Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm the return of Danny Grant to Dalymount Park.

Grant, 23, came through the Bohs U19s, breaking into the first team in 2018 where he quickly established himself as a regular and a firm fans’ favourite.

The winger’s form in 2019 helped Bohs qualify for European football for the first time in seven years while he also won the first of his three Ireland U21 caps.

His standout season came in 2020 when he helped Bohs to a second-place finish, winning the PFA Ireland Young Player of the Year, the Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month for August, and being named in the PFA Ireland Team of the Year in the process.

That form saw him earn a move to English Championship side Huddersfield Town from whom he rejoins after spending last season on loan with League Two side Harrowgate.

Welcoming Danny back to Dalymount Park, manager Declan Devine said:

“I am over the moon. I have been in constant contact with Danny for several months, have been over to see him in England, and I was always of the opinion that if he became available that I wanted to bring him back to the club.

“He has the DNA of the club running through him from his past stint here, which was a very successful period for him.

“He is at an age profile too where he really fits into this group. He has experience of playing in the league and of playing in England.

“I am delighted he wants to be part of the club again. He adds a dynamic and a quality to what we are trying to grow here.

“I remember trying to set teams up against Danny when he was here before, and it was extremely difficult.

“He is an exciting player, and is someone who brings tremendous excitement. He is also someone who has matured. He has developed physically, he is a much stronger lad. He has worked extremely hard on his physicality. 

“He is another piece of the jigsaw. He gives us a real ability to be penetrative in our play. The way we are playing, Danny brings technical quality in abundance. 

“A fit and happy Danny Grant certainly makes Bohemian Football Club a whole lot better.”

About Bohemian Football Club

Established in 1890, Dublin’s Bohemian Football Club, or Bohs, is one of the oldest clubs in Irish football. The club is 100% fan-owned club and aims to use football as a force for good in society. Rooted in a history of active citizenship, earlier this year the club launched a Football Social Responsibility Strategy to guide the development of our work in the communities around Dalymount Park in Phibsborough.

About The Spark

The Spark is a Pobal-funded initiative based in Dublin 7 that aims to enable local communities build local wealth through climate action. It’s the capacity-building element of the Bohemian Climate Cooperative, a unique, place-based and community-led initiative. Through The Spark, the Cooperative will inspire and empower the community via training programmes, after-school activities, and engagement with the green economy. Key prototypes such as a cooperative premises, a Green Skills Training Programme, a Bicycle Library, a Library of Things, an AfterSchool Climate Action Programme, and an Intergenerational Dialogue will be developed and implemented to catalyse community participation and build the capacity of the community to work as a cooperative. The Spark brings together numerous local and national entities such as Connecting Cabra, Cosybatter, the Football Association of Ireland, the Grangegorman Development Agency, Mountjoy Prison, the Neighbourhood Network, the Phibsboro Village Climate Club, Rothar, Stoneybatter Pride of Place, and the Technological University Dublin.

Role Summary

We are seeking a dynamic, resourceful, and motivated individual to join The Spark as a Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator role is a key part of our team, enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness by working in concert with the Project Manager to ensure the successful realization of the project’s goals. This is an excellent role for anyone looking to gain practical and rounded experience in mobilising community-led climate action.

• Download job description
• Applications (please send a CV (2 pages), with a cover letter (1 page), before midnight on Sunday the 23th of July): applications@bohemians.ie

SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division
Friday July 7 2023, Dalymount Park, 7.45pm
Tickets: tickets.bohemians.ie

Bohemians manager Declan Devine has challenged his side to get back to the level of performance they showed they are capable of earlier this season.

Bohs suffered their heaviest defeat of the season when they were beaten 3-1 by Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds last Friday.

It was a particularly frustrating result given Bohs have shown they are well capable of beating the Bit O’Red – winning 1-0 at the Showgrounds in April and 2-0 at Dalymount at the beginning of last month.

So Bohs come into tomorrow’s game against Dundalk in patchy form, but boosted by the signing of Bartlomiej Kukulowicz, who Devine describes as an ‘out-and-out right-back’ and who ‘ticks a lot of boxes for us in the way we want to play’.

Devine said: “We have dropped a lot of points over the last eight or nine games. There have been a lot of tough games but we certainly should have had a better points return. We have spoken about that.

“Friday night in Sligo was our worst performance of the season, there is no doubt about that.

“We didn’t get to grips with the game, we didn’t start the way we wanted to start. To find ourselves 2-0 down at half-time, we gave ourselves a mountain to climb.

“Sligo outworked us, outfought us and outplayed us. That is something we cannot let happen again. I think it’s the first time this season that we were second best in all three of those strands.

“There have been times where we have been outplayed but where we have outfought the opposition but that didn’t happen in Sligo.

“We were seriously lacking. Everyone is hurting. We know there is more in us. I still believe there is a lot in this group of players.

“We have a very tight group and we have spoken about the points left behind us. We are confident we can get back to the level of performances we are capable of.”

Bohs have four points from their two games against Dundalk this season – a 2-1 victory in Dalymount in February and a 2-2 draw in Oriel Park in May when Devine’s side battled back from 2-0 down.

The Lilywhites come into this game in fourth place, four points and one place ahead of Bohs, although Stephen O’Donnell’s side have played two games more.

Devine said: “The top teams are not too far ahead of us. We have games in hand but that means nothing as you still have to win those games.

“The four teams above us will be heading into Europe very shortly, which shows how important this game is. We want to be closer to the top teams when they are playing in Europe than we are now.

“We want a proper response now. We have played some good stuff at home and we want to get back to that. We want to put in a performance in front of our fans, and we want everyone to rally together and push on.”

Although frustrated with the manner of the defeat last week, Devine revealed his options were limited due to injuries of some of his key men.

He said: “We are carrying a lot of niggles and knocks at the moment. We didn’t have enough players to fill the bench properly. Ali Coote couldn’t come on, James Akintunde couldn’t come on and Keith Buckley was carrying a knock that we weren’t willing to take a risk with.

“With so many niggles in the group, we have to be very careful as we don’t want a situation where because we have taken a risk a player ends up being out for six, seven weeks like Dean Williams is and like Luke Dennison is now. We can’t afford any more.”

Those concerns forced Devine’s hand when it came to Monday’s Leinster Senior Cup semi-final away to Shelbourne at Tolka Park, and he opted to hand the reins to U19 manager Trevor Croly.

Captain for the night, James McManus, and Cian Byrne, in his first game back after being recalled from his loan spell at Longford Town, were the only players with significant senior football experience yet Croly’s side came out on top of a Shelbourne side that featured several first-team regulars.

In an entertaining end-to-end tie, Bohs twice sacrificed a two-goal cushion but came out 4-3 winners thanks to goals from Adetobi Jinadu, Jack O’Reilly, Taylor Mooney and Peter Grogan to progress to the final against Usher Celtic.

Devine added: “It was a brilliant game and a brilliant atmosphere. We had originally planned to have five or six first-team players in the team but with the injuries and niggles we have, and the manner of the defeat in Sligo, we felt that we needed a full week’s training schedule.

“We got in touch with Trevor Croly immediately after our game on Friday night to tell him that. Each and every one of his players who took to that pitch on Monday night should be so proud and their families should be so proud.

“They were up against a very difficult opponent – Shels’ U19s are very strong and they had five or six senior players with a wealth of experience.

“So for them to go toe-to-toe with them and perform in such a pressurised situation was a credit to themselves but also a testimony to Trevor Croly, the coaching staff and all who have coached them in the academy.

“Nobody wants to lose a semi-final, it doesn’t matter if it is your senior team or your U19 team, so to come away from Tolka with a win is huge for them.

“To be pegged back to 3-3 and to then have the bravery and quality to go up again and get that fourth goal was very pleasing.

“All of the first team and coaching staff were in the main stand and I think we cheered even more than the fans because we were just delighted for them – the sheer enjoyment of it – and we knew how much it meant to them.

“After the game, for the first team to go into the dressing room to congratulate the U19s, and get behind them and support them, was special. It was a lovely unity, and we look forward to the final now, which we hope is in Dalymount.”

TEAM NEWS

Ali Coote (hamstring), Luke Dennison (hand) and Dean Williams (ankle) are out. James Akintunde (quad) and Keith Buckley (calf) are doubts.

It is hoped that new signing Bartlomiej Kukulowicz will join the matchday squad, while Cian Byrne is set to be included having been recalled from his loan spell with Longford Town.

Grant Horton and Drew Baker’s loan spells at the club have come to an end.

Bohemians are delighted to confirm the signing of Polish right-back Bartlomiej Kukulowicz.

The 22-year-old joins from Polish side Nieciecza having come through the youth ranks at Legia Warsaw and has signed until the end of 2024.

Subject to international clearance, Kukulowicz will go straight into tomorrow’s matchday squad against Dundalk.

Welcoming Bartlomiej to Dalymount Park, manager Declan Devine said:

“I am delighted to bring him to the club. He is a player who has been on our radar now for a number of months and we have kept a close eye on him.

“He comes with a good pedigree and has played at a very good level.

“We have been crying out for an out-and-out right-back and he ticks a lot of boxes for us in the way we want to play.

“He is an attack-minded right-back – he is very much on the front foot, and he has trained really well this week.

“My first impression is that he is a really good person, and the boys have been really welcoming to him. Now it is about showing him what the league is about and getting him up to speed as quickly as possible.

“The two Polish lads we have here already – Kacper Radkowski and Krystian Nowak – know him well. Hopefully he can have a similar impact and settle in as quickly as they have.

“Kacper has played every minute for us and Krystian is really consistent, and goes about his job in a quiet but very effective manner.

“Only recently when Kacper was on his break he met up with Bart, and there has been good dialogue between us all, us and I know they will help Bart settle in.”

Devine is working hard with Director of Football Pat Fenlon and his coaching staff to strengthen in this transfer window.

Devine said: “Every club is crying out for signings but we have to be sure that we bring the right player in. Players have to be the right fit for our environment, and they have to make us better.

“We have got to learn our lesson from last summer. Good players came in during that window who continue to play an important part for us, but there were also players who came in and then left in a very short period of time.

“We have been actively working hard behind the scenes – myself, Pat and all the coaching staff – for months for this window to open.

“It is a difficult window as there are a lot of players in Britain who want to stay there and fight for their careers, take part in pre-season and try to prove to new managers that they are worthy of staying at their clubs.

“I don’t want players just to make up the numbers, I want us to strategically go after players that we need. If they are not available, I am not just signing players for the sake of it.

“I want players who fit who we are.”

Everyone at St Francis Hospice, Bohemian Football Club, the Dignam family and Aslan wishes to express our gratitude to everyone who supported our one-off fundraising jersey in memory of Christy Dignam.

Thanks to your support, a cheque of €141,976 – all profits from shirt sales – was presented to St Francis Hospice today, which will go a long way to helping them provide the extraordinary service to loved ones and their families.

We also wish to extend our thanks to our partners Des Kelly Interiors for recognising the importance of fundraising for St Francis Hospice and making this initiative possible by giving up their main sponsor space at the front of our jersey for last month’s Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers.

Christy, the much-loved Aslan frontman, overcame significant personal challenges to uplift generations across our communities.

He was cherished by so many, and it has been a privilege to stand with his family and support those who gave him the care and love that he deserved in his final days at St Francis Hospice.

St Francis Hospice provides a specialist palliative care service for the people of north Dublin city and county and surrounding counties and we encourage anyone who missed out on ordering the Aslan jersey to get behind their fundraising initiatives in any way they can: sfh.ie/donate

Pictured today at St Francis Hospice are Christy’s wife Kathryn, daughter Kiera, son-in-law Darren and grandson Cian; Greg Kelly from Des Kelly Interiors; Bohemians staff Declan Devine, Laura Clifford and Daniel Lambert; and St Francis Hospice staff.

Sligo Rovers v Bohemians
SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division
Friday June 30, The Showgrounds, 7.45pm

Bohemians’ Dublin derby comeback showed character and resilience but now Declan Devine wants his side to learn from their mistakes and remain fully concentrated for 90 minutes against Sligo Rovers tomorrow.

A crazy ten-minute start to the second half against Shamrock Rovers last week saw Bohs 2-0 down and with a mountain to climb.

But Bohs didn’t give up. They dusted themselves down and stormed back to claim a point thanks to goals from Johnny Afolabi and James Clarke.

Devine said: “We need to learn that if we go a goal behind we certainly can’t go a second goal behind so we have to learn from that.

“We didn’t start the second half well which is uncharacteristic of us as that has been one of our strong points.

“I was very disappointed that we gave ourselves a mountain to climb but I am absolutely over the moon with how we responded. We suffered two huge setbacks but we went out and got a point, and probably should have won it.

“To go two goals down and then get a point against a quality side who really don’t throw away two-goal leads shows the character of this team.

“For us as a group, for our supporters, and for the whole club, it was such an important game for us not to lose.

“I was very pleased with how we turned the game around – our subs were outstanding. It was a high level performance, apart from 10 minutes where we showed a lack of concentration, which is something we need to address.

“The place was absolutely rocking – our fans on both sides, in the Jodi Stand and the Des Kelly Stand, really drove us on to get something out of the game and that is something we want to build on when we are playing at home.

“We have come from behind now on two difficult occasions, away to Dundalk and at home to Shamrock Rovers. That shows that no matter what is thrown at us that we have the character to pull ourselves back.

“We showed we have firepower throughout the team too – I was delighted for Afolabi getting such an important goal for us and James Clarke again showed the quality he has.”

Bohs have beaten the Bit O’Red twice already this season – a 1-0 win at the Showgrounds in April, and an impressive 2-0 win at Dalymount Park at the start of this month.

But Devine warned that both of those victories were hard-earned, and that he expected Sligo to come out fighting after their surprise defeat to UCD last week.

Devine added: “We have prepared all week for a very difficult game. I have been going to Sligo for 20 years and have never had an easy game there.

“Derry went there a couple of weeks ago and lost 1-0, so we have to understand that it is a difficult venue against a team that is going to be hurting on the back of last week, playing in front of their own fans who will be demanding a response.

“Sligo have a lot of talented players, so we are under no illusions that it will be a tough game. Our mindset has been good all week and we know we have to get back to winning ways.

“We have got to take care of ourselves. The two games we have played against them have been tough games. We have had to work extremely hard to win those games and that’s the level we need to be at again.

“We are going to have to expend a lot of energy and aggression, and be forceful in attack. We have a lot of talented players, so we have to look at our strengths and go there and be demanding of ourselves.”

TEAM NEWS

Dean Williams (ankle) and Luke Dennison (hand) are ruled out.

Bohemian FC is hosting open training sessions at Dalymount Park this Saturday, July 1, for U8s to U12s boys and girls.

Open sessions for U8s, U9s and U10s will take place from 9.30am to 10.45am, with registration from 9am.

Open sessions for U11s and U12s boys will take place from 11am to 12.15pm, with registration from 10.30am.

Parents can now register boys and girls for the sessions using this online form.

On the day:

• Parents and players to enter through Des Kelly Stand side (St Peter’s Road entrance)
• Registration in Des Kelly Stand merchandise store
• Mono Stand open for parents to view sessions
• Players to bring boots, shin pads and water
• Players will be directed to designated pitch area for their age group

Bohemian FC are delighted to confirm the appointment of Ray Scully as Small Sided Games Coordinator.

Scully will kick off his new role with open training sessions at Dalymount Park next Saturday (July 1st).

Open sessions for U8s, U9s and U10s boys and girls will take place from 9.30am to 10.45am, with registration from 9am.

Open sessions for U11s and U12s boys and girls will take place from 11am to 12.15pm, with registration from 10.30am.

Parents can now register boys and girls for next week’s open training sessions using this online form.

Scully brings with him over a decade’s worth of experience of playing in the League of Ireland with clubs including Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne, and, since hanging up his boots, has enjoyed coaching at various levels since 2013, including with the Bohemians U19s.

He said: “I am delighted to be returning to Bohs. I really enjoyed my time here before.

“I have coached at U19 level with Bohs before, senior teams with the Gardai and in recent years I have reskilled, gone right back down to U8s, which I believe has given me a broad knowledge across all levels and improved my coaching ability.

“As Small Sided Games Coordinator, I will oversee boys and girls from U8s to U12s, developing existing structures and helping coaches and their players.

“There has been brilliant work done at the club over the past five or six years in this area, and we want to develop it further now.

“I hope to be a focal point to help coaches in this section with the view of helping players from the youngest ages, from U8s and up to the point that players can go into our League of Ireland teams – coordinating a pathway all the way up.

“League of Ireland clubs have a responsibility now to develop that pathway for kids coming through and I am delighted to be a part of that. It really excited me.

“From sitting down with Pat Fenlon as Director of Football and Craig Sexton as Head of Academy, I know Bohs want to attract good coaches and good players and bring them through.

“Having people of the calibre of Pat and Craig at the club was a big part of me wanting to be a part of this project. Working alongside them to expand my own knowledge.

“I will be working with Craig in his role as obviously the academy teams are the next step up, and I am looking forward to helping with the coaching education side of things too.”

SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division
Friday June 23 2023, Dalymount Park, 7.45pm
Live on RTÉ2

Declan Devine has challenged Bohemians to be greedy when they host Shamrock Rovers at Dalymount Park in the third meeting between the sides this season.

Devine’s men were on the wrong side of defeats in both those games and that is something he and his players want to put right against the league leaders this time around.

The international break afforded his players some time off but they have knuckled down since returning last weekend and are relishing the prospect of the Dublin derby.

Devine said: “The players have put a lot in since they first came in on the 28th of December, so it was a welcome break for them on the back of leaving the Brandywell with a positive point and a positive performance. It was a good time to give them a good five days off.

“Everyone has been back in and at it since last weekend. They are fresh and really focused.

“We have had a good conversation about where we want to get to between now and the end of the season.

“As a group we are very open with one another about what we want to achieve. We want to push on from where we are. The players have really taken to how we want to go about our jobs.

“In the first half of the season, we left some points behind us but we have to push on from that.

“We are sitting in a decent position. All the teams around us have all played a game more than us. So we have to understand that we are a game behind, and we have to stay in touching distance with all those clubs who are in Europe.

“Our players are relishing that challenge. We have to take care of our own business, that’s the bottom line.

“Any player at a club the size of Bohemians should be looking at those European draws this week and making sure that we are in the hat next season and for the foreseeable future.

“That has to be the goal for the club. That’s certainly what I want to achieve now. We have to aim for that at the very least.

“We have to give everything in every game now and see where that takes us. We have to clock up as many points as we possibly can. We want to be greedy now. We want more and we have to get more.

“We want to push this group as hard as we can and push each other as hard as we can.”

They will need to push each other to the very limit to beat the defending champions but Devine says his side are set up to win.

He said: “Rovers is always a huge game. Rovers are the only team in the country we haven’t taken points from so far. That is something we want to rectify.

“The two performances against Rovers so far – first half in Dalymount we were outstanding, second half not so good, but the performance in Tallaght was at a very high level and we really should have got something out of that game.

“But all of that is in the past and we have to go about our jobs in a professional way, get something from the game and try and win the match. We will be setting up to do that.

“Some of our performances this season have been at a very high level. We went to Tallaght and took them on, but ultimately we came away with nothing.

“That’s something that we have to rectify. It’s the second half of the season now and we have to accumulate as many points as we possibly can.

“No matter who comes to Dalymount, we want to set up in a manner that we will be the team in the ascendency. We want to put on a performance for our own fans.

“It being Rovers adds an extra spice to it but in terms of our mindset, we just want to go and win every game and send our fans home happy.”

Bohs come into this game on the back of a behind-closed-game friendly at Dalymount Park with TNS on Monday, which finished 4-4.

Highly-rated U19 prospect Nickson Okosun helped himself to a hat-trick, while Drew Baker scored Bohs’ other goal.

Devine added: “TNS are in Europe so they are at a decent level. We played mostly our U19s and U17s in the second half so it was a good test for them too, it was a really good workout.

“We got the players who haven’t had a lot of minutes up to speed. Nickson came in and scored a hat-trick – he is a talented young lad who is on the periphery of the squad and he will be in the squad against Rovers. Hopefully he can have an influence over the course of the season.”

TEAM NEWS

Dean Williams (ankle) remains out while Jay Benn’s loan has ended and he has returned to Lincoln City.

The Bohemian FC Walking Football team had a successful trip to Newcastle for their debut in the Walking Football Champions League.

The group consisted of nine players who formed the walking football group as part of the Bohs in the community programmes in August. Since then, the group has grown from six to 16 members, and they meet every Monday morning in Cabra.

Recently, they hosted a friendly match against Shamrock Rovers Walking Football team, and first-team manager Declan Devine conducted a training session before their trip.

The team that departed for Newcastle comprised Bohs fans, members, ex-board members, and ex-Irish internationals. They were in high spirits, ready to take on Europe.

The group was hosted by Newcastle United for dinner at St James’ Park, retiring early to prepare for the tournament the next day.

Bohs were drawn in Group B alongside Schalke, Real Betis, Chelsea, Rangers, and Glasgow Life. Their first game against Schalke ended in a loss with a last-minute goal.

They then secured two scoreless draws against Real Betis and Chelsea, displaying strong performance against tough opponents, including ex-professionals. With two points from three games and conceding just one goal, the team’s defence stood out.

In their fourth game against Rangers, Bohs performed excellently, winning 4-0. This set up a crucial final group game against Glasgow Life, who deservedly emerged as 2-0 winners. Glasgow Life, known for hosting the largest one-day walking football tournament in Europe, posed a tough challenge.

Bohs finished fifth in the group on goal difference, having conceded only three goals overall. This positioned them in the fifth place knockout rounds, competing against Salford City and Motherwell. The game against Motherwell ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. In their final match against Salford City, Bohs secured a well-deserved 2-0 win, finishing top among the fifth-placed group teams.

The group stage proved to be tough, as four out of six teams from Bohs’ group finished top in their knockout rounds. Ultimately, Newcastle United emerged as the overall champions, defeating Schalke in the final. The trip concluded with a dinner and tour at St James’ Park before the team returned home. The team’s impressive performance, considering their formation less than a year ago, has them eagerly looking forward to the next tournament in August.

If you’re interested in joining the walking football team, new members are welcome. The team trains at Inspire Fitness Cabra every Monday at 11am, followed by a cup of tea and a chance to catch up.

For more information, please contact James Flanagan at james.flanagan@bohemians.ie.