After tasting back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, Long insists the players are keen to get back to winning ways against Trevor Croly’s men. “We’re at home, the onus is on us to go out and win the game, and that’s the way we approach it. But we know Bray will be a tough game. They’re scrapping for points, and there’s no easy games in this league.

“I expect them to be well-organised. I watched them last week [against St Pat's] and they defended very well. Obviously a new manager brings new ideas, a new voice in the dressing room, and their players will get a bounce from that.”

The Bohs boss also had a special word for the Dalymount Park fans, who were in great voice in the last home game against Limerick. “It’s massive, I don’t think you can overestimate the importance of the supporters getting behind the team,” said Long.

“It’s vital. Players get a lift when the supporters get behind them and encourage them. In the last 15 minutes against Limerick we played on the front foot and got them excited. We’ve got to try and set the tempo tomorrow, and the supporters play a huge role in that.”

Goalkeeper Dean Delany is suspended following his late red card in the league game against Galway. Bohs have fitness concerns over Derek Pender, Anto Murphy, Dave Mulcahy, Dean Kelly, and Paddy Kavanagh, who will all be assessed before Friday’s game.

In Outrageous Preposterous Wrongs, we explore the conflict through a rehearsed reading from The Tower, by Joe Joyce – a two-hander in which the writers look back at 1904 from beyond the grave – and a discussion between advocates for Gogarty and for Joyce.

Actor-directors Declan Gorman and Gerry Lee appear as Gogarty and Joyce. The following discussion, chaired by book editor Ciara Considine, features Graham Hopkins making the case for Gogarty, Des Gunning speaking up for Joyce, and Brian Trench representing Dermot Trench, who was the basis of the Ulysses character, Haines, who also lived in the tower in 1904.

Outrageous Preposterous Wrongs is presented by Bohemian FC in association with Phizzfest. It will kick-off at 7.45pm on Thursday 11 June, in the upstairs bar of Hedigan’s / Brian Boru.

Tickets at €5 can be bought at the Bohemian office in Dalymount Park and at the Bohemian online store.

“It will be a test of our character and I expect to see a reaction from the players.”

Derek Pender was a late withdrawal from the squad on Friday and will have a scan on his leg on Monday.Dean Delany is available despite his sending-off. His automatic suspension will rule him our of the next league game, at home to Bray Wanderers on Friday.

Three substitutions contributed to Bohs’ eventual victory, which Long sees as a success for the squad. While Jason Byrne’s winning goal “grabbed the headlines”, fellow-subs Marc Griffin and Keith Buckley also were key to the victory.

“I’m very pleased for Jason because he’s had limited game-time. That goal will be good for his confidence, which he needs, even with all the experience he has,” said Long.

“You hope that the substitutions have a positive impact, and certainly all three did on Friday.

“We’ll have to play better in Galway. We will go there aiming to give a good account of ourselves and looking to pick up the three points. But we know it will be a difficult game.”

Long insists he will not decide on possible team changes for Monday until the league match is out of the way. For Friday, he has a full squad to select from.

Anto Murphy missed the Limerick game on medical advice, following a mild concussion from the previous league match, but returned for Sunday’s fixture as captain on the day.

The home side started at a fantastic pace. Instantly from the kick off, Paddy Kavanagh’s floating cross was inviting, and Roberto Lopes got there before Limerick keeper Conor O’Donnell, but the header dropped agonizingly over the crossbar. Many Bohs fans thought the ball had dropped in, but it wasn’t to be.

Adam Evans was restored to the starting line-up after his supersub appearance against Cork, and he went on a mazy run in the 10th minute that forced a corner. Lorcan Fitzgerald’s delivery was inch-perfect, and Derek Prendergast thumped a header into the net for his first goal for the club. There was a lovely touch with his celebration, as he put the ball under his shirt to celebrate the birth of his son on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for the 1200 fans who braved the shocking May weather, that was as good as it got for Bohs for the next hour. They sat back a bit, and allowed Limerick to gain a foothold in the game. Dean Clarke was a menace to the Gypsies back four. He had the pace to beat both Dave Mulcahy and Prendergast, and used it to good effect to get Limerick pushed up the field. This didn’t translate into any clear cut chances, but gave Russell’s team confidence going into the second half.

An equalizing goal was always a possibility, and when it arrived on 52 minutes, it was as scrappy as they come. A Robbie Williams corner was flicked to the back post where Lorcan Fitzgerald was caught off guard. It bounced off the left back to the feet of a delighted Dean Clarke who turned it in from three yards.

Keith Long’s response was to introduce Marc Griffin for Kealan Dillon in the no.10 role, and but he found himself deeper than he would have liked, with Limerick still looking the more likely to get a winner. However, Long’s final double salvo was the key to the victory. Byrne replaced the tireless but ineffective Dean Kelly, who didn’t have his best night. Keith Buckley replaced Robbie Creevy, and this was combined with a positional switch between Lopes and Mulcahy. The effect was almost instantaneous. Mulcahy’s ball forward was expertly flicked on by Byrne, and Adam Evans was through on goal. His low shot was well-saved by O’Donnell.

Next, it was Griffin who had a great chance. Buckley played it forward towards Byrne, whose deft dummy left three Limerick defenders dumbfounded. It was the best piece of skill on the night, and left Griffin clean through on O’Donnell. However, the sub’s left-footed effort was struck over the crossbar. It was left to the old stager to show them how its done. Byrne collected an Adam Evans cross with his back to goal about 14 yards out. His turn and snapshot had surprising pace, and O’Donnell couldn’t get down quick enough to stop it. The celebrations in front of Block G were as delirious as we’ve seen from a Bohs team in years. Magic.

There was still time for Paddy Kavanagh to fire wide with the goal at his mercy, and even Lorcan Fitzgerald had a late chance to seal it – but O’Donnell pulled off another brilliant save. However, it was 3 points in the bag, and the Gypsies head west to Galway for a league and EA Sports Cup double header next week.

Bohemians: Dean Delany, Derek Pender, Dave Mulcahy, Derek Prendergast, Lorcan Fitzgerald, Roberto Lopes, Robbie Creevy (Keith Buckley, 75), Paddy Kavanagh, Kealan Dillon (Marc Griffin, 66), Adam Evans, Dean Kelly (Jason Byrne, 77). Subs not used: Lee Steacy, James O’Brien, Stephen Best, Karl Moore.

Limerick FC: Conor O’Donnell, Sean Harding (Jason Hughes, 45), Robbie Williams, Shane Tracy, Darragh Rainsford. Paudie O’Connor, Paul O’Conor, Ian Turner, Shane Duggan,  Vinny Faherty (Kieran Hanlon, 78), Dean Clarke.  Subs not used: Tommy Holland, Aidan Price, Tony Whitehead, Val Feeney, Ross Mann.

Mr. Green Bohemian Man of the Match: Paddy Kavanagh

“It was vital to get at least a point at home against one of the top teams, after losses to Dundalk and St Pat’s,” he said. “The team showed great character and spirit to secure a draw. For the supporters, it probably felt like a win, scoring so late in the game.”

Long notes that Limerick’s form has been improving and he expects a keen contest. “Limerick have picked up recently. They were unlucky not to win against Shamrock Rovers, they held league leaders Dundalk, and they got a late point up in Sligo. They’re looking to climb up the table and coming to Dalymount won’t hold any fear for them.

“But these are the bread-and-butter games we have to win. We’ve stressed to the players that there is no room for complacency. The first phase of games is gone now, and we start again on Friday.”

Against Cork on Monday, the Bohemian manager was disappointed with his team’s first-half performance, going behind very early, and being “a little tentative in approach, giving the ball away too easily on occasions”.

But “the players are hungry, have a belief in themselves, and refuse to accept they are beaten”, the manager insists. Their determination in the second half and a brilliant volleyed goal from Adam Evans more than made up for the first-half disappointment.

Defender Anto Murphy, subbed at half-time after a collision, is unlikely to be available on Friday as he is medically assessed for concussion. The opportunity for Dan Byrne to make his return comes just too soon, however, as he works his way back to full fitness after a long lay-off with a cruciate injury.

Dean Kelly missed the Cork game due to a family commitment but is available for Friday.

Sunday’s Leinster Senior Cup fixture in Bray against Newtown gives Long a further chance to try different combinations and use players who have had few competitive games.

“We’ll have a turnover between Friday and Sunday,” he said. “We have players who need games and we need to see them in action with big games the following weekend away to Galway Friday and Monday in the league and EA Sports Cup.”

Following his heroics in Derry last time out, Mark Griffin was given the nod up front for Bohs in place of the absent Dean Kelly. However, it was Cork’s lone frontman that blasted this game wide open after less than two minutes. Griffin lost the ball cheaply, and Cork broke at a pace that simply wasn’t seen again in the 90 minutes. Former Manchester United man Liam Miller fed Mark O’Sullivan near the edge of the box. O’Sullivan ghosted past Derek Prendergast, and hit an unstoppable right-footed drive into the top corner of the net. The Bank Holiday crowd had barely taken their seats.

Cork have been criticised for sitting back away from home this season, and this was exactly how the game panned out. Unfortunately for Bohs, they could only fashion half-chances that failed to really trouble Mark McNulty in the Cork goal. Roberto Lopes and Keith Buckley both had weak efforts that flashed wide. At the other end, O’Sullivan was making a nuisance of himself in more ways than one. He caught three Bohs players with a flailing arm / elbow on three separate occasions. Prendergast, Derek Pender, and Anto Murphy all felt the brunt of O’Sullivan’s challenges, which seemed to be intentional to the Bohs fans, but not to referee Padraig Sutton.

O’Sullivan finally landed a knockout blow on Anto Murphy just before half time. While half-heartedly attempting to hurdle Murphy’s sliding challenge, his knee connected with Murphy’s head. While the Bohs defender played on for a few more minutes, he was sensibly withdrawn at half time for Dave Mulcahy.

A feature of Keith Long’s tenure has been his excellent use of substitutions, and this proved to be the case once more. Adam Evans came on to replace Keith Buckley, and very much changed the game. His unpredictable style and injection of pace put Cork on the back-foot, and he offered more of an offensive threat than the duracell-like hard work of Buckley.

Bohs continued to knock on the door, and should really have drawn level with 10 to go. Pender slipped Marc Griffin through, and the forward’s shot was saved well by McNulty. However, the resulting bobbling ball could easily have been turned in by Jason Byrne, but somehow the Cork defence scrambled it away.

The deserved equaliser arrived just 3 minutes later. Again, Pender was involved, with his cross only partially cleared by a Cork head. The ball fell to Adam Evans, who unleashed a clinical volley into the far top corner. It was the youngster’s 4th of the season, and a peach to boot. The full time whistle more than likely left both managers disappointed. John Caulfield would have been disappointed to throw away a late lead, while Keith Long’s men could easily have taken all three points. Onwards to a home game with Limerick on Friday for a rejuvenated Bohemians.

Bohemians: Dean Delany, Derek Pender, Derek Prendergast, Anto Murphy (Dave Mulcahy, 46), Lorcan Fitzgerald, Kealan Dillon (Jason Byrne, 71), Robbie Creevy, Roberto Lopes, Keith Buckley (Adam Evans, 56),  Paddy Kavanagh, Marc Griffin. Subs not used: Lee Steacy, Stephen Best, James O’Brien, Karl Moore.

Cork City: Mark McNulty, John Kavanagh, Alan Bennett (Dan Murray, 41), Darren Dennehy, Ross Gaynor, Colin Healy, Liam Miller, Garry Buckley, Billy Dennehy (Kieran Djilali, 67), Mark O’Sullivan, Karl Sheppard (Danny Morrissey, 85). Subs not used: Alan Smith, Gavan Holahan, Kevin O’Connor, John O’Flynn.