Bohemian Football Club is a proud members-owed club since 1890 and an integral part of the local community – the actions of this small minority must not detract from our famous club.

BOHEMIAN FC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The prices look about right though and we wouldn’t be rushing to back Bohs at Pinnacle’s 4.99 (just short of 4/1) in a fixture where, as last season, the draw is always going to be a runner. If betting, the draw is the one to be on at 3.52 (Pinnacle).

It may be a while before St Pat’s Athletic have as good a chance as to win the league as they did last season, and although they have added quality players such as Killian Brennan to their squad, they still lack firepower up front and will not be scoring goals for fun. Shamrock can be backed at 2.17 with Pinnacle and that’s a price worth taking. Some may wish to take 9/20 draw no bet on Rovers, but if they get their noses in front they should be able to shut out the Saints.

Elsewhere, Shelbourne will be looking to bounce back from last week’s opening day shocker in Bray where a red card and a one-nil defeat gave little signs of promise. Dundalk, on the other hand, managed a clean sheet against the title favourites and will be gaining in confidence under Stephen Kenny. Back the away win at Tolka (2.88, Coral).

UCD-Derry and Drogheda-Limerick are not easy games to call and involve teams that it’s difficult to form much of an opinion on this early in the season. Drogheda flattered in the Setanta Cup against weak though Danske Bank Irish League opposition, but then looked moderate enough when losing in Inchicore last week. There is no guarantee that they will find Limerick a soft touch when they visit Hunky Dorys Park.

To complete this weekend’s bets, we instead look to Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers on Saturday night. There is no reason to believe that Bray’s win over Shelbourne suggests they are in for a season dramatically different from last year. Given that they can be expected to finish down near the bottom of the table, and given Sligo’s ability on the ball and knack for scoring goals, we can back over 2.5 goals here at around 1.8 (4/5) on betfair. We can repeat ourselves as many times as is necessary in pointing out that there is no such thing as a banker but this the short price worth taking this week.

Recommended:
Shamrock, 1pt 2.17 (Pinnacle)
Dundalk, 1pt 2.88 (Coral)
Sligo Rvs – Bray Wanderers over 2.5 goals, 2pts 1.8 (betfair)

“Three games in 15 days against UCD is a bit much – but we came out on top in two of them, which is the main thing.

“I wasn’t overly pleased with the performance in the league game but the second-half performance in the cup game was probably our best performance to date, culminating in us getting a last-minute goal and bringing it to extra-time.”

Callaghan was also pleased with the fact that he could afford to change nine players from the starting line-up for the league victory and still progress in the EA Sports Cup with that thrilling extra-time winner from Chris Lyons.

He said: “For the squad, I was trying to get two players to compete for every position, and I think we’ve done that. When you can change eight or nine players and still get the result, it’s definitely pleasing for me.”

What will also please the Gypsies’ boss is the form of his attacking players. Out of the six goals scored against UCD over the three ties, five were from strikers and the other from the attack-minded Karl Moore (pictured). Firepower up front is a big priority for Callaghan this term. He said: “It’s an area that we’ve tried to improve on and hopefully that can continue”.

This weekend’s opponents Cork City have one of the most-changed squads in the league this term and Callaghan is expecting a tough fixture, adding: “They’ve spent wisely, brought in a lot of players. They have quite a decent budget down there by all accounts and we’re expecting nothing but a tough game. I watched their draw against Limerick and I think it was pretty even. We’re looking forward to it now.”

On the injury front, Bohemians have a few doubts for the trip. As well as a few players carrying knocks from Monday, Stephen Paisley has been ill over the past few days, Kevin Devaney is nursing a knock on his ankle and Dave Scully has a back strain. Those three will be assessed at training tonight before Callaghan decides who to bring on the trip down South.

DCU had opportunities to level the game – a curling shot from Traynor went narrowly wide – before Sam Simpson netted in the final minutes to seal victory for DIT and with it the college’s first-ever CUFL Premier Division title.

While Lopes toasted victory, 21-year-old Traynor wasn’t the only player with Bohs links left disappointed. The midfielder’s DCU team-mates on the day included Robbie Gaul, Dan Mahon and David Lodola – all of whom were previously on the books at Dalymount Park.

Last week, another Gypsy picked up a medal at this level as winger Andy Mulligan lifted the Colleges FAI Cup alongside former Bohemians goalkeeper Craig Sexton.

DCU: B Dale, M Logan, D Gaul, G McArdle, R Gaul, R Dunleavy, D Mahon, S Traynor, M Isichei, D Lodola, P Kavanagh. Subs: P O’Driscoll for Kavanagh 46 mins; D Brick for Lodola 46; D Aherne for Mahon 81.

DIT: N Cooney, C Dowd, R Matthews, R Lopes, N Cooney, P Malone, D Soon, E Murray, J Conroy, T Smullen, A O’Dwyer. Subs: D Higgins for Smullen 83; S Simpson for Soon 83; S Crowe for Dowd 89; C Smith for Murray 90.

REFEREE: P Tuite (Dublin).

(Pictures, courtesy of Sportsfile, show 1) Lopes and his DIT team-mates celebrating at the end of the game and 2) Lopes closing in on David Lodola)

Much like the league opener on Friday, it was a cagey affair early on. Bohemians midfielder Conor O’Brien missed a one-on-one with UCD goalkeeper Mark McGinley,  while Stephen Paisley had a header cleared off the line from another former Gypsy, Gary Burke.

But nine minutes before half-time, the Students drew first blood. The ball ricocheted around the box before Corcoran had the easiest of chances to put the ball past Greg Murray.

The home side responded well though and won a penalty just before the break. A clumsy challenge from Hugh Douglas sent Derek Pender tumbling and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot just before the break. Shane Murray stepped up but McGinley saved the former Sheffield United youngster’s spot-kick and subsequent follow-up.

Aaron Callaghan’s side seemed to have taken the manager’s words on board at the start of the second period and built up a head of steam. But all that momentum was lost as the Students doubled their advantage through Corcoran’s penalty after Roberto Lopes was adjudged to have fouled his former team-mate.

It looked all over but second after the kick-off,  fans’ favourite Scully pulled a goal back for his side and it was game on again.

Lyons and Moore were sprung from the bench as Bohs looked to gather momentum again  - and both of them proved to be inspired changes.

But time looked to be running out for Bohs until Lyons was fouled on the edge of the area in the last minute. Moore stepped up and curled his stunning free-kick into the top corner at the Tramway End.

On a freezing night in Phibsborough, 30 minutes of extra-time and possible penalties beckoned.

Paisley came close yet again at the start of extra-time when his header smashed off the crossbar. And Derek Pender came close too before the deciding moment came.

Referee Derek Tomney pointed to the spot for the third time in the evening as McGinley fouled Paisley.

This time Lyons stepped up, but once again McGinley was equal to the effort. Unlike Murray’s earlier effort, however, Lyons was able to bundle in the rebound to net his second goal against his former club in three days.

UCD pressed for an equaliser but this young Bohs showed great courage and stamina to hold on for victory and get revenge for an extra-time defeat against the same opposition in the Leinster Senior Cup last month.

Next up for the Gypsies is a trip to Turner’s Cross on Friday, before Shamrock Rovers come to Dalymount on Bank Holiday Monday (March 18th, KO2pm).

Bohemians: Greg Murray; Michael Barker, Roberto Lopes, Stephen Paisley, Ciaran Nangle; Dwayne Wilson (Karl Moore 63), Shane Murray, Derek Pender, Conor O’Brien (Chris Lyons 63), Andy Mulligan (Darragh Hanaphy 80); David Scully. Subs not used: Dean Delany, Darragh Reynor, Luke Byrne, Santiago Miguel Falbo

UCD: Mark McGinley; Gareth Matthews, Hugh Douglas, Tomas Boyle (Colm Crowe 106), Mark Langtry; Dean Clarke (Craig Walsh 56), James Kavanagh, Robbie Benson, Samir Belhout (Sean Coyne 78), Gary Burke; Dinny Corcoran. Subs not used: Ger Barron, David McMillan, Tyrone McNelis, Cillian Morrison.

(Picture by A. Baldiemann shows l-r Derek Pender, Roberto Lopes, Darragh Hanaphy, Dave Scully and Shane Murray saluting Karl Moore’s (No 10) late leveller.) View more match pics on our Facebook page!

In a departure from last season’s tactics, Callaghan went for a conventional 4-4-2 formation, with Darragh Hanaphy partnering Chris Lyons in attack. Devaney started the game on the left wing before moving into the forward line with devastating effect in the second half.

After months of anticipation, the first 10 minutes of this clash was not pretty viewing for Bohs fans. Pinned in their own half by the visitors, the Gypsies had to withstand an early flurry of corner-fuelled pressure. Debutant Dean Delany flapped at one such corner, but Lyons thankfully got to the ball before the onrushing Craig Walsh. Bohs eventually grew into the game, with the midfield duo of Ryan McEvoy and Stephen Traynor controlling proceedings for large periods after that shaky opening 10.

Lyons and McEvoy both tried low free-kick drives, but both struck at the feet of the UCD wall. With neither side on top, the game exploded into life in the 20^th minute. Keith Buckley found a sliver of space and clipped a lovely little ball through to Lyons, who seemed to anticipate the oncoming challenge from Mark Langtry. Lyons went down, referee Rob Rogers pointed to the spot and Langtry was on his way to the dressing room. The incident will be an interesting watch on Monday Night Soccer, and it’s very possible visiting boss Martin Russell will feel particularly aggrieved. Either way, Lyons dusted himself down and dispatched the penalty with aplomb – the first goal in the 2013 Airtricity League Premier Division.

Lyons, a former UCD player, made a nuisance of himself all night. He can be extremely pleased with his competitive debut for the Gypsies. Alongside a wonderfully composed and mature showing from Ryan McEvoy, Bohs had two outstanding performances on the night. McEvoy let fly with a rasping 30-yard drive that had pulses racing on the half-hour mark before Devaney struck the post just before half-time. His snapshot had Ger Barron beaten, but struck the outside of the upright.

The home side should really have wrapped up the game just after the break. A poor pass across the defence left Hanaphy almost clear, but he dawdled for too long and allowed Sean Russell to clear for a corner. Just a minute later, Barron’s weak clearance fell straight to Lyons, who stepped inside Hugh Douglas before firing a low shot just wide. Bohs fans could be forgiven for ruing those misses, as UCD equalised soon after.

Ref Rogers awarded the Students a penalty just 10 minutes into the second period. UCD sub Robbie Creevy’s shot was carelessly spilled by Delany, who in his haste to rectify the error, clashed with David McMillan in the box. Arguably another soft decision, but luckily for Bohs, Delany received only a yellow card. McMillan, brother of former Bohs star Evan, sent the ex-Shelbourne keeper the wrong way to even things up.

In response, Callaghan made what turned out to be a decisive substitution. Hanaphy was replaced by Karl Moore who slotted on to the left – pushing Devaney into the centre alongside Lyons. Barely five minutes after coming on, Moore beat Hugh Douglas for pace and stood a tantalising ball to the back post. Lyons jumped with Russell, and the ball broke to Devaney, who coolly smashed home from 10 yards out.

Devaney almost made the points safe with 15 minutes to go. He managed to get himself in the way of a trademark McEvoy strike, but the ball fell kindly and he was able to swivel a shot past Barron. Unfortunately for Devaney, this time it struck the inside of the post and flashed across the goal to safety.

Bar a few set-piece scares, Bohs saw out the final few minutes without much incident. Special mention to Owen Heary playing in the first game of his 21^st and final League of Ireland season. He marshalled the defence from centre-half, and will be delighted along with Callaghan with the valuable opening three points. Next up for Bohs – you guessed it – it’s UCD again in the EA Sports Cup on Monday before an interesting trip to Turner’s Cross next Friday. It’s good to be back!

Bohemians: Dean Delany, Derek Pender, Owen Heary, Roberto Lopes, Luke Byrne, Keith Buckley, Ryan McEvoy, Stephen Traynor (Michael Barker, 71), Kevin Devaney, Darragh Hanaphy (Karl Moore, 60), Chris Lyons (Dave Scully, 88). Subs not used: Greg Murray, Shane Murray, Ciaran Nangle, Stephen Paisley.

UCD: Ger Barron, Tomas Boyle, David O’Connor, Hugh Douglas (Gary Burke, 79), Mark Langtry, Sean Russell, Craig Walsh (Robert Creevy, 56), James Kavanagh, Dean Clarke, Robbie Benson, David McMcMillan. Subs not used:  Mark McGinley, Barry McCabe, Dinny Corcoran, Tyrone McNelis, Samir Belhout.

Attendance: 1,368

Bohs Man of the Match: Ryan McEvoy

(Picture by Eddie Lennon shows Kevin Devaney celebrating his winner with (l-r) Keith Buckley, Chris Lyons, Karl Moore and Stephen Traynor.) View more of Eddie’s pics on our Facebook page!