Preview: Bohemians v Cork City
June 10, 2023
SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division
Saturday June 10 2023
Dalymount Park, 3pm
Lynn Craven hopes Bohemians can continue to inspire young girls – because those same girls continue to inspire her.
A primary school teacher, in her first season with Bohs having joined from DLR Waves, Craven is grateful for the vocal support she and her team-mates have received this term.
That support has helped spur them on to a six-game unbeaten run and drew in a crowd of 1256 – a new record for the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division – when Bohs shared the spoils following a 0-0 draw with Shamrock Rovers at Dalymount Park last week.
Now Craven, who teaches in the very same school she attended in her hometown of Dundalk, is hoping for more of the same when Cork City provide the opposition this afternoon.
Craven said: “We’re really showing people now what we are capable of. We are six games unbeaten now since losing to Rovers in April, and I think that defeat gave us the kick that maybe we needed. Ever since then, we’ve been on form.
“Even getting the 0-0 draw last week just shows how much we’ve come on in that six-week period. We felt unfortunate enough not to score but we’re keeping really solid at the back and keeping clean sheets, which is massive for us.
“What we need to work on now is just being a little bit more clinical in the final third, but look, hopefully that will come soon. We’re happy with our progress.”
Their recent run of form has been built on a strong backline, with goalkeeper Rachael Kelly earning deserved plaudits.
Craven said: “With Rachael, we always say that it’s like having an outfield player behind you. She’s so good with her feet, her distribution is amazing, and like she’s an unbelievable shot-stopper.
“She’s clearly one of the best keepers in the country, so to have her behind you, it gives us confidence as a backline that although we know we have our jobs to do and that we need to keep solid but we know if something does go by us, we’re confident that Rachael has us covered.
“It’s kind of a new back four for the team this year – obviously I’ve only come in this season. It took us a little bit of time to gel together. But we work really hard in training and we go into each game saying ‘look, we’re not conceding today’ and I think that’s working a lot.
“We’re defending really well and starting defending right from the front. When we don’t have the ball, we are all defenders and it’s working well. We’re happy that we’re a team that it’s hard to beat.”
Despite Bohs’ run of form and Cork City being propping up the league table, Craven is taking nothing for granted.
She said: “We won the first game of the season against Treaty and people were highlighting that we only won 1-0 but we knew right from that game that they’re going to take points off teams and they’ve shown that there is no game you can go into thinking it’s going to be an easy win.
“We play Cork now and obviously they are below us in the league, but I think the position they’re in doesn’t reflect who they are at all. They’re a good team.
“We have to go in every week knowing that we have to give absolutely everything – defend for our lives and be clinical up front.
“That’s the beauty of the league, and why so many people are enjoying it this year – every game you go to, you don’t know what the score is going to be but you know that you’re in for a good match.”
But what is really driving Craven now is the support she and her team-mates are getting from the stands.
The former Shelbourne and Wexford Youths player has witnessed first hand the rapidly growing interest in women’s football in recent years – a far cry from when she began her League of Ireland career.
She added: “The crowd last week was amazing. It really pushed us on. I can’t express how much we appreciate the crowds that have been coming, so hopefully we can keep breaking attendance records.
“I’ve been in the league a few years now – there were games when I started out where you would have only had 20 or 30 people at a match.
“Honestly, the difference that a crowd makes is amazing. They really push you on so much more and when you know that they’re giving their Saturday afternoon up to come and watch you, it really does lift you to do better yourself.
“When we play in Dalymount, we can really hear the fans behind us so with that base, and the Women’s World Cup coming up, I feel it’s only going to get better and stronger.
“There’s a huge fan base going across to Australia for that, and I think the Ireland team can be a real inspiration, and for the second half of the season, we are going to see even bigger crowds.
“It’s been a weird feeling to be honest because you kind of see yourself just going out to play your own game of football, you don’t really think that there’s girls actually looking up to you. But we spend almost an hour after games, no matter what the result, giving time to the girls at the games because they give their time to us.
“And you really do hear them when we are out on the pitch. It’s amazing and it’s something that I only wished I had when I was younger – to look up to girls and to be able to go to women’s games.
“But it wasn’t a thing then. So for young girls to see – we had a lot of Bohs underage girls teams there last week – that there is a pathway for them and to think ‘I want to be playing here in a few years’ time’ is just brilliant.
“It’s only gonna motivate them to think ‘I want to be like that some day’ – and with the talent Bohs have coming through at underage level, it won’t be long until many of them are playing with us.”
- Admission to all Bohemians home SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division games is included in all club memberships, season tickets and Junior Gypsies
- Match tickets can be purchased from tickets.bohemians.ie
- Drinks purchased in our bars at SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division games can be brought out to the Jodi Stand in plastic glasses
- We encourage all attending the game to stick around for the inaugural Pride of Dalymount Cup, which kicks off at 6pm
