SSE Airtricity League
Friday June 18 2021
Dalymount Park, 7.45pm
Live on LOITV.ie

One of the first names on Keith Long’s teamsheet since making his debut in 2017, Rob Cornwall believes he has a battle on his hands to win back his place in the heart of the Bohemians defence.

The club vice-captain was forced off with an ankle injury in the 2-1 defeat away to St Patrick’s Athletic four weeks ago and has seen Rory Feely and Ciarán Kelly impress in the three games since from which Bohs have taken seven points.

Cornwall, 26, said: “I’m hoping I can get back into the team as soon as possible but I can’t have any complaints as the lads have done really well as we are unbeaten in the three games I’ve missed.

“Rory and Ciarán have been excellent in defence. I’m particularly happy for Ciarán as he has had to bide his time to get a run in the team but he has shown what he is capable of.

“It will be difficult for either myself or James Finnerty to get back into the team given their form but that competition for places is exactly what you want.”

In his absence, Bohs turned on the style in a 5-1 win over Dundalk and a 3-0 victory over Waterford.

But they were left kicking themselves last Friday when they once again conceded a goal deep into injury-time to hand a share of the spoils to Derry City after an Ali Coote wonder strike had given the Gypsies the lead on 83 minutes.

It was a bitterly frustrating end to the game for Long’s side, who had hoped they had stamped out that frustrating habit of conceding late goals that have turned wins into draws and draws into defeats.

Cornwall said: “It is hard to put your finger on why that has happened four or five times now this season. We know we have to be better than that.

“The performances are definitely there. We need to trust in ourselves more and believe in our game-plan, but we have to cut out those errors.

“We have a young team – I’m one of the eldest at 26 – but we need to learn and adapt quickly. We’re halfway through the season now and we are gelling well in so many ways, but we have to cut out those mistakes.”

Last time out against tomorrow’s opposition Drogheda United was a similar story – a stunning team move put away by Liam Burt and an otherwise excellent performance was undone in the 93rd minute when Bohs conceded from a corner.

Cornwall said: “Drogheda have already shown us what they are capable of. Their result against Sligo last week is further proof that they are a very good side.

“We should have won our last game against them – we had a lot of possession too – but Drogheda never gave up and were right at it right until the end of the game to get something out of it.

“They are having a great season, particularly for a newly-promoted team. They have a good mix of youth and experience not unlike ourselves. So we know we have to be right at it to get a result.”

The Europa Conference League draw at the start of the week pitted Bohs against Icelandic side Stjarnan next month but Cornwall isn’t thinking too far ahead.

He said: “I know it is a cliche to say we are only looking at our next game but it’s the truth.

“We have a very busy few weeks of games ahead and we want to move up the table – we can’t afford to be looking too far ahead.”

While frustratingly, for the second season running, Bohemians fans will be unable to travel abroad to support their team in that European qualifier, there is some sense that we are entering the twilight stage of the pandemic with the moderate return of some supporters to home games.

90 members and 10 season ticket holders will attend tomorrow’s game – the first time fans have been able to attend since our last game pre-Covid-19 against Shelbourne in March 2020.

Cornwall added: “It’s such a relief to have some fans back. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we have more in as well.

“Since returning to play football last August, it has been such a strange experience playing in empty stadiums.

“Our fans mean the world to us – there has always been a strong bond between the team and supporters in my time with the club.

“We just can’t wait to have them behind us again. It will give everyone in the team a huge lift.

“We know there’ll only be a small number in the stands initially but I’ve no doubt they will make themselves heard.”

TEAM NEWS

Bastien Héry (calf) and Conor Levingston (wisdom teeth) return but Promise Omochere (quad) remains out.

DERRY CITY v BOHEMIANS
SSE Airtricity League
Friday June 11 2021
Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, 7.45pm
Live on LOITV.ie

Stephen Mallon had to bide his time for his first runout in the red and black of Bohemians but now he has had a taste for it, he is keen to make up for lost time.

The Belfast man was a closed season arrival in January from Sheffield United having spent last year on loan with tonight’s opposition. But he suffered a cruel blow in pre-season when he fractured his metatarsal.

He finally made his bow with a 15-minute cameo appearance in Bohs’ 3-0 win over Waterford a fortnight ago as the League of Ireland season reached its halfway point.

The 22-year-old said: “It has been a tough few months. Obviously when you arrive at a new club, you are really keen to impress early on so to get an injury in pre-season that rules you out for so long was hard to take.

“I just had to knuckle down and work hard with Remy Tang, our conditioning and fitness coach, and the physios to get back as soon as I could.

“It was great to get back on the pitch again. It will take four or five games for me to get back my march sharpness as there is only so much you can do when you are out injured – you cannot replicate what it is like playing.

“But it was a huge relief to finally get my first game under my belt. Hopefully I will get more opportunities now and push on.”

Mallon might find breaking into the team more difficult now than he might have done had he been available at the start of the season.

The pacy former Ireland U21 international was tipped to be one of Bohs’ key men this season but in his absence, after a stop-start beginning to the season, his housemates, Scottish duo Liam Burt and Ali Coote, have found real form on the flanks over the past month or so.

His rivalry with his two fellow wingers, with whom they share a house with Georgie Kelly, is very much a healthy one where they want the very best for one another.

Mallon said: “There’s no bitterness! There is a good, healthy competition. We keep pushing ourselves to be the best that we can.

“I get on really well with the lads I live with, we are all very close. We all want the very best for one another.

“The team had a bit of a slow start but sometimes that happens when you have so many new faces. It was going to take time to gel but the lads have shown what they are capable of.

“Ali and Liam have really clicked in the last month or so and I’m delighted for them both particularly as I live with them and have become good friends as a result.

“Them being so in form can only be good for me too as it makes me strive to be the best version of myself that I can be as that is the only way I will get a chance to get into the team.

“It’s good living with the three lads as we all have similar experiences – living in a new place away from home.

“But the Dublin lads, and the players who were at the club from before, have all been so good to us too. From day one, the players, the coaches and everyone at the club have been so welcoming to all of us.

“It is the perfect platform for us to try to push on together. There’s a great group of players, and we have been made to feel appreciated by everyone at the club.”

Given the form of Burt and Coote, tonight Mallon is likely to have to settle for a place on the bench against his former club, for whom he scored against Bohs in the Brandywell last season.

Mallon added: “Derry have beaten us already this season so we know we have to be right at it to get a result.

“I am looking forward to it, I have a lot of respect for the club and they gave me an opportunity last season.

“We are particularly looking forward to this one as this will be one of the first games with some fans back at games, which everyone is looking forward to seeing, particularly at Dalymount.”

TEAM NEWS

Tyreke Wilson returns from suspension.

Bastién Hery (calf) is likely to miss out while Promise Omochere (quad) is rated 50-50.

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to announce Premier Property Group as a sector partner for our WNL team, which will see the company logo featured prominently on all our women’s team kits.

Premier Property Group work in conjunction with local housing authorities, completing fitouts for social housing by refurbishing properties and getting them ready for occupants.

Over a range of these projects, they have been tasked with, among other things, the service and repair of gas boilers, the overhaul and installation of new energy-efficient plumbing works and electrical systems, gardening and garden maintenance, appliance repairs, plaster work and insulation, kitchen and bathroom upgrades, tiling, flooring, glass repairs and glazing, locksmith services, pest control, and contract cleaning and waste removal.

John Powell, Premier Property Group MD, said:

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor a top women’s football side in the country along with being part of the team at one of Ireland’s most progressive and famous clubs, Bohemian FC.”

Daniel Lambert, Bohemian FC COO, added:

“It is brilliant to announce this partnership today – the girls and women’s game is a key part of our club and one that is growing rapidly in all areas.

“I would like to especially thank John Powell of Premier Property Group for his commitment to supporting our WNL team. We look forward to building on this in the coming years.”

BOHEMIANS v WATERFORD
SSE Airtricity League
Saturday May 29 2021
Dalymount Park Park, 4pm
Live on WatchLOI.ie

A gut-wrenching and undeserved injury-time defeat against St Patrick’s Athletic last Friday spurred Bohemians on to deliver a five-star stylish victory against Dundalk on Monday.

The aim now is to match those heights consistently.

Waterford, who appointed Marc Bircham as their new manager just over a fortnight ago, are the opposition at Dalymount Park this afternoon in our final game before the brief summer break.

The visitors currently prop up the league table but the Gypsies will not be taking that for granted in the knowledge they have not beaten them in the five previous meetings in Dalyer since the Blues returned to the Premier Division in 2018.

Manager Keith Long said: “Hopefully we can follow up Monday’s win with a repeat performance.

“Waterford will be better prepared with Marc having more time on the training ground with his players, so we will have to produce a really good display and be ready for the challenge to get a result.

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BOHEMIANS v DUNDALK
SSE Airtricity League
Monday May 24 2021
Dalymount Park, 5.45pm
Live on WatchLOI.ie

Bohemians manager Keith Long has said his side are on the right path but need to start showing a ruthless streak when opportunities arise to turn good performances into points on the board on a consistent basis.

Bohs showed such a streak in the 4-0 win over Finn Harps and 2-0 victory against Longford Town.

But against St Patrick’s Athletic on Friday, that ruthlessness eluded them as they hit the woodwork twice – from a penalty and free-kick – and passed up other goal-scoring opportunities despite some excellent play in the middle of the park.

Having fallen behind with 15 minutes remaining, Bohs felt they had earned a share of the spoils their performance deserved when Dawson Devoy equalised from the spot in the 90th minute.

With five minutes on, Bohs went in search of a winner but instead shot themselves in the foot with the concession of a late penalty that handed victory to the hosts.

This evening they will have to dust themselves down from that disappointment against a Dundalk side buoyed by victory against league leaders Shamrock Rovers on Friday in which they showed some of the swagger that has eluded them for much of this season.

Long said: “Football can be unforgiving at times. We are a good team with good players who care for this club more than people will ever know.

“Our performance against St Pat’s certainly warranted more and if we continue to perform to the levels we have shown in recent weeks, we will win more games.

“There is no doubt we need to manage games better and be ruthless when opportunities arise, but we are on the right path.”

TEAM NEWS

Stephen Mallon (metatarsal) is out while James Finnerty (wrist) is a doubt.

Paddy Hayes became a member of Bohs on 31 January 1967. He served as Vice-President from 1993/94 up to 2003, mostly working on the club’s Bar sub-committee.

When he stepped down from the management committee he was made an Hon. Life Vice-President.

A most faithful supporter, even in the darkest days his refrain was always that “something will turn up!”.

When we celebrated the League and Cup double in May 2001 there was Paddy almost casually walking to the podium with the FAI Cup.

Typical Bohs, forgetting to display one half of our double; typical Paddy, calmly smoothing over the gaffe.

I called and he turned, his ready smile outshining even the revered trophy itself.

The gentlest of men, a lovely friend to so many of us. We will never forget him.

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ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC v BOHEMIANS
SSE Airtricity League
Friday May 21 2021
Richmond Park, 5.45pm

Bohemians make the short trip to Inchicore with renewed confidence after two wins from two from the second series of games.

There was little between the sides when they met in Dalymount in April, with a Ronan Coughlan header sealing all three points for St Patrick’s Athletic.

The Saints are a much-improved outfit compared to last year and currently sit in second place. Bohs had a stuttering first series of games but now appear to have found their groove in the second series, with a 4-0 win against Finn Harps and a 2-0 win against Longford Town.

James Finnerty has been a standout performer at the back and said: “The game against St Pat’s in Dalymount, there wasn’t much in it.

“We are high in confidence now after our last two games but know it will be a very tough place to go.

“We played well in both our past two games games, keeping a clean sheet in both. The boys have been very clinical in the last few games which takes a bit of pressure off us at the back. Long may it continue!”

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Bohemian Football Club is pleased to announce that we have made a significant investment to provide a top-quality streaming service from games at Dalymount Park post the mid-season break at which point the League of Ireland’s existing WatchLOI service will cease.

In recognition of the tremendous loyalty shown to the club by our supporters in difficult times for all, Bohemians have partnered with NoName Media to provide comprehensive three-camera coverage for all home games this season after the mid-season break.

This service will include replays, analysis and in-depth punditry.

Commentary will be led by club member Stephen Doyle, who will be joined by various past players and club figures.

This service will be provided free of charge to our members and season ticket holders. Full details, including pricing structures for others, will be released in due course.

We would like to acknowledge and thank RTÉ Sport and GAAGo for their support and coverage through WatchLOI since the return of League of Ireland football last August.

LONGFORD TOWN v BOHEMIANS
SSE Airtricity League
Saturday May 15 2021
Bishopsgate, 6pm
Live on WatchLOI.ie

Bohemians travel to Longford Town this evening in confidence having finally turned a good performance into a comprehensive result.

Ali Coote, playing on the right wing for the first time in a Bohs shirt, was one of the main architects of a 4-0 defeat of Finn Harps last Saturday.

The Scotsman’s two excellent finishes in an all-round excellent attacking performance embodied the overall team display where everyone seemed to click.

There were signs a result like that was coming but there is no denying that the team breathed a huge sense of relief after their four-game winless run came to an end in style.

Coote, 22, said: “We needed that result last week, we were delighted with it and obviously I was delighted personally too to get on the scoresheet.

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SSE Airtricity League
Saturday May 8 2021
Dalymount Park, 6pm
Live on WatchLOI.ie

Keith Long believes Bohemians are better than the points they have accumulated to date suggest – and has challenged his side to use the pain of disappointing results to drive them forward and up the table once more.

Leading 1-0 in injury-time away to Drogheda on Bank Holiday Monday thanks to a wonderful team goal finished by Liam Burt, Bohs looked like they were about to get back to winning ways.

But they inexplicably handed a share of the spoils to the home side who punished bad defending with a suckerpunch from James Clarke following a corner right in the third minute of stoppage time.

Long said: “The first phase of games has seen a disappointing return for us. We would have hoped and expected more points on the board than we currently have at this juncture.

“I firmly believe we are better than the points accumulated but our league position does not lie and we will need significant improvement to move up the table.

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