At Bohemians, we believe football is for everyone.

Our aim is to make Dalymount Park a safe and inclusive place where everyone is welcome, regardless of race, nationality, sexuality, age or religious beliefs.

As part of a series of initiatives during Pride Month, Bohemians and supporters group GayBohs, are delighted that this Saturday we will become the first League of Ireland club to participate in the Pride Parade.

Supporters, players and the wider Bohs family are all invited to join the Bohemians contingent on the parade.

Our participation in Pride is important.

Football has been around for 150 years and has consistently been one of the most inhospitable cultures for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

It has long passed time that we collectively tackled that head-on.

Close to home, Jake Daniels recently became the first professional footballer in Britain to come out in 32 years.

That length of time ought to be a wake-up call that everyone involved in our sport has a role to play to change a culture that, although improving, remains a negative experience for many.

That culture does not just affect players.

We must reflect and ask ourselves how comments and remarks made on the terraces over the years might have negatively affected supporters around us who were struggling to come to terms with their sexuality.

We have to wonder how many players and supporters have turned away from football because they felt it to be an isolating environment.

Or worse – denied who they are to the detriment of their own wellbeing.

That is why we believe it is important the clubs play an active part in trying to change that atmosphere.

Bohemians are doing what we can in that regard, and hope to do more:

• We played a small role at the time of the marriage referendum in an attempt to ease what was a mentally debilitating and intrusive debate for so many in the LGBTQ+ community
• We display the Pride flag at all games
• We have the first LGBTQ+ fan group in the country: GayBohs
• A limited edition Pride t-shirt is now on sale with a percentage of profits going to ShoutOut
• We have unveiled a Bohemians Pride mural at Doyle’s Corner in Phibsborough
• We have organised educational workshops in partnership with ShoutOut with our youth coaches
• We are supporting Stonewall’s visibility campaign through the month of June
• We are launching a voluntary Equality Officer role to promote tolerance at our club

We have been encouraged by the overwhelming positive response of our supporters to our involvement in Pride so far, and we hope as many of you as possible can join us on Saturday.

Football is for all. Bohemian Football Club is for all.

HOW TO TAKE PART

Our float will be departing from the GREEN ZONE – North Frederick Street (Top end).

Please contact pride@bohemians.ie if you intend on joining so that we can arrange to get the required wristband to you. Meeting time is 11am.

Otherwise, please join us from 12pm from the Spire on O’Connell St or from any point along the route onwards.

After the march, we will meet at the Square Ball pub, 45 Hogan Place, off Merrion Square, for post-march drinks.

For any queries, please contact pride@bohemians.ie.

Bohemians are looking for Dublin derby spoils in their first game back from a two-week break during the international football window.

Just one point separates tonight’s opposition with Shelbourne in sixth on 24 points and Bohs in seventh on 23.

Very little separated the teams the last time they met at Dalymount Park either when they served up a 1-1 draw.

But Bohs, with a determination to climb up the table, will be looking to instead replicate their most recent result against Shels when goals at Tolka Park from Liam Burt, Dawson Devoy, Kris Twardek and Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe gave the Gypsies their most comprehensive result of the season.

Manager Keith Long said: “After a couple of weeks away from competitive action we are back playing and what better way to restart the campaign than in a derby in front of a packed house.

“Hopefully the game will reflect what I am sure will be a terrific atmosphere.”

There have been changes to the squad in that short break too, with the loan deals of Sam Packham and Ryan Cassidy coming to an end.

There are three new faces signed up – full-back Ryan Burke, centre-back Josh Kerr and midfielder John O’Sullivan.

The trio are not available for tonight’s game or next week’s against Shamrock Rovers but will come into contention once the transfer window opens on July 1.

Long said: “These are players who I really believe will help strengthen our squad and provide healthy competition for our group.

“They are obviously coming from the traditional season and will require several weeks to get up to match speed and fitness, but we hope they can contribute quickly once international clearance comes through from July 1.

“Hopefully, we will be able to make some more additions over the coming weeks with so much to play for in the second half of the season.

“It takes time to build a squad. For far too long we have witnessed our best players leaving the club and hopefully our attempts to attract players on longer term contracts gives us stability on the pitch now that we have it thankfully off it.

“Our club is now in a strong position having transitioned from the best part-time club in the country to a club that wants to challenge and challenge repeatedly and sustainably.
“That might seem a long way off at this minute when you look at the current league table but I don’t believe we are a million miles off. If we can add to our squad again this window and the next I believe it will put us in a great position as we move forward.”

While the club has been boosted with new arrivals, there was a blow during the break when goalkeeper James Tablout suffered a shoulder injury in training while on duty with Ireland.

Long added: “Unfortunately, we are going to be without the services of James for a significant amount of time.

“James has been exceptional since he came to the club. Any team would miss a player and person of his calibre.

“I am gutted for James, but I am sure he will do everything in his power to get back to fitness as quickly as possible.

“Thankfully, we have Tadhg Ryan who, since coming to the club, has bided his time patiently and is more than capable of stepping into the breach.

“It can be a lonely station for goalkeepers waiting in the wings for an opportunity, but Tadhg has been the ultimate professional and his time is now.

“I am confident that he will show his quality in James’ absence.”

Another man on the sidelines is Grant Horton who has impressed at centre-back on loan from Cheltenham.

Long added: “Grant has had knee surgery to repair a small issue with his meniscus and will complete his rehab with Cheltenham with a view to coming back to us to finalise his rehab and have him ready potentially for the latter half of July.

“Grant, prior to his injury, was in good form and we are looking forward to having him available as we attempt to attack the second half of the season.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohemians are without James Talbot (shoulder), Tyreke Wilson (suspended) and Grant Horton (knee).

Ryan Cassidy and Sam Packham have left the club after their loans from Watford and Brighton came to an end.

New signings Josh Kerr, Ryan Burke and John O’Sullivan are not eligible until the transfer window opens on July 1.

Bohemians are delighted to confirm the signing of centre-back Josh Kerr.

The Scotsman joins after three years with Airdrieonians.

Subject to international clearance, he will be eligible to play when the transfer window opens on July 1.

Kerr, 24, played underage football with Celtic up to U20 level before joining Brighton in 2017.

During his time with Brighton, Kerr also enjoyed a loan spell with Derry City in 2019.

Welcoming Josh to Dalymount Park, manager Keith Long said: “We are delighted that Josh has signed for Bohemians and we are looking forward to working with him.

“It is a position where we felt we needed to strengthen competition, and we are delighted that we have been able to do so.

“We believe Josh can improve us as a team – he has good first-team experience with Airdrie, and as well as that he already has experience of our league from his time with Derry City.”

Kerr is the third summer arrival at Dalymount Park following the signings of full-back Ryan Burke from Mansfield Town and midfielder John O’Sullivan from Accrington Stanley.

Bohemians are delighted to announce the signing of midfielder John O’Sullivan.

The 28-year-old joins from Accrington Stanley and brings with him a wealth of experience having played in the English Football League at Championship, League One and League Two level as well as in the Scottish Premiership.

In all, he made 245 first-team appearances during his time in Britain since making his first-team breakthrough with the Blackburn Rovers in 2013 having progressed through their academy that he joined as a 15-year-old in 2009.

Subject to international clearance, the former Ireland U21 international will be eligible to play when the transfer window opens on July 1.

Welcoming O’Sullivan to Dalymount Park, manager Keith Long said:

“I believe John will be a fantastic addition to our squad.

“At 28, he is coming to us with over a decade behind him in Britain where he has consistently played at a high level in the EFL.

“He has played nearly 250 games in England and Scotland and that will obviously bring us vital experience that will help our team.

“It’s a new challenge for John at a good age and we are delighted to have him at the club.”

Meanwhile, Bohemians wish to thank Sam Packham and Ryan Cassidy and wish them all the best for the future after their loan spells from Brighton and Watford respectively come to an end.

Bohemians are delighted to confirm that left-back Ryan Burke is joining the club.

Subject to international clearance, the 21-year-old will be eligible to play when the transfer window opens on July 1.

Burke arrives from Mansfield Town having enjoyed a loan spell with Telford this year.

Having played schoolboy football with St Joseph’s Boys and St Patrick’s Athletic, he joined the Birmingham City Academy in 2017.

He spent four years with Birmingham, signing his first professional contract in 2019, and also enjoyed a loan spell with Yeovil Town during his time there.

Welcoming Burke to Dalymount Park, manager Keith Long said: “I am delighted to have Ryan on board.

“He is a player I know from his schoolboy days at St Joseph’s.

“He is coming to us at a good age to come in with four years at Birmingham and with a decent level of first-team experience with Telford this year.

“We are really looking forward to working with him and we feel he will strengthen the squad and give us great competition in an important position that we need.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to advertise the following roles in our youth section, which are now open for applications:

• Juniors Coordinator
• Small-Sided Games Coordinator
• 11-a-side Coordinator

These are exciting roles which will allow us to focus on key development areas as we continue to grow our youths section.

These roles will give the youths section a renewed focus and have specific responsibilities to ensure that we focus on player and coach development.

Application process

To apply for any of these roles, applicants must email academy@bohemians.ie with the following:

• The subject of the email should be the role you are applying for i.e SSG Coordinator
• Attach your CV outlining your experience
• Attach your Cover Letter stating which role you are applying for and your motivation for doing so

Applications to open Wednesday June 8th.

All applications will close on Friday June 8th.

All successful applicants will be invited for applications.

Job specs

• Juniors Coordinator
• Small-Sided Games Coordinator
• 11-a-side Coordinator

Bohemians know they need to make their chances count tonight as they chase the consistency that has eluded them so far this season.

On Monday, Bohs looked to follow up on Friday’s fine 2-1 win against Sligo Rovers when they travelled to face St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park.

But despite dominating possession and goal-scoring opportunities in the first half, Bohs inexplicably went in trailing 2-0 at the break before eventually succumbing to a 3-0 defeat.

Manager Keith Long said: “The season so far has been a rollercoaster to say the least. Good performances have not been backed up and we have been very inconsistent, which is a frustration for all of us.

“Last week against Sligo I thought we were excellent, playing the game with high intensity, high tempo, high energy and a directness about our play. We deservedly won the game and should have done so by more.

“On Monday, despite losing heavily against St Pat’s, I felt there were many positives to take from the game. We dominated in every facet especially in the first half, creating chance after chance with their keeper making some outstanding saves.

“On another night, we could have won the game comfortably. St Pat’s capitalised on a mistake early in the game and in additional time of the first half, we knocked off from a throw-in and got punished.

“Goals win games and while we dominated possession and chances created, Pat’s took their chances and that’s the only stat that matters.

“The goals we conceded from our perspective were very much avoidable, which was disappointing.

“In the second half, we lacked the energy to carry the game to Pat’s in the manner that we did in the first half and we found it difficult to break them down when they got bodies behind the ball and looked to hit us on the counter attack.

“It is more difficult to chase down a game than to defend a lead especially after the exertions of the previous Friday against Sligo.

“There can be no excuses though and we are looking to sign off before a short break with a good performance and a win at home.

“I cannot fault the players for their efforts, they have worked extremely hard and are doing all they can to improve.”

Tonight, they face Kevin Doherty’s Drogheda team who caused one of the shocks of the season when they beat league leaders Shamrock Rovers on Monday.

Long added: “Drogheda are enjoying a good season in Kevin’s first year in charge at the club and will provide a tough test for us buoyed by a good win against Rovers on Monday night.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohemians are without Kris Twardek (hamstring) and Grant Horton (knee) but are hopeful Stephen Mallon (ankle) and Sam Packham (calf) may return.

Bohemians need to win two games in a row for the first time this season if they are to go level with tonight’s opponents St Patrick’s Athletic.

In a much-improved performance following the previous week’s defeat against Dundalk, Keith Long’s side beat Sligo Rovers 2-1 on Friday night with goals from Dawson Devoy and Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, and a scoreline that flattered their opponents.

That victory saw Bohs leapfrog the Bit O’Red up to fifth – now they want to follow that up with another three points against St Pat’s.

Victory in Richmond Park would see Bohs level on points with Tim Clancy’s side who are currently one place above them in fourth.

Long said: “It is important that we try and follow up Friday’s win tonight.

“I thought we deserved to win on Friday. We were comfortable up until we conceded, which showed the importance of us getting the second goal.

“Tonight is another Dublin derby and we are going to bring a great travelling support over with us again – our supporters have tended to come out in force down the years in Inchicore.

“It’s a great place to play too, a nice, tight, compact ground.

“We’ve beaten them in Dalymount, but they’ll fancy their chances over there.

“There is not much between a lot of the teams in this league, so it’s important that we try and back up Friday’s win.

“‘Win after winning’ is what we said in the dressing room. We haven’t done that this year, so that’s the challenge now for us to try and do that.

“We know it won’t be easy. We know Pat’s will be smarting having lost to Shels.

“But we just need to take care of our own performance and just go to try and back it up.

“We have a couple of injuries, a couple of niggles, and a couple of tired bodies there from Friday. But tiredness is good – aching bodies are good when you win and come off the pitch having put in a shift and you’ve earned those three points.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohemians are without Kris Twardek (hamstring), Stephen Mallon (ankle) and Grant Horton (knee), while Sam Packham (calf) is a doubt.

Max Murphy, who was taken off as a precaution on Friday after a knock to his ankle, is fit to play.

Bohemians are delighted to confirm that we will travel to Germany this summer for a friendly with our friends Union Berlin.

This is something both clubs have worked together on for some time, but Covid-19 restrictions prevented it from taking place until now.

The game will take place at Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Saturday July 9, kicking off at 3.30pm local time.

With fans denied opportunities to travel to away games over the past two years, we hope as many Bohs fans as possible can make this journey.

Ticket details to follow.

Bohemians will tonight look to bounce back from last week’s defeat away to Dundalk and instead bring the same energy and composure displayed in their previous game against Derry City a fortnight ago when Sligo Rovers provide the opposition at Dalymount Park.

Bohs drew 1-1 with the then league leaders on that occasion but despite a good first-half performance and a half-time lead against the Lilywhites last week, their good work was undone with a disappointing second-half display that culminated in a 3-1 defeat.

Manager Keith Long said: “It has been a few weeks since our last game in Dalymount. Our victory over UCD was followed up with a really good away point and team performance in Derry.

“It was probably our most complete performance of the season and we felt more than a little aggrieved not to come away with all three points but pleased with the performance levels from the players who worked extremely hard, managed the game well and caused Derry problems on the counter attack creating several goal scoring opportunities.

“Frustratingly we then underperformed in Oriel park last Friday.

“Our performance was flat and lacked energy. We didn’t win our duels and simply did not function as a team despite taking a first half lead and going in ahead at the break.

“We conceded some poor goals in the second half and we were well beaten in the end, which was extremely disappointing.”

One of Bohs’ previous most notable performances this season was against tonight’s opponents when a notably vocal travelling support helped Long’s side on to victory in a midweek fixture at the Showgrounds last month.

Long added: “We have an opportunity now to try and make amends.

“Sligo are a good side and will provide tough opposition as they always do but we are at home and we want to make home advantage work for us.

“We are incredibly lucky to be supported by a brilliant fanbase who we know will get behind us tonight.

“That support be it here in Dalymount, away in Oriel Park or up the Brandywell is never taken for granted.

“We want to represent them well on the pitch and we hope we can send them home happy with a performance to be proud of.”

TEAM NEWS

James Finnerty (head) is set to return but Liam Burt (groin) faces a late fitness test.

Stephen Mallon (ankle) remains out as does Grant Horton who will undergo knee surgery next week.