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All the latest club news and updates from Dalymount Park.

PRICE IS RIGHT FOR MEN IN GREEN

DUNDALK  1 – 1  BOHEMIANS

Bohemians debuted a new away strip, a compact new formation, and a steely grit as they grabbed a hard-earned point in Oriel Park against last season’s Airtricity League runners up. Owen Heary’s men banished the demons of last week’s Derby defeat with a rousing rearguard performance against a largely-dominant Dundalk side.

In front of a big early-season crowd in the northeast, Aidan Price cancelled out Brian Gartland’s opener in a game decided by two first half set-piece headers. Those goals came within three minutes of each other, but Bohs spent most of the second period camped in their own half, and have Dean Delany to thank for the point as he pulled off a superb injury time save from John Mountney, writes KEVIN FAGAN.

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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

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WEEKENDER: MARCH 28

BETTING COLUMN BY SEAMUS O’CONCHUR

Bohemians travel to Dundalk tonight and must attempt to bounce back from the bitter pill of last Friday night. With Paddy Power sticking his neck out and offering 11/10, it’s worth backing us to do something we’ve done in every game so far this season, and that’s to find the back of the net.

Both Teams to Score is a fair bet here, which isn’t always the case. Punters generally like to back things to happen rather than things not to happen, whether it’s goals, cards, or corners. The value is thus often found on the “No” side of this bet, but in this case we are happy to make an exception.

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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)

WKNDR

“Small individual battles cost us”

DUNDALK v BOHEMIANS
Friday March 28, SSE Airtricity League, Oriel Park, 7.45pm

Bohemians go to Dundalk determined to defend more effectively than in their last two league games, writes BRIAN TRENCH.

Seeing his team concede five goals in two home matches, manager Owen Heary may make some team changes aimed at tightening the defence.

“Playing at home we take the game to teams and we may leave ourselves a bit open. Playing away, we have to set ourselves up in a way that we don’t get done, and can still be an attacking threat,” he said.

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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.

paddyK

BOHS BUS TO DUNDALK

The Bohs bus heads to Oriel Park on Friday (March 28th) as the Gypsies take on Dundalk in our first game outside of Dublin this season.

Check-in is from 5pm. The bus will leave Dalymount Park at 5.30pm sharp and return straight after the game. The fare is €18 return.

To put your name down, mail bus@bohemians.ie.

VIDEO: BOHEMIANS 1 SHAMROCK ROVERS 3

After Bohemians’ 3-1 derby defeat to Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity League on Friday night, manager Owen Heary gave his post-match reaction to Robbie O’Reardon, and explained how he believes decisions by the match officials cost his side at key moments during the game.

Filmed by Jamie O’Halleron.

CRAIG WALSH #MRGREENMOTM

Congratulations to Craig Walsh, who was the Mr Green Man of the Match on Friday night.

Although Bohemians were on the wrong side of the 3-1 result against Shamrock Rovers, Craig impressed with a tireless display in midfield and was the choice of our match reporter Kevin Fagan.

Craig was presented with his ?#?MrGreenMOTM? award by Gavin Flood, Ireland Country Manager at Mr Green.

Paul Fetherston won the signed match ball for tweeting Craig as his choice for #MrGreenMOTM to @bfcdublin and @MrGreen_ie.

Paul will be presented with his prize prior to our next home game, against Bray Wanderers on Friday April 4th.

Our #MrGreenMOTM competition will be running on twitter for every home game this season – make sure you enter to be in with a chance of winning a match ball signed by your Bohs heroes!

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DERBY NIGHT TURNS GREEN AND WHITE

BOHEMIANS  1 – 3  SHAMROCK ROVERS

A late double salvo from Ronan Finn and Kieran ‘Marty’ Waters settled a scrappy and tempestuous Dublin Derby as Bohemians suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of their fiercest rivals. A Conor Kenna own goal had earlier cancelled out Gary McCabe’s penalty as the Gypsies coughed up more sloppy goals at Dalymount Park.

A huge and boisterous crowd meant the game was played at a frantic pace, and featured chances at both ends, refereeing disagreements, and the usual cacophony of crowd hostility inside the stadium. This was the League of Ireland at its best, writes KEVIN FAGAN.

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Boss Owen Heary named the same team that drew with Drogheda United last week, with fit again Karl Moore starting from the bench. The opening 15 minutes were extremely cagey – a line that could easily have been written about every Bohs-Rovers game ever. The visitors looked the more comfortable on the ball, particularly the returning Luke Byrne, who was given an extremely hostile reception from the Bohs faithful.

If Byrne looked comfortable, the same could not be said of Jack Memery, who will want to completely wipe the memory of this game from his mind. The left back was culpable for all three Rovers goals, beginning with the opener on 14 minutes. After Gary McCabe got in behind Memery on the byline, the defender’s clumsy challenge left referee Padraig Sutton with little option. McCabe himself stepped up, and sent Dean Delany the wrong way to send the surprisingly large away crowd into convulsions of glee. Owen Heary would have no complaints about the penalty, but was aggrieved at the award of a Rovers throw-in in the lead up. The Bohs boss rightly felt that Simon Madden had touched the ball last.

Heary was also miffed on the half hour mark, when Dinny Corcoran had a goal dubiously ruled out for offside. Paddy Kavanagh’s cross fell kindly into Corcoran’s path, but the near-side linesman waved a slightly late flag. Corcoran looked to be level when the ball was kicked. Bohs best first half chance came just three minutes later when the impressive Craig Walsh snarled his way into the box with a determined run. His effort was blocked, and Kevin Devaney’s rebound agonizingly hit the crossbar and went over.

Heary didn’t waste much time changing things in the second half, which was barely 10 minutes old when Jason Byrne arrived, moving the Gypsies into a 4-4-2 formation. Byrne was almost instantly through on goal, but his effort was excellently saved by Barry Murphy. However, the change of shape did initially give Bohs a boost, and the equaliser deservedly arrived on 65 minutes. A delicious triangle of passes involving Kavanagh, Corcoran, and Derek Pender led to the latter bursting into the Rovers box. His low, drilled cross was a defender’s nightmare, and Hoops captain Conor Kenna could only smash an attempted clearance into his own net.

Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for Bohs. The game had drifted into a bit of a lull when a 3 minute one-two sent the home side onto the canvas. Rovers right back Simon Madden, who was excellent all game, made the most of a Jack Memery slip to send a lovely deep cross onto the head of Ciaran Kilduff. He nodded the ball back across to Ronan Finn, who forced his header in. Although the header was from close range, the ball was straight at Dean Delany, but somehow found its way into the back of the net.

The killer blow arrived less than 3 minutes later. Madden went into a 40-60 with Jack Memery and came out well on top. The spinning ball stayed in play, and allowed the full back to pick out another super cross. This time, Kieran Marty Waters gave the Cheerin Shouty Supporters more to crow about, and the game was all but done.

Bohs have a tough task to bounce back from this defeat, and a trip to Oriel Park is next on the calendar for Owen Heary’s men.

Bohemians: Dean Delany Derek Pender, Roberto Lopes, Aidan Price, Jack Memery (Karl Moore 78), Steven Beattie, Craig Walsh (Stephen Traynor 75), Kevin Devaney (Jason Byrne 56), Ryan McEvoy, Paddy Kavanagh, Dinny Corcoran. Subs not used: Daniel Byrne, Keith Buckley, Philip McCabe, Lee Murphy.

Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy, Simon Madden, Jason McGuinness, Conor Kenna, Luke Byrne,  Ryan Brennan (Robert Bayly 78), Shane Robinson, Gary McCabe, Ronan Finn, Sean O’Connor (Kieran Marty Waterts 75), Ciaran Kilduff. Subs not used: Rob Cornwall, Karl Sheppard, Eamon Zayed, Dean Kelly, Craig Hyland.

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SHANE MacTHOMÁIS RIP

Everyone at Bohemians was truly saddened to hear of yesterday’s tragic death of Shane MacThomáis.

A prominent character, Shane was the long-time curator at Glasnevin Cemetery and its Museum; a renowned historian and author; a Bohs fan and a regular at Dalymount Park.

Shane had many pals and acquaintances here at Bohemians, in particular Jack Gleeson, and we extend our deepest condolences to Jack, to Shane’s family, to his colleagues at Glasnevin Trust, and to all his many friends.

He will sorely missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

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WEEKENDER: MARCH 21

BETTING COLUMN BY SEAMUS O’CONCHUR

Derby day in Dublin, spring is here, and hopes are high. Weekends might be made and weekends might be ruined (as we are fond of saying around here, nobody thinks about the draw in this game of ours). The mood will fluctuate between hope and despair, between pure joy and total fury.

Let’s face it. Ninety minutes inside the most intense fixture the League of Ireland has to offer is rarely enjoyable and is sometimes outright excruciating.

Win or lose, it’ll add years to your life and definitely isn’t good for your health. Score a first half goal, endure a second half onslaught including a penalty crashing off your bar, and, well, it doesn’t get any easier that’s for sure.

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Our job for the next few lines though, is to step outside the stomach-churning rollercoaster and put ourselves in the neutral’s shoes. Crowds at this fixture in recent years haven’t always been what they were in the decades before this one. That said, the crowd is still boosted by voyeuristic neutrals here and there.

So how do these neutrals size up the respective squads this season, particularly our own? Well we were heavily backed last week to get the home win against Drogheda United and as we all know, we messed up at the end in the face of a bit of pressure that was high on effort but low on skill.

The hope is that after a couple of clean sheets against UCD, our defence can put that late sickener behind them while ensuring that it also keeps them on their toes. Our squad is significantly changed from last season and in the midfield, players like Walsh and Beattie should be capable of using the buzz of this fixture to motivate themselves, while also ensuring that they are not forced onto the margins.

Getting to grips in the middle of the park will be crucial for us against opposition much changed from last season. If both teams name last week’s starters, there’d be a couple of derby debutants on each side. With all of this in mind, even the neutral will think we are a fair bet at 19/20 +0.5 with Bet 365

Elsewhere on the fixture list…elsewhere on the fixture list, does anyone care?

OK, one more. Sligo a steal at evens with Boyles at the time of writing. We had them 7/10 to take care of business against Dundalk. They are unlikely to be evens by Saturday evening.

Recommended:
Bohs +0.5 on Asian Handicap, 1pt 19/20 (Bet365)
Sligo Rovers, 1pt evens (Boyles)

Season P+L: -1.42

WKNDR

“THERE’S NO BIGGER GAME”

BOHEMIANS v SHAMROCK ROVERS
Friday March 21, SSE Airtricity League, Dalymount Park, 7.45pm

Bohemian manager Owen Heary reckons there is ‘no bigger game’ than this Friday’s Dublin derby between his Gypsies and rivals Shamrock Rovers, writes KEVIN FAGAN.

Although both teams go into this clash with identical records from their first two SSE Airtricity League games (4 points each, 5 goals scored, 2 conceded), Heary believes form plays no part in these intense affairs.

“Form goes out the window, it’s all about who adapts well to the game. Big Dublin derbies against your biggest rivals – there’s no bigger game for us. It’ll be a challenge, but it’s one that the players are looking forward to.”

Bohs are on a wonderful run of results against their rivals from Tallaght – March 2012 was the last time the Hoops came out on top.

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Since then, Bohs have won three and drawn two of the last five league games between the two great clubs. Heary doesn’t necessarily believe that run has to end this week.

“I know some people have been saying ‘we haven’t lost to them in a while, we’re due to be beaten by them’, but I don’t understand that – why are we due to be beaten? We’ll push for the three points – we’ve done that in every game so far and tomorrow will be no different.”

Although the teams know each other well, Heary has made sure his players are well informed about Trevor Croly’s new-look team. “We don’t leave anything to chance, we try to give the players as much information as we can about how they play. The thing about Rovers is they have a wide selection of players. If you take their B team into account, they have up to 40 players to choose from, so it’ll be difficult.”

The atmosphere in the lead up to a Bohs-Rovers clash – and especially on the night – is unrivalled in League of Ireland football. Heary says his players are well aware of the importance of the game to the fans and hopes that can be to Bohs’ advantage. “There’s more expectation – the players know that. When they sign here, they know that these are the games that the fans love.

“With us and Rovers, that intensity is always there – no matter where either team is in the table – whether we’re fighting for leagues, cups or anything. I don’t think tomorrow will be any different. Hopefully we can adapt to that and get a result.”

The Bohs boss has been impressed with the attacking threat posed by his side – who have scored 13 goals in their four competitive games to date. “This year we’ve had the lads from pre-season, and we’ve worked a lot on their confidence – we wanted them to go out and express themselves. You can see that now with Dinny (Corcoran) whose confidence is high, Jay Byrne is chipping in, Paddy Kavanagh, Steven Beattie. We’ve plenty of attacking options and I think that gives the team that little bit of momentum.”

Captain Dave Mulcahy (knee) looks certain to miss out alongside Andy Mulligan (quad), and Lee Whelan (ankle). Anto Murphy is (hamstring) is still doubtful, while Karl Moore is available again following a groin injury.

Pic: Owen Heary and assistant Graham O’Hanlon (Eddie Lennon).

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