Having reviewed the performance of their more defensive line-up in Oriel Park, Bohemians consider they gained “a good point and probably a deserved point”, according to assistant manager Graham O’Hanlon. “Dundalk are a very good team with very good movement. But we did create chances on the night.”

The performance and result also showed that Bohemians have depth in the squad, as those who came in acquitted themselves well, O’Hanlon added.

He has deputised for manager Owen Heary in his absence on a Switzerland-based module of his Pro Licence course. But Heary will be back in the dug-out for Friday’s game.

O’Hanlon insists Bohemians will not take Bray or any other team lightly. “Bray are a dangerous team and can cause us problems. They have good players up-front. Again, we need look at our system, and look at our players and make sure we are well set-up defensively,” he said.

“The lads are under no illusion: this is going to be a very tough game, and it’s a very important game as we go into an important period of the season, when we need absolutely to pick up as many points as possible.”

The 5-1 victory over Bray six weeks ago in the Leinster Senior Cup is not an accurate reflection of the two teams’ status, O’Hanlon added. “Alan [Mathews] and Barry [O’Connor] were just settling in and putting their stamp on the team. And since then Bray have beaten Sligo 1-0. That just shows you what they are capable of.”

Former Bray warrior Jason Byrne may well start against his old club, having been out of the starting line-up in the league up to last weekend. “He did excellently against Dundalk. He’s been unlucky not to be starting but it was Dinny[Corcoran]’s good form that kept him out. Over these next three games I fully expect to see Jason playing his part,” said O’Hanlon.

The competition for places has heated up elsewhere, as Daniel Byrne worked effectively to “snuff out danger” playing in front of the back four and Darragh Reynor applied his experience, strength and dead-ball skills, coming in for Jack Memery.

“Jack may benefit from a little time away. He’ll come back stronger from that because he is a good player,” noted O’Hanlon.

Keith Buckley returned to the starting line-up against Dundalk to put in his usual energetic and combative performance. “He never lets his player settle on the ball and he sets the bar for others in work-rate, as he goes around closing people down.”

Dave Mulcahy (knee) came into the season carrying an injury but he has returned to light training. He is not expected to be ready for Friday but may well feature in one or both of next week’s matches. Andy Mulligan has returned from quad injury to full training, but Anto Murphy (hamstring) remains out.

Bohemians may have all but one of their squad available for selection next week and Mulcahy will be especially welcomed back, according to O’Hanlon. “He is a key player for us. He sets the benchmark for others on the pitch and he’s very good in the dressing-room too. We want him back as quickly as possible.”

Members of the band have been regular attendees at Bohs games since, while lead singer Paul (pictured) even stepped inside the ring for our fundraising White Collar Fight Night last year.

So from everyone at Bohs – thank you RoySeven for your solidarity in our time of crisis.

Now that you might have more spare time on your hands, we hope to see you in Dalymount again soon!

Boss Heary made 5 changes to the team that lost to Shamrock Rovers and reverted to a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Dan Byrne shielding the back four. Karl Moore played from the left, Patrick Kavanagh from the right, with Jason Byrne ploughing a lone furrow ahead of Keith Buckley and Craig Walsh. The other change saw Darragh Reynor step in for Jack Memery at left back. This was the first outing for the much talked-about away strip. Although playing in an unfamiliar colour, Bohs certiainly got the rub of the green for most of the 90 minutes here.

The Oriel Park pitch is one that surely no one in the league likes playing on. Bouncy, bobbly, rough, and generally rather awkward, the astro turf in Dundalk never seems to suit a flowing game. This was certainly the case in the opening 15 minutes, with miscontrols and misplaced passes dominating procedures. The first flash at goal came from a likely source – Jason Byrne was 25 yards out at a tough angle, but his snapshot swerved and dipped just above Peter Cherrie’s crossbar. This seemed to spring Dundalk into life, and Dean Delany had to make a fine reaction save after good solo work from Kurtis Byrne.

Dundalk were struggling to create anything in behind a rigid Bohs, but managed to squeeze into the lead on 28 minutes. An outswinging Darren Meenan corner was met by the ample forehead of Brian Gartland, whose header had goal written all over it from the moment he made contact. A disappointing concession for Owen Heary, who will be disgruntled at the ease in which Gartland headed the Lilywhites into the lead.

The giddy home fans on the Shed Side weren’t hopping for long, as the men in green got a quick-fire equaliser just two minutes later. Darragh Reynor’s delicious in-swinging free-kick found Aidan Price, and the towering defender placed his penalty-spot header expertly into the far corner. Cue wild scenes from the away fans. The Gypsies could even have gone into the break ahead after a stroke of genius from Byrne almost came off. Pouncing on loose control from Dane Massey, the veteran striker looked up, spotted Cherrie off his line, and tried an audacious 40 yard attempt. The Dundalk keeper scrambled back to tip the ball over the bar, and half time came.

The editors for RTE’s Soccer Republic will have a job finding any positive highlights for Bohs in the second period. Happy with the scoreline, the Gypsies set out their stall to defend for the second half. The wind increased as the game progressed, making for a tense final 20 minutes. Delany was Bohs’ stand-out performer. Richie Towell mimicked Jason Byrne’s first half effort, forcing Delany to tip his 30 yard chip just over the bar. Sub John Mountney caused Reynor plenty of problems on the right flank, but Bohs bravely kept fighting. The home fans were increasingly frustrated, and you felt there was one big chance left in the game as 5 minutes of stoppage time was announced.

The chance arrived on 92 minutes, and Delany proved his worth with an absolutely outstanding save. Sub David McMillan launched a long throw into the box – the ball bounced around, and sat up perfectly for John Mountney. His right-footed volley looked to be the winner, but Delany’s outstretched claw saved the day for Bohs.

Next up is an interesting three-game in 7 days run of Bray (home), Athlone (away), and Limerick (home). Owen Heary will be hoping to at least double the current points tally of 5 by April 11th.

Dundalk: Peter Cherrie, Sean Gannon (Ruaidhri Higgins, 82), Andy Boyle, Brian Gartland, Dane Massey, Stephen O’Donnell, Richie Towell, Daryl Horgan, Darren Meenan (John Mountney, 66), Kurtis Byrne, Pat Hoban. Subs not used: Chris Shields, Marc Griffin, Manuel Kaguako, Gabriel Sava.

Bohemians:  Dean Delany, Derek Pender, Roberto Lopes, Aidan Price, Darragh Raynor, Keith Buckley, Dan Byrne (Ryan McEvoy, 86), Craig Walsh, Karl Moore, Paddy Kavanagh (Stephen Beattie, 66), Jason Byrne (Dinny Corcoran, 90+2). Subs not used: Philly McCabe, Stephen Traynor, Kevin Devaney, Lee Murphy.

Bohemianfc.com Man of the Match: Dean Delany

Dundalk shut out a misfiring ten-man Sligo last weekend but shipped four against Drogheda and couldn’t keep the back door closed in the Setanta Cup during the week after taking a fantastic 2-0 lead. The Drogheda game will probably come to be seen as a freak result but the Lilywhites can still be considered a team liable to concede.

Sligo Rovers’ trip to Tallaght should be decent enough television fare for anyone who cannot make it to Dundalk, and with both sides coming off midweek Setanta Cup action, it’s an extremely tough one to call.

Sligo will be aiming to avoid three straight league defeats, which would be a truly diabolical run of form for a team fancying a title tilt. Sligo managed a clean sheet against St Pats during the week, and the home side scraped a 1-1 draw at home to Derry in their opener where they were frustrated for long spells. The bet in this game might just be on under 2.5 goals, which is widely available at 4/7.

Elsewhere, games like Limerick v Drogheda, Bray V UCD, and Athlone v Cork City look difficult to figure out. St Pat’s make the trip to Derry and this looks set to be another tight, low-scoring encounter, similar to the Candystripes’ games against Shamrock and Cork City so far this season.

There isn’t really a bet that appeals amongst this bunch, although tonight could be a fairly high scoring night across the Premier Division as a whole. On Sunday afternoon in the First Division however, Shelbourne can be trusted to take three points from their short trip. 5/6 about the away win here is more than fair.

Recommended:
Dundalk v Bohs Both Teams to Score, 1pt 11/10 (P Power)
Shamrock v Sligo Rovers, under 2.5 goals, 1pt 4/7 (P Power)
Shelbourne, 1pt 5/6 (Bet365)

Goals scored by Shamrock Rovers last weekend came from missed tackles or losing possession in midfield. “It was small individual battles that cost us the game and they may have come from inexperience.

“One thing you can’t give players is determination or will. They have to have that themselves. There were a few incidents in the game where we lost a tackle and ended up conceding a goal.

“We were also able to show the players that when we won the tackle what the difference was. Our goal was probably the best of the game. It came originally from Roberto [Lopes] winning the ball in a tackle.

“The good thing about it is we’re creating chances and we did it against one of the teams that’s going for the title. Overall, I thought there wasn’t a big gap between the two teams, despite the scoreline.”

Heary still has to plan without Anto Murphy (hamstring) and Dave Mulcahy (calf) who have proven ability to help control the midfield and defence.

Murphy’s injury has proven more serious than was thought at first and he may be out for a further three weeks. But Mulcahy, who has had a knee and a calf injury in quick succession, may be just a week from returning.

The presence of players like these can have a crucial effect on how the team plays. “It’s how they lead by example and how they talk to people. The midfield is crucial and if you have someone there who can see the danger before it happens it makes a big difference. Maybe last week we were just lacking that bit of experience.”

But Heary wants to ensure his players do not focus too much on whether a certain player is available or not, and he wants to encourage younger players to show leadership.

Craig Walsh (22) has demonstrated that ability. “He has a great engine. He’s up and down, working very hard,” said Heary. “The lads can’t go into games thinking, ‘We’re missing such a player, or such a player’. They have to think, ‘OK, let’s go and win the game without them’.”

Dundalk represent formidable opposition, Heary notes, with a squad that is relatively settled over a couple of seasons and “hard to find weaknesses in”. Though they lost heavily in the opening league game of the season, they have beaten Sligo away and defeated Shamrock Rovers in the Setanta Sports Cup.

Heary notes this inconsistency is widespread. “Everybody has already lost at least one game in the league, and that may be down to worrying too much about getting points.” But the Bohemian manager also expects some teams to start putting winning sequences together and his team may well have that opportunity after this weekend when they play Bray, Athlone and Limerick over eight days.

Apart from injuries to Murphy and Mulcahy, Bohemians also have Andy Mulligan (quad) out, though he has returned to light training.