.

He said: “It was obviously our best defensive performance so far.

“Shane Supple is a top keeper and pulled off some great saves but there was great unity between the performances of everyone in the back five.”

Against Galway, Bohs face a side who have picked up just one point from their opening four games.

But Long remains wary of the threat posed by Shane Keegan’s men.

He added: “Galway are a full-time outfit with a full-time manager.

“They know they need to start picking up points soon but it’s up to us to make sure they don’t do so here against us.

“We’ll be right at it. We won’t have to guard against complacency after two wins.

“Everyone in this league is capable of taking points off each other so we all know there can’t be any complacency this season.”

TEAM NEWS

Ian Morris, who was forced off on Monday night with an ankle injury, is a doubt.

Long-term absentees Izzy Akinade (recovering from surgery to have his spleen removed) and Eoin Wearen (cruciate) remain out.

“We were the better of the sides in the first half, so to go 2-0 behind in the blink of an eye, it would have been easy to throw in the towel.

“But the lads stuck at it and never gave up, which was really pleasing.

“It’s early in the season but it was still very important that we got up and running after two defeats. Bray had won their opening two games so it was a significant win for us.

“It’s important we build on it now.”

Goalscorers Corcoran and Ward are in their third and second spells with the club respectively and both are on the right road to reestablishing themselves as fans’ favourites once again.

Long said: “I was delighted for Dinny and Wardy. Three excellent goals. Wardy did very well for us in that No 10 role. He showed great composure on the ball and it was great finish.”

Newly-promoted Limerick present a fresh challenge for Long’s men. The Shannonsiders kicked off their season with a 5-1 thumping of Sligo and, while their second game against Derry City was abandoned due to floodlight failure, Martin Russell’s men really put it up to champions Dundalk in their 1-0 defeat at Oriel Park on Friday.

Long added: “We want to build on Friday’s result now but we know Limerick are another quality team. They’ve invested a significant amount of money in building a good squad, so it’s going to be another tought game for us.

“But we’re going down confident now after Friday’s performance.”

TEAM NEWS

Dan Byrne (ankle) returned to action ahead of schedule on Friday night and it is hoped he will be okay to continue.

Long-term absentees Izzy Akinade (recovering from surgery to have his spleen removed) and Eoin Wearen (cruciate) remain sidelined.

Bohs welcomed back a familiar face in the blue jerseys of Bray, with Keith Buckley making his first appearance against his beloved Gypsies. However, the midfielder was mostly anonymous as Bohs took hold of the game from the off, and produced a composed and controlling first half performance. Keith Ward and Dinny Corcoran seem to have formed a nice link on their return, and they strung together the first move of the game with a neat one-two followed by a Ward power drive from 20 yards that Peter Cherrie had to acrobatically beat away.

Bohs dominated the middle part of the half with a string of corners, 6 in total peppering the Seagulls’ box. Dan Byrne went closest from a Fitzgerald corner, but the defender couldn’t scramble the ball home after Cherrie missed a punch. Set pieces were a friend to the home side in the first half, and Ward almost gave them the lead when his free kick crashed off the crossbar just before half time. The Jodi Stand crowd gave the Bohs players a hearty ovation on their way off, and Keith Long would have been happy with what he saw. Five minutes after the break, his side were inexplicably two down.

Bray’s first was courtesy of a sloppily-defended corner – their first of the game. Gary McCabe swung the ball in low from the far side, and it squirted all the way across to the back post where John Sullivan had the simple task of side-footing home from four yards. Bohs barely had time to catch their breath before the second came. A hopeful cross-field ball from Aaron Greene was misjudged badly by Derek Pender, leaving Dylan Connolly through on goal. The Bray winger showed why Dundalk pursued him all winter by finishing clinically past Supple, and suddenly, Bray were cruising.

The next goal was obviously going to be crucial, and it was a huge moment when Bohs struck, just 4 minutes after Bray’s second goal. If the game had been allowed to settle down at 0-2, you sense the atmosphere could have turned quiet and despondent in the crowd. As it was, Dinny Corcoran pounced with a goal quite similar to the one he scored on the opening night against Derry City. A ball forward from Jamie Doyle was headed into Corcoran’s path by Bray full back and Domhnall Gleeson lookalike Hugh Douglas. Dinny took his time, and sent Cherrie the wrong way with a rolled finish into the corner.

The home crowd kept behind the team, and the deserved equaliser arrived with 20 minutes left on the clock. This time Corcoran was the provider – squaring the ball to Keith Ward after a fast counter attack. Ward still had work to do 25 yards from goal, but his first touch was excellent out of his feet, and the shot went through Cherrie’s legs into the net. After that, the momentum was all with Bohs, and the winner felt like it was a probability rather than a hopeful possibility.

The fifth and final goal was a simple but effective move – with a long ball from defence flicked on perfectly by Jamie Doyle to set Corcoran through. The striker displayed icy coolness to stare down Cherrie again, and slot the ball into the opposite corner. Both of his strikes were composed finishes, almost trickled into the net with poise and finesse. A striker with those instincts can be worth his weight in gold – and Dinny produced the goods to deliver the points for Bohs tonight – just as he did so often in the 2012 season when he was the last Bohs player to hit 20+ goals in a single campaign.

The games come thick and fast at the start of the season, with the Bohs bus rolling into Limerick on Monday night before a home tie against Galway United on St Patrick’s Day.

Bohemian FC: Shane Supple, Derek Pender, Dan Byrne, Rob Cornwall, Lorcan Fitzgerald, Paddy Kavanagh, Ian Morris, Georgie Poynton, Keith Ward (Philly Gannon, 61), Jamie Doyle, Dinny Corcoran. Subs not used: Greg Murray, Stephen Best, Kaleem Simon, Oscar Brennan, Dean Casey, Dylan Hayes.

Bray Wanderers: Peter Cherrie, Hugh Douglas, Conor Kenna, Tim Clancy, Kevin Lynch, Keith Buckley (Ryan Brennan, 83), John Sullivan, Aaron Greene (Karl Moore, 71), Gary McCabe (Jamie Ahearne, 85), Dylan Connolly, Anthony ‘Bisto’ Flood. Subs not used: Lee Steacy, Jason Marks, Mark Salmon, Derek Foran.

BohemianFC.com Man of the Match: Dinny Corcoran

“Bray had a strong second half of the season last year when Harry Kenny came in and they’ve continued that form into this season.

“They’ve invested heavily and will be aiming to break into the top four so it’s going to be another tricky game.

“But we have to concentrate on ourselves and our own performance. It’s important we start to pick up points.”

Long has seen enough from the opening two games to be confident his side’s fortunes will improve.

He said: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We are only two games in and we’ve played two of the best teams in the league.

“We showed in patches against both Derry and Rovers what we are capable of but we need to keep that up for 90 minutes.

“We know where we need to work on and improve. We’ve been our own worst enemy at times.

“But I don’t believe there’s been that much in the two games so far. We haven’t been carved up.

“It’s individual mistakes that have cost us, but we’re not that far away.”

It would be easy for heads to drop, but Long insists the squad remain confident and buoyed by the support they have received so far.

Long added: “The fans have been terrific. Against Derry, Bohs fans aren’t used to losing by that kind of scoreline – especially at home – but they still backed us right up to full-time and after the game.

“Bohs fans are fair. We all want results but they know the players are giving it everything and the supporters are all getting behind them.

“It was the same in Tallaght. We brought a huge crowd out there and they backed us throughout.

“We want to see those numbers out again and we will be striving to get our season up and running to send them home happy.”

TEAM NEWS

Long has bolstered his squad with the re-signing of right-back Dylan Hayes, who is expected to go straight into the matchday squad.

Dan Byrne and Dinny Corcoran were both forced off with injuries at half-time against Shamrock Rovers last week.

Byrne (ankle) will miss out but it is hoped Corcoran (back) will be fit to start.

Long-term absentees Izzy Akinade (recovering from surgery to have his spleen removed) and Eoin Wearen (cruciate) remain sidelined.

To achieve this potential, we need the support and input of all our fans and not just the members.

Therefore, the board has called an open meeting for Wednesday March 15th at 7pm in the Members’ Bar at Dalymount Park.

At the meeting, supporters will be updated on how the Club is operating and the plans we have for the future.

After the directors give their updates, Paddy Mullins, our new Volunteer Liaison Officer, will advise you of the help we need, the positions that need to be filled and the estimated time involved in each case.

If you are unable to attend this meeting, but wish to put yourself forward to volunteer for the Club, please contact Paddy directly at volunteer@bohemians.ie

I hope as many people as possible make it to the meeting as I have no doubt that together we will achieve all our goals.

Chris Brien
President
Bohemian FC

“Our players gave everything, even at 3-0 down. We got a goal back and then had a goal ruled out that should have been given in my opinion.

“That would have made it 3-2 and it’s a completely different dynamic then, so I was pleased with the players’ attitude and willingness to get back into the game.

“But the bottom line is we have to cut out basic errors. That’s what cost us.

“Derry are a good side, so you can’t make it easy for them. We’ve been working on that in training all week and the application of the players has been excellent.

“We’ll be going to Tallaght with confidence.”

The Dublin derby is the first game both sets of supporters look for when the fixture list comes out.

Long said: “The game has come early! It’s a big one for both clubs. Rovers have spent a lot of money assembling a squad that is expected to challenge, so there’s pressure there too.

“We’ve both started the season with a defeat. There’s pressure on both teams even though we’re only one game in.

“We can pretend it’s just another game but we all know that’s not true. But it’s a great game and occasion for us to go and try bounce back.

“We just have to go out, focus on our own game and deliver a performance.”

Long said his new squad were enthused and encouraged by the support they received last week and is counting on more of the same in Tallaght.

He added: “The supporters were brilliant. They were as disappointed as we were coming off the pitch but their support throughout gave us a big lift.

“They really got behind us. They were fantastic. We know that they will bring that to Tallaght on Friday too. There’s always a big atmosphere and the players feed off the energy and buzz of our fans.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohs continue to be without the services of Eoin Wearen (cruciate) and Ismahil Akinade, who underwent surgery on Wednesday to remove his spleen in order to rectify a blood platelets count issue.

BARS OPEN AT DALYMOUNT PARK

For those not travelling to Tallaght, the Members’ Bar at Dalymount Park will be open from 7pm and will be showing the game. All pints €4.