Bohemian FC can confirm that striker Jonathan Afolabi has today joined Belgian club KV Kortrijk for an undisclosed fee.

Afolabi’s form this year saw him named the SWI/SSE Airtricity Player of the Month for July and nominated for the PFA Ireland Player of the Year Award.

The 23-year-old’s contract was due to expire at the end of the 2024 season, and everyone at Bohemians wishes Jonathan the very best of luck with his move and future career.

Addressing Bohs fans, Afolabi said: “It has been a pleasure and an honour to play for Bohs the last year and a half.

“I’d like to thank the coaching staff, my teammates and all the fans for making my time here very enjoyable. I’ll be moving on with a lot of good memories and moments in my career that have helped me improve.

“Lastly, I would like to wish the club all the best going forward. I will be supporting the lads from afar. Up the Bohs.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the signing of centre-back Rob Cornwall.

The 29-year-old returns for his second stint at the club having spent five seasons at Dalymount Park between 2017 and 2021.

Cornwall, Bohs’ second signing of the closed season following the addition of Dayle Rooney, returns to Ireland after two seasons playing in the United States with Northern Colorado Hailstorm.

Cornwall said: “I am delighted to be back. To be honest, it was eating away at me when I was away that I always wanted to come back and play for Bohs again.

“There were other clubs who approached me but if Bohs wanted me, I was always going to sign back here. It was tough watching from afar, and there was no other club that I wanted to sign for.

“When I was here before, the club was growing and it’s grown even further in the two years I have been away.

“You can see it with the support the club is getting, selling out every week, that it is a massive club, and for me as a player, it’s the place to be.

“We all want to build the club further. I feel I’m the fittest I’ve ever been and I will play my game, play my part, and I am looking forward to showing what I can do on the pitch and doing things right off it.

“The club going full-time last year was an important move, and hopefully we can see the benefits of that this season.

“It’s almost a completely new team from when I was here before, with the exception of Keith Buckley, James Talbot and Paddy Kirk. There is quality here, and big personalities in the dressing room.

“Everyone here has had the heartbreak of the cup final defeat, and the challenge for us all now is to learn from that, channel it, and to make sure that it gives us even more drive and hunger as a group and as a club to push on this season.

“There is potential and quality within the group and with the players we have, we want to be competing, and to get the club back playing in Europe.

“That is pressure for us as players and as a group. But Bohs is a massive club and if you are going to sign for Bohemians, you have to be able to cope with that pressure.”

Having hoped to sign Cornwall last season, manager Declan Devine is pleased to have finally got his man.

Devine said: “I am delighted to get Rob over the line. He was in training with us this time last year but his circumstances weren’t quite right for him to come home at that time.

“But we have remained in touch since. He did really well for us when he took part in pre-season last year, so he knows how we work, he knows our set-up, and he knows so many of the staff and players here already.

“I believe Rob can be a big influence in the changing room, and he is also coming back with a point to prove himself.

“We need competition at the back, we need defenders who know the league, and we need aggression. Rob brings all of that in spades, as well as knowing the club inside out.

“He is a no-nonsense defender, which, when we reflect on games we lost last season, was an area that was a problem for us. We gave away goals that we should not have given away.

“Rob has the ability and experience to help us fix that, and we hope to bring in more players too so that we have real strong competition at the back.

“He is also a player who I believe has tremendous leadership skills, which we will need this year with Keith Buckley ruled out for such a long time.

“Defence is an area of the pitch where we want to strengthen over the coming weeks. Being able to get Rob in at this stage gives us that platform to push on now and get more in.”

Devine is expecting a busy month ahead as he looks to strengthen his squad ahead of the new season.

He said: “Myself, Pat Fenlon, Gary Cronin, Derek Pender – everyone is working hard in terms of getting our recruitment right, which is key. We need to make sure we bring the right players to the club.

“There are a lot of irons in the fire at the minute. We have to make sure we do it right, and that we are not rushed into signing players for the sake of it who aren’t the players we need.

“We have reflected on where we need to strengthen and what we have to do to improve on last season, in what is an extremely competitive transfer market right now.

“We want quality, and we also want the right personalities. But where we are right now compared to this time last year, we are in a far stronger position.

“We have a lot of good players tied down on multi-year deals, which is what you want to plan ahead. We have a squad of about 16 players here at the minute – players who we set out to make sure were on long-term deals so that we are not starting from scratch every season.

“We have a lot of quality in attacking areas, but it is well documented that we want to bring defenders to the club and we are working extremely hard to do so.”

Bohs took to the training pitch for the first time in pre-season this morning, but Devine’s players have been in every week and working hard over the past month.

He added: “We are properly back in pre-season today but they have been in for the past three to four weeks. The players all had two to three weeks off at the end of the season but have been working extremely hard since.

“They have been in three days a week. Graham Norton, our strength and conditioning coach, has been a very busy man. Our conditioning last year was a real positive, and the players have given themselves a head-start for pre-season with the programmes they have been sticking to with Graham this past month, and it is full steam ahead now on the pitch as well.”

Bohemians men’s first team manager Declan Devine has today confirmed the departure of players from his squad.

Long-serving winger Kris Twardek has left the club by mutual consent, as has midfielder John O’Sullivan.

The contracts of defender Krystian Nowak, winger Ali Coote and Dean Williams all expired and were not renewed at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, defender Kacper Radkowski has returned to his parent club Śląsk Wrocław after his season-long loan spell at Dalymount Park came to an end.

Devine said: “I want to thank them for their service to the club.

“In the case of Kris, he has been a great servant to the club in his two spells here but feels it is time to return home to Canada after spending several years here in Ireland and in other parts of Europe.

“Krystian and Kacper were almost ever-present for us this season in defence and were important players for us. Krystian came in on a one-year deal and has returned home, and Kacper returns to his parent club after his loan deal expired.

“Ali has been with the club for three seasons and feels it is time to move on. Dean and John have regular first-team opportunities here hard to come by due to a combination of things such as injuries, niggles and the form of others, and it was best for them to move elsewhere because they both want to play more.

“We wish them all the best for the future.

“We have a busy period over the coming weeks as we look to strengthen our squad for next season. We have already brought in Dayle Rooney and we will be in a position to make further announcements about additions to next season’s squad in the near future.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm that captain Rachael Kelly and vice-captain Fiona Donnelly have recommitted their futures to the club for the 2024 season.

Women’s first-team manager Ken Kiernan said: “I’m delighted that both Rachael and Fiona have committed to the club for next season.

“I have tied in with Rachael and Fiona over the past week and we held our first training session together as a squad on Sunday.

“Rachael and Fiona are both unbelievable people with unbelievable ability. Rachael is the best goalkeeper in the league and for me, Fiona, is the best central midfielder in the role that she plays.

“We want to help players like that here to achieve their goals. We want to see them achieve collectively, but also individually, pushing into international squads and achieving success with the club.”

Kelly, 22, who began her league career with Shelbourne and joined ahead of the 2022 season following a year playing in Sweden, said: “It’s an exciting time for the club. We met up with Ken during the week. He has really good plans for the club and I think there are exciting times ahead.

“Every year we set goals and standards, and there is a lot to build on from last season. We can take all the positives, and learn from the negatives.

“To be captain of such a big club is a great feeling, and having Fiona by my side makes it ten times easier. I couldn’t wait to get in and get the papers signed and start again.”

Donnelly, 25, who joined from DLR Waves ahead of the 2023 season, said: “It’s great to be part of such a huge club. I’m excited to be beside Rachael again and can’t wait to get going.

“It’s great to have new faces within the club. It is a fresh start for everyone here, and we are really looking forward to getting going now.

“Ultimately we would like to win silverware. We had a really good start to last season and if we could start like that again we could be in a great position.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the appointment of Ken Kiernan as women’s first-team manager.

Kiernan comes to the club following a stint as assistant manager at Athlone Town where he won the Women’s FAI Cup last month. He has previously managed and coached at LOI Academy level, boys and girls, at Shelbourne.

Kiernan said: “I can’t wait to get going. I felt honoured when I was approached and asked to come here. I am looking forward to giving everything I have to the group and to the club.

“Bohs have always been such a huge club in Dublin. Growing up, my father took me to Dalymount when I was younger. He’s a big fan himself, so I grew up here coming to games.

“The idea of being involved here and as a representative of this club is really exciting. I have been involved in the women’s game now for the past number of seasons and I believe I have helped to develop players reach their potential, to be high performers and to gain international recognition.

“That’s what I want us to achieve here. We will train with purpose, and prepare our players to be elite performers, and we will be looking to build on the strong foundations that are here already.

“As I’ve seen from games I’ve been to here, coming to Dalymount for games in the Women’s Premier Division is a real standout fixture.

“There is already a great support base established here for the women’s game and I hope we can grow that even further.

“It is a fantastic place to come to watch a game that has a vibe and sense of community second to none. It’s infectious and is something that has always stood out for me here that the club is so strongly established with its community.

“We want to build on that further on the women’s side, and connect with younger fans and younger players coming through both the academy system and youth teams. I want our players to tap into that and be real ambassadors for this club.”

Kiernan, who traces his love of coaching back to when he was 18 and took a FAS course run by club legend Billy Young, says the club’s training base at DCU is another hugely important piece of the jigsaw to push on in the Women’s Premier Division in the coming years.

He said: “The training facilities in DCU are second to none. I was blown away when I walked the facility with Pat Fenlon and saw what was available to our players. What is available to our players is a full-time football programme, that is the reality.

“There is access on our training nights but there is also incredible access to them outside of that. Our players have access to an amazing group of staff, strength and conditioning coaches, physios, and to a top class gym. It is a fantastic facility for players to develop individually and for the team to develop together.”

Kiernan’s involvement with Athlone Town’s Women’s FAI Cup win – 99 years on from the club winning the men’s equivalent – has already given him a taste for success too.

He said: “To win a major cup competition for the club for the first time in nearly a century was special. We crossed the bridge in Athlone with the trophy – as is the tradition in the town – and I’ve never experienced anything like it. It meant so much to the people, the club, the town and community.

“I felt at Athlone that we helped players achieve individual goals and built on the foundations that they had there from the year before where they finished second and got to a cup final

“That is what I want to achieve here too. When we come through our pre-season here, I hope that we will have developed a style of play that will be attractive to the fans, and that has us competing against the best teams in the league.

“We will use the strengths of the group here and help the girls to learn to win too. We want to be aggressive and to play on the front foot.

Kiernan has named former Shelbourne and Dundalk midfielder Alan Murphy as his assistant manager, and added: “Alan has played in the League of Ireland. He was an attacking player.

“The team kept 10 clean sheets last season so we know there is a strong foundation at the back but the attacking unit is somewhere we want to strengthen and improve on next year.

“Having someone with the experience of Alan in that regard will really help our attacking players hone in on their attributes to play with freedom and express themselves in the final third.”

Bohemian FC President Matt Devaney has paid tribute to Sean Byrne, Pat Trehy and their backroom team after their four-year spell in charge of the club’s women’s first team came to an end following the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Devaney said: “The board of Bohemian FC wishes to extend our thanks and express our gratitude to our women’s first team management team, led by Sean Byrne and Pat Trehy, for their dedicated service to our club over the past four seasons.

“The efforts of Sean, Pat and their backroom team in helping the club to realise its aim of having a women’s team competing in the Women’s National League for the very first time cannot be overstated.

“From having to play their first season at the Oscar Traynor behind closed doors because of Covid in their debut season in 2020 to breaking the league’s attendance record at Dalymount Park this season, they have played a huge part in the growth of women’s football at our club.

“During those four years, they have helped to drive professionalism and standards at the club as women’s football transitioned from amateur status to professional status. In doing so, they have helped young players flourish and reach their potential, and recruited talented players to the club.

“We are extremely grateful for the huge amount of work and commitment they have shown throughout their time at the club, and they have left extremely strong foundations that they can be proud of.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the signing of Dayle Rooney.

The creative winger, 25, joins on a multi-year deal after two years with Drogheda United where he particularly caught the eye throughout the 2023 season.

The Ballymun man previously lined out Shelbourne, winning the First Division in 2021.

Rooney said: “I am really happy to be here and to get it over the line.

“Bohs are a huge club, and my local club, so I can’t wait to get going. This is the club I want to settle at, show what I am capable of and hopefully be here for a long time.

“Growing up in Ballymun, a lot of my friends are Bohs fans so I know what the club is about. They are all delighted for me too, so this is the happiest I’ve ever been coming into a new team.

“From playing at Dalymount, I know the support the club has, and from the massive support they bring to away games, so I know how big the club is.

“The club has reached the FAI Cup final twice in three years, and they are the kind of big games that I want to be playing in with the club, and I want to help bring success to the club.

“I feel the team here will have a fire in their belly after the disappointment of losing the final, and we all want to push on now from that. There is a lot of expectation at the club but that is what you want as a player.

“I am relishing the challenge, I am really looking forward to going full-time and kicking on. It is the right next step for me at the right time, and I really want to settle here and kick on on the pitch.

“There are some great players here already. They will make me better and I hope I can make them better, and I can’t wait to meet them. I am a player who tries to make things happen – assists and scoring goals. I can’t wait to get started.”

Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup final
Sunday November 12 2023, 3pm, Aviva Stadium

Declan Devine has said his side are determined to give a performance in today’s sold-out Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup final that will live long in the memory of every Bohemian.

Devine said: “The FAI Cup final is the pinnacle of every player, coach and manager’s career and we as a backroom team, squad and club are absolutely delighted to be participating in the this year’s showcase event.

“Every coach, player and club watch on every year in the hope that they can be the next team to reach this fantastic occasion. Since the move to the Aviva Stadium in 2010, the FAI Cup final has taken on even more prestige and this magnificent stage has become a very fitting home for the biggest day in the Irish football calendar.

“Today will be my fifth FAI Cup final and having played in one in Dalymount Park, been a coach in both the old Lansdowne Rd and RDS, and having managed in the Aviva in 2012, it is very much an appropriate venue for Irish football to give the talent in our league the opportunity to perform in the elite stadium their talents deserves.

“The FAI Cup final is a day for family, friends, supporters old and new to attend a game that by the end has the potential to be a day to be remembered for the rest of their lives.

“The difference in winning and losing can be a very fine margin and again it’s a game of football to be treated with the utmost respect.

“As a team we have had to work extremely hard to make it this far and hope that today we can perform to our highest levels in pursuit of finishing the job off against a very good St Patrick’s Athletic side.

“The squad, which we have assembled in the last 12 months, have been an absolute pleasure to work with.

“I feel our squad have prepared for the game really well and have shown a great desire to embrace the opportunity to bridge a 15-year wait for a major trophy to fill the cabinets of Dalymount Park again.

“I would like to thank an incredible backroom team for everything they have given the club over the last 12 months. Gary Cronin, Derek Pender, Chris Bennion, Martin Doyle, Graham Norton, Colly O Connor, Sinead Wixted, Fiona Dennehy and Aaron Fitzsimmons bring so much quality, expertise and knowledge and, of course, with Pat Fenlon as Director of Football I feel the club is in an outstanding place to achieve success.

“Bohemian Football Club is a club with an amazing history and has seen an incredible growth over recent years and today is testimony to the people behind the scenes who helped the club survive over its recent past to see the club back at this pinnacle of Irish football.

“We have obviously suffered a heartbreaking setback in losing our inspirational club captain Keith Buckley to injury over recent weeks and as hard as today will be without Bucko, it is also an opportunity for us as a group to give him a huge lift in his recovery to be able to lift a trophy at the end of today’s game.

“Another player who misses out today is Kacper Radowski due to his sending-off in our semi-final win against Galway United. Kacper has been fantastic for us this season and again as a group we would love nothing more than to see him with a winners medal around his neck this afternoon.

“Over recent years, the club has lost many valuable friends, colleagues and supporters and today we remember every single Bohemian who has passed away and who won’t be in attendance in body but hopefully they are here in spirit. Today these people are also very much in our thoughts.

“Finally, a massive thanks to our incredible supporters that have followed us throughout Ireland in huge numbers over the last 10 months. We could never have got here today without your help and backing. Hopefully we can give you a performance today that will live long in the memory of every Bohemian.”

Team news

Keith Buckley (knee) is out and Kacper Radkowski is suspended.

SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division
Friday November 3rd 2023, Dalymount Park, 7.45pm
Tickets: tickets.bohemians.ie

Declan Devine is bitterly disappointed with how Bohemians have slipped down the table in recent weeks but has called on his side to pull together as they still have an opportunity to write themselves into the history books.

Defeats at home to St Patrick’s Athletic and away to Dundalk saw Bohs slip out of the top four and down to sixth.

Devine’s side now rely on an unlikely combination of results elsewhere to break back into the top four. All they can do now is to finish the league season as strongly as they can in that hope, and aim for glory in the FAI Cup final next week.

Devine said: “Our final league position is no longer in our hands but we are still in with a shout, so we have to take care of our own results and ensure we finish strongly.

“The last couple of weeks have been bitterly disappointing because we have put so much effort into our league campaign. We have spoken openly and honestly about points that we have left behind this year.

“There have been a lot of twists and turns. To think that 14 days ago we were targeting a win with the aim of moving up to second place, and then two defeats down the line we are in sixth fighting for our lives trying to finish fourth. That is obviously a bitter blow for everyone.

“But the reality for us is that European qualification is still very much in our hands, and we can’t lose sight of that. We are still one game away from qualifying for Europe through the Cup despite not being where we wanted to be in the league.

“We certainly feel we have left points behind us in the league. It has been difficult. We are 12 points better off than we were last season, and hopefully we can make that 15 against Cork City. But it’s absolutely not where we want to be.

“A club of this magnitude has got to be pushing for the top four. There is no shying away from that. It’s my job to achieve that, so there is no hiding place.”

Despite that disappointment, Devine believes in his side’s ability, effort and willingness to dust themselves down and put those set-backs behind them.

He said: “We have a massive couple of weeks ahead of us. We have an opportunity to bring a major trophy back to the club for the first time in 15 years.

“The one thing all year for me has been the togetherness of everyone at the club. There is a real unity and willingness to succeed. Yes we have had our disappointments in the last two weeks, but you only have a chance of winning things when everyone is together pulling in the same direction.

“The first thing I was told when I came in was that people at this club wanted effort, willingness and desire. I think we have had that over the course of the year, but have come up short in our last two games.

“We can’t do anything about past results, we have to accept them. But what we can do is understand that we have two games left, and an opportunity to achieve something for the club that has not been achieved in a very long time, and I know the fans will be right behind us as we try to do that.”

They must do that without Keith Buckley, who faces a lengthy time on the sidelines, and Devine has challenged his players to step up and show leadership in the absence of their captain.

He added: “We are so disappointed that we have lost Bucko but we have players in the group who aren’t kids, players in the group who have been involved in football for a very long time.

“We have players who have won things, and players who know the last two results, and particularly our performance in Dundalk, have not been acceptable. We have players who need to step up. But we have players who I believe are big-match players.

“There is no point looking back, and we cannot afford to. It is a terrible blow not to have Bucko for these games. It’s unfortunate for him personally and for us as a team. But he will be very much involved right through. His know-how and his ability to communicate and talk to players will be invaluable.”

Team news

Keith Buckley (knee) is out and Kacper Radkowski (foot) is a doubt.

SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division
Friday October 27 2023, Oriel Park, 7.45pm
Tickets: https://eventlist.store/dundalkfc/awayfans2

Declan Devine says Bohemians must knuckle down and treat each of their three remaining games this season as cup finals as they come to terms with losing inspirational captain Keith Buckley to a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

With Shelbourne and tomorrow’s opposition Dundalk breathing down Bohs’ necks, Devine knows his side need maximum points from the final two league games to qualify for Europe through the league ahead of the FAI Cup final against St Patrick’s Athletic.

That task was made all the more difficult following the confirmation that he will be without his valued skipper for the foreseeable future.

There was great concern when Buckley uncharacteristically went down in clear discomfort during Bohs’ 2-0 defeat to St Pat’s last Friday.

And those worst fears were confirmed the following day when scans confirmed that anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament damage would rule Buckley out for several months.

Devine said: “It is devastating news for us. It was a tough weekend. When you see Keith Buckley stay down and then hobble off, you know something serious is wrong because he’s simply not a player to do that.

“I knew at the time that it looked very serious, and when we got him looked at and scanned on Saturday morning, he rang me straight away and it was devastating for him.

“It is very hard on Keith but on the whole group too because what he has brought back to the club this year has been invaluable.

“He is an integral part of the group, not only because of his incredible leadership qualities but also his playing qualities as well, which get overlooked at times. He is very good on the ball, his awareness of danger, and everything he brings.

“We had a good chat as a group on Monday, and we certainly owe Keith Buckley a result this week, and we owe it to the club.

“What I will say is that the one thing you are guaranteed with Keith Buckley is that he will be back. Bigger, stronger and better.

“His mindset is as strong as anybody I have ever worked with. His attitude to the game, and to the club and his team-mates, is second to none.

“He is already thinking about when he can come back. He is putting plans in place already in terms of his body and his conditioning.

“That is incredible, that he hasn’t let the pain and hurt creep into him. He has been very positive, and it is important now that as a club that we give him the support, treatment and care that he deserves and that is required.

“He is an inspiration to so many, and it is our turn to get the club over the line in our next three games, which for me are three cup finals.”

Buckley’s loss was compounded with defeat to St Pat’s last week, a result that has increased the importance of tomorrow’s trip to Oriel Park, with both the host and Shels looking to leapfrog Devine’s side and into the European positions.

It was a particularly frustrating result given that Bohs bossed the first half, and the early exchanges of the second period, but failed to find the back of the net before defensive errors left them completely empty-handed.

Devine said: “We played very well at times last week, but we didn’t take our chances, and got punished for two defensive lapses.

“Everyone was really devastated, both with the Bucko news but also that we lost such an important game having been so dominant in parts.

“We now have a chance to rectify that, and we want to make sure we get maximum points but to do that we need to defend and attack so much better than we did last week.

“I cannot fault our effort but when we present ourselves with chances and when we have been as creative as we have been, the final product has to be better.

“To be fair, last week, the St Pat’s goalkeeper made two or three really top saves. But I believe we have goals in us. We are a very attack-minded team and it is up to us to go out there and show that.

“We now have three cup finals coming up, starting with this one. The players are really hungry.

“We know it is going to be difficult as Dundalk have the second-best home record in the league this year, just in front of ourselves.

“But we have prepared well all week. It’s like a cup game. A defeat or a draw is no good to us. We need to go and win.

“It’s a game we are looking forward to though, it is not a game that should bring us fear. Our performance levels have to be right, we have to be ruthless in both boxes, and do everything in our power to come away with three points.

“We want to get over the line for everyone at the club. We have three cup finals. We have two opportunities to get to Europe but we want to try and make sure that, before the cup final, we are already in Europe through the league.”

Team news

Bohemians are without captain Keith Buckley (knee).