Alan Reynolds says everyone at Bohemians will be pulling in the one direction as they aim to progress in the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup against rivals Shamrock Rovers tomorrow.

There have been a lot of changes to Reynolds’ squad this month with the return of midfielder Dawson Devoy this week being the sixth addition during the July transfer window.

There have been as many departures too, the latest being the transfer of Dylan Connolly to Glentoran, which was confirmed earlier today.

Reynolds said: “We have made big changes which will make us a much stronger team. We were delighted to have been able to get a player like Dawson into the club this week. He is a fantastic player. He is exactly the kind of player needed to drive this club forward.

“A player as good as Dawson is hard to get, but he loved his time here and the people here, he feels that he has played his best football here too, and he is coming back here with the ambition to want to win things with this club.

“Ross Tierney was one of the best players on the pitch last week and all six players we have brought in so far will make us stronger. We brought on Leigh Kavanagh, Alex Greive and Archie Meekison in the second half last week too, so there’s been a lot of change.

“That amount of change and transition mid-season is a real challenge but there is no shying away from the fact that it was necessary. We had to improve the squad and we had to bring in players that will make us better.”

Bohs are on a disappointing run this season and Reynolds shared the frustrations of last week’s defeat to Sligo Rovers.

He is, however, viewing tomorrow’s cup tie against Rovers for everyone at the club, on and off the pitch, to pull together.

Reynolds said: “This is a one-off cup game in our home, so we need everyone on the pitch, everyone in the dugout and everyone in the stands pulling in the same direction.

“In games like this, that can count for a lot. It’s a massive cup tie against our rivals so we all want the place rocking and for our players to be encouraged to win every tackle and to win every ball.

“We’ve seen a lot of Rovers and we know how good a team they are and how tough a game it will be but we have to focus on ourselves and what all of us can do.

“We have good players at this club, we’ve added a lot more good players to the club over the past number of weeks so we believe in ourselves.

“We know our form is nowhere near where it needs to be. I felt that there were plenty of signs of improvement in our games away to St Pat’s and Galway United after the mid-season break but last week was very disappointing.

“We have analysed the game and what we did right and where we went wrong. We had a load of chances and we came up against a goalkeeper in the form of his life but we know we need to do so much better.

“There is frustration among the fans and there is frustration among the players because we had more than enough chances to win the game.

“We have to keep the ball better and use the ball better, and one area where I feel the players we have brought in this window will help us improve.

“When you have that many chances, we need to be putting them away. There probably won’t be as many chances against Shamrock Rovers so when we get, we have to take them.”

Team news

Bohemians are without Brian McManus, James McManus, Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley, while Filip Pisczek is a doubt.

Please note: A reminder that membership cards, season tickets and Junior Gypsies cards are not valid for cup games. You must have a match ticket.

Bohemian FC is delighted to announce the signing of midfielder Dawson Devoy, who returns from MK Dons on a multi-year contract.

Devoy, 22, returns to Dalymount Park where he made his breakthrough in senior football, and is the sixth addition to Alan Reynolds’ squad in the July transfer window following the return of Ross Tierney and additions of Leigh Kavanagh, Archie Meekison, Alex Greive and Lee Smith.

Having come through at Home Farm and St Kevin’s, Devoy progressed through the Bohemians academy where he was a key man for the Bohs U19s – most notably in the UEFA Youth League – and was handed his first-team debut by Keith Long five years ago yesterday as a substitute against UCD.

His real breakthrough season with the first team came in 2021. His contribution that year saw him play in all six games of Bohs’ memorable run in the Europa Conference League, and he helped the club to the FAI Cup final for the first time in 13 years.

That form saw him win the July SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month Award and the 2021 PFA Ireland Young Player of the Year, earning him a move to MK Dons in the summer of 2022, with his last game in a Bohs jersey seeing him wrap up a 3-1 win against UCD in what was his eighth league goal that season.

Since leaving Bohs, Devoy has played 70 games in England during his time with MK Dons and a loan spell last season with Swindon Town.

Welcoming Devoy back to Dalymount Park, manager Reynolds said: “Bringing Dawson back to Bohs is a massive coup.

“He is only 22 years of age now but he was one of the best midfielders in the league when he left two years ago and having watched him over the last couple of years, I know he is going to come back even better.

“Bohs fans know well what he is capable of, and the potential he had when he was here last, and I’m really looking forward to him coming in and giving the team a massive list.

“We know the team is suffering at the minute, and the fans are too. We have a clear medium- and long-term plan of where we want to go, and Dawson is a huge part of that.

“But he will be really important in the short term too because we know we need to get back to winning games.

“We need players who know how to deal with the expectation of this club and who know how to live up to that expectation and to thrive on the pressure of playing at Dalymount Park. Dawson brings that in spades, and will help lift the players around him too.

“I’m really happy with the players we’ve brought in, and I’m looking forward to them showing what they are capable of and getting the club to where we want to be.”

Devoy said: “I’m absolutely buzzing to be back, and can’t wait to get back playing for Bohs again. This is where I played some of my best football, and I want to do even better again.

“I’m not coming home for an easy life – I loved my time at Bohs before and I want to be a part of getting the club back to where we belong.

“I had really good conversations with the manager, who obviously I knew well from the Ireland U21s, and with Stephen O’Donnell and Derek Pender. The plans that they have for the club and how they want to play really excited me.

“The club isn’t where it should be at the moment, so all of us coming in are determined to help the team push on.

“There’s a new manager in and now there’s new players in too, so we all have a role to play in getting the club back kicking and in getting Dalymount back rocking.”

Subject to international transfer clearance, Devoy could go straight into the squad for Friday’s Sports Direct FAI Cup clash with Shamrock Rovers.

He added: “For a first game back, it doesn’t get much bigger than that. If I get a chance to play, I’ll be looking to grasp it.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to announce the signing of experienced Scottish right-back Liam Smith on a multi-year contract.

The 28-year-old brings with him a wealth of experience having accumulated over 200 appearances in Scottish football, most notably with Hearts, St Mirren and Dundee United, and was most recently with Cheltenham Town and Grimsby Town in England.

Welcoming Smith to Dalymount Park, manager Alan Reynolds said: “Right-back was an area where we identified we needed to strengthen.

“Liam is one we have been chasing for a while now. He has tremendous experience, and has played a lot of games at a high level in both Scotland and England.

“He is a massive signing for us. It has been a long process getting this over the line, so I am thrilled that we have got him.”

Smith, who has won the Scottish Championship with both St Mirren and Dundee United, is Reynolds’ fifth addition in the July transfer window following the arrivals of Ross Tierney, Leigh Kavanagh, Archie Meekison and Alex Greive.

Smith said: “When I heard about the initial interest, I had a long conversation with the manager and I was really impressed by the ideas he put across and the presentation he made about the club.

“He has a real ambition about where he sees the club going and that was attractive.

“I am at an age now where I have played a lot of games in Scotland and in England, and have had a range of experiences.

“I know what it is like to win leagues and I know what it’s like to scrap at the bottom of leagues, so I believe my experience and leadership can help the team.

“I pride myself on being consistent. I’m a full-back who likes to contribute and get forward when I can, but first and foremost I’m about defending and keeping clean sheets.

“I spoke to players I know in the league – a couple of the boys at Derry City and I’ve played with Declan McDaid before too, so I’ve reached out to people and they only have positive things to say about the league.

“Declan had nothing but good things to say about the club as well, which upped my interest. This is a new city for me and my wife, and we are looking forward to getting settled.”

Alan Reynolds wants his Bohemians side to give fans something to cheer about tonight when they play their first game in Dalymount Park in a month.

Bohs have had two draws on the road since the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division returned following its mid-season break.

First, they drew 0-0 away to St Patrick’s Athletic a fortnight ago and last week they drew 1-1 away to Galway United.

Now Reynolds wants his side to turn draws into wins when they return to Dalymount Park tonight.

He said: “In the last two games, I think we have had some really good spells but we have to have them for longer and keep going for the whole game.

“That’s something that we are working hard on but I think we have seen improvements overall in our last couple of games, both of which were away from home.

“We’re back in Dalymount for the first time in a month now, so we want to build on those improvements at home in front of our own fans.”

Bohs’ last home game four weeks ago was one of frustration.

Reynolds’ side took the lead against Derry City through Danny Grant in the 15th minute but that last just three minutes and they eventually succumbed to a 94th-minute goal that saw the Candystripes claim all three points.

And they face another tough challenege against a Sligo Rovers side who have picked up some notable victories in recent weeks.

Reynolds said: “We are at home and we want to win and give our fans something to cheer about.

“We’re playing a good Sligo Rovers side who have some really good players as they’ve shown with their wins against Shamrock Rovers and Derry City in their last couple of games, so we know what we are up against.

“We have to focus on our own game though and keep building towards where we want to be.”

There has already been a lot of change in the month since Reynolds’ side last played at home.

Ross Tierney (Motherwell), Leigh Kavanagh (Brighton), Archie Meekison (Dundee United) and Alex Greive (St Mirren) have been added to squad, while Bart Kukulowicz, Michael Lilander, Sten Reinkort, Luke Matheson and Luke Dennison have departed, and Divin Isamala has gone out on loan.

Reynolds added: “We’ve had four new players in now over the past couple of weeks and I feel that we are in a better place.

“We are getting them up to speed and we look forward to getting them involved. Ross Tierney obviously came off the bench last week and did well, and they will all have big contributions to make.

“Alex Greive is the latest to come in this week. He has looked very sharp and bright in training all week, so we are looking forward to getting him involved and seeing what he can do.”

Team news

Jordan Flores and Jake Carroll are doubts, while Brian McManus, James McManus, Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the signing of forward Alex Greive from St Mirren on a multi-year contract.

The New Zealand international, 25, is the fourth addition made to Alan Reynolds’ squad since the transfer window opened last week following the arrivals of Ross Tierney, Leigh Kavanagh and Archie Meekison.

Subject to International Transfer Certificate (ITC), Greive will be eligible for Friday’s SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division game at home to Sligo Rovers.

Welcoming Greive to Dalymount Park, Reynolds said: “I am delighted to get Alex on board. He’s quick, he’s sharp and he is going to be a real handful for defenders.

“Alex can play anywhere across the front three and we have had him in training over the past couple of days and I’ve been very impressed by him.

“Like everyone else who comes in during this window, he will need a little bit of time to get up to speed but he has been away with the New Zealand squad recently so he is in good shape.

“The squad is already looking a lot stronger now than it did a number of weeks ago and we are looking forward to getting all the new lads involved as soon as possible.”

Grieve said: “I was aware that Bohs are one of the biggest clubs in Ireland so once I heard they were looking at me, I was very interested.

“I’ve had good conversations with the gaffer about what he wants to achieve here and I am really looking forward to being a part of that.

“I feel I am an energetic player and very hard working, I like to get in behind defenders and cause them problems, and I want to help get the club to where it wants to be.

“I know Nando Pijnaker (Sligo Rovers) and Max Mata (former Sligo Rovers) from the New Zealand set-up and I know from them how good the standard is in the league here, so I am looking forward to the challenge.

“I know Archie from being with Dundee United last season too and Jake Carroll from when we were both in Glasgow so there are a few familiar faces at the club already.

“I’ve trained with the team the last two days and have really enjoyed it. There is a great set-up here and the manager is ambitious, and I am really looking forward to getting started now.”

Alan Reynolds was encouraged by Bohemians’ first game after the league’s mid-season break and hopes his July reinforcements can drive his side up the table.

Bohs and St Pat’s played out what was an entertaining and open Dublin derby at Richmond Park last Friday despite the game remaining scoreless.

Bohs had in-form goalkeeper Kacper Chorazka to thank for keeping St Pat’s at bay but will also feel they created enough opportunities to get on the scoresheet themselves.

Reynolds said: “I thought we played some good stuff at times and there was a lot to be encouraged by but there were areas where we know that we need to get better at and work harder at.

“It was a good game, and a draw was probably a fair result. Kacper Chorazka had some good saves but we created chances too and on another day we could have won it.”

Reynolds knows his side will have to be more potent in front of goal when they travel to Eamonn Deacy Park tonight to take on one of the meanest defences in the league – only league leaders Shelbourne have conceded fewer goals than John Caulfield’s men.

Reynolds said: “We know what we are going into down in Galway. They are a good, strong team with good management. Anything we get down there will have to be well earned.

“But we have a really good week and a good week’s training, so we are all looking forward to it.”

Bohs have made three additions to the squad in the July transfer window with fans’ favourite Ross Tierney returning from Motherwell, Leigh Kavanagh joining from Brighton and midfielder Archie Meekison signing from Dundee United.

Reynolds is pleased with what he has seen so far, and has stated that he hopes to strengthen further in the coming weeks.

He added: “The lads we have brought in are looking good, and we know that we needed to strengthen and we will continue to look to strengthen.

“Obviously Rossi has been with us a few weeks longer, and he has done really well in training. The aim is obviously to have them involved in the squad and playing sooner rather than later.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the signing of Scottish midfielder Archie Meekison from Dundee United on a multi-year deal.

The 22-year-old is the third arrival of the July transfer window following the return of Ross Tierney and today’s signing of centre-back Leigh Kavanagh.

Subject to International Transfer Certificate (ITC), Meekison will be eligible for Thursday’s SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division game away to Galway United.

Welcoming Meekison to Dalymount Park, manager Alan Reynolds said: “Archie is a player I have been looking at for a while now. He is a really good footballer.

“I feel he is really going to complement the midfielders we have here at the club already as we look to push forward.

“He is technically really good, and needs to be playing now regularly so he can fulfil his potential, which I believe he will do here.”

Meekison said: “I had very good conversations with the manager, and I’ve heard very good things about the League of Ireland.

“I’ve read a lot about the club – I realise how big a club this is and I know its history, so I am really excited to sign here.

“The manager believes he has a strong base to the squad here that he wants to build on. He wants to improve and push on, and I’m here to do that.

“The manager is really ambitious, which is one of the big things that I picked up on. He speaks positively and well about his ambitions for the club, and he was really keen to get me on board.

“He is looking to finish this season as strongly as possible and to get Bohemians back to where he wants the club to be.

“My goal is to help the team as much as I can to get us back to that place, and the potential of qualifying for and playing in Europe is a big attraction for me.”

Meekison’s move brings to an end a 15-year association with Dundee United, but he feels it is the right time to start afresh.

He said: “I was with Dundee United since I was seven, so they are pretty much all I have ever known in football! I felt I was ready to make a change.

“This is a big season for me and my career and I am excited to be here in Dublin and to make a fresh start.

“I am hoping to excite, that is my game. I like to be on the half-turn, playing forward, and being good on the ball. I want to express myself, play with a bit more arrogance and be a player who people speak about after the game.

“I want to entertain more than anything else, and help the team with goals and assists. I am at the stage in my career where I want to be playing games at a good level, and I know a lot of players who’ve come over here and done very well.

“I’m buzzing to be coming into a totally new environment and new city, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the signing of centre-back Leigh Kavanagh from Brighton on a multi-year contract.

The 20-year-old joins after spending four years with Brighton having previously come through the Bray Wanderers Academy, making his first-team debut in 2020, before which he played schoolboy football at St Joseph’s and St Kevin’s.

Subject to International Transfer Certificate (ITC), Kavanagh will be eligible for Thursday’s SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division game away to Galway United.

Manager Alan Reynolds said: “Leigh is coming back home to relaunch his career and we are delighted to have him on board because he is a really exciting young prospect.

“He is a very highly regarded centre-back, who has been on the bench for the first team at Brighton. He fits the age profile and type of player we want to bring to the club.

“He’s young, he’s hungry, good on the ball, and a really good defender. We are looking forward to getting to work with him.”

Kavanagh said: “I am a ball-playing centre-half and I feel I am aggressive, passionate and will do everything to win and get three points every week.

“Bohs is a huge club. The stadium is packed out every week, so Bohs caught the eye straight away when I heard the club was interested.

“Alan Reynolds and Stephen O’Donnell spoke to me about the plans they have here and how they want the team to evolve, and I want to be a part of that.

“I have looked at players’ pathways coming back to the League of Ireland from the UK, and I believe coming into Bohs and into the full-time set-up here will really help me progress as a player.”

There were some familiar faces when joins up with the squad, with Kavanagh adding: “I grew up playing with and against Cian Byrne. When I was with St Joseph’s, he was with Lourdes and then we played together for a year at St Kevin’s, so I am looking forward to playing alongside him again.

“I know Brian McManus well too, and he spoke very highly of the club and the set-up.

“I also spoke with Jamie Mullins, who is at Brighton now having come through at Bohs, and he gave me a real feel for the club, and I also spoke to players with the Ireland U21s who told me about Alan Reynolds and how he wants to work, so I can’t wait to get started.”

Alan Reynolds hopes the mid-season break can act as a reset for Bohemians as they look to get back to winning ways and to push back up the table.

Bohs headed into the break on a sour note when they conceded an injury-time goal to lose 2-1 to Derry City at Dalymount Park a fortnight ago.

That defeat leaves Bohs in eighth position in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division, albeit with games in hand, in many cases several, on all the teams ahead of them.

Reynolds has been busy making changes to his squad in recent weeks as he looks to tackle the second half of the season head-on.

Bart Kukulowicz, Michael Lilander and Sten Reinkort all had their contracts terminated by mutual consent, while Luke Matheson returned to Bolton Wanderers after his loan spell came to an end.

One major arrival was announced last week, with Ross Tierney returning from Motherwell. He featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against TNS at the Oscar Traynor Centre on Monday, where Filip Piszczek scored both of Bohs’ goals in a 2-1 win, but he will have to wait until the transfer window opens on Monday before he can play in a competitive game.

Reynolds expects to announce further additions in the coming weeks but for now, his focus has turned to getting the better of his former mentor Stephen Kenny at Richmond Park.

Tomorrow’s opposition are three points ahead of Reynolds’ men but have played four games more, and St Pat’s come into this game buoyed by a 96th-minute winner at home to Shamrock Rovers a fortnight ago.

Reynolds said: “Stephen will have St Pat’s well prepared but we will be as well. We have our own game-plan and we have worked on a lot of things.

“Richmond Park is a great place to play football and there should be a great atmosphere, so everyone is looking forward to it after last weekend off.

“St Pat’s had a good result, scoring in the last minute, so they went into the break thriving on that so I’m sure Stephen will be looking to build on that.”

Reynolds comes into this game having addressed 250 of the club’s members at a members forum on Wednesday where he was joined by assistant manager Stephen O’Donnell and first-team coach Derek Pender.

It was the first opportunity for Reynolds to meet with the club’s members after his appointment at the end of March.

He said: “It was important to do. It was something that we wanted to do since I came in and we felt after the mid-season break was the right time to do it.

“It’s easy to do those things when things are going well but there is frustration there, which we get. There is frustration from everybody, so it was important to have that first conversation with our members and tell them what we are here to do.

“We know where we want to go. There is a short-term plan and a long-term plan. We want to change the culture here, and we are working on it.

“It’s going to take a little bit of time. We are chipping away with new signings, which is something we discussed with the members last night, but they have to be the right signings. That is the important thing. I know what type of player I want to bring to the club.

“We want good players with the right attitude and desire to get to where we want to be. We have brought Ross Tierney in, we finally got Jake Carroll playing before the break, and we are looking at more because we know we have to add to what we have here.

“Ross fits the mould of the type of player we want to bring in, and Jake brings the kind of experience at the back that we need. He is serious about his football and a model professional, similar to Keith Buckley and Rob Cornwall, who we have really missed this year.

“We want to build on what we have and build a team that has passion and real energy about it. That’s what I want and I believe that’s what this club wants.

“Listening to our members, I think they understand the phase we are in. There is frustration but they know we are working at bringing the right players in and at getting things right.

“We have got to stick together to swing it around. I am confident we will, and that we will be in a stronger place united together.”

Team news

Bohs are likely to be without Declan McDaid and Dylan Connolly.

Brian McManus, James McManus, Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.

Bohemian FC is delighted to announce the appointment of Trevor Croly as Academy Director.

Croly will bring a wealth of experience to the role with almost 20 years of League of Ireland coaching experience.

He served as assistant manager to the Bohemians under Keith Long from 2017 until 2022 and since then has served as the club’s U19/U20s team manager and as lead academy coach.

Prior to his arrival at Dalymount Park, Croly served as manager at Shamrock Rovers having previously served as assistant manager at Rovers and at St Patrick’s Athletic.

As part of the role, Croly will be a key part of a new Strategic Footballing Group that will comprise three senior football staff members of both Bohemians and St Kevin’s FC. This group will work closely on new players joining the academy and the U13 and U14 teams.

Croly said: “I am really looking forward to the role of Academy Director. The objective of the role from a player’s perspective is to provide young players with the best expertise, environment and opportunity to maximise their talent.

“The objective from the club’s perspective is to provide the first team with the best young talent in the country who can play in the Bohemian first team, and with the potential and ambition to play at the very highest level.

“I am in the privileged position to understand a rich part of Bohemian Football Club’s history has always been providing talented young footballers with first team opportunities that later lead to the potential of at the highest level and of receiving international recognition.

“From Billy Young and Turlough O’Connor, right through to the present day, Bohemian Football Club have constantly provided young players with opportunities.

“I have had the privilege of experiencing firsthand the benefits of guiding young players through our own underage system through to the first team.

“Over recent years we have had players such as Andy Lyons, Paddy Kirk, Warren O’Hora, Seán Grehan, Dawson Devoy, Ross Tierney, Jamie Mullins, Danny Grant, Ryan Graydon, Promise Omochere, James McManus, Cian Byrne and Evan Ferguson progressing to our first team from the academy system.

“An exciting part of the role is the exceptionally talented players we presently have within the academy, combined with an exceptionally talented and driven group of scouts and coaches that are working relentlessly to add more talent and to develop the talent we have further.

“When you merge talented players, a highly motivated group of academy staff together with the purchase and development of the Oscar Traynor Complex, it is an exciting time to work in the Bohemian Football Club Academy.”

Director of Football Pat Fenlon said: “The club have invested resources into getting back to a place where we can now be confident that we can attract the best young talent in the country to the club’s academy and have the right structures in place to ensure that they have the coaching expertise, support and facilities to help them push on as footballers capable of establishing themselves in our first teams.

“The work going on in the background by the club to develop the facilities at the Oscar Traynor Centre cannot be overstated and will provide the club with the strongest possible platform to develop our academy system into one of the best in the country.

“Key to those objectives is having the right personnel within our academy, which is why Trevor Croly is an extremely important appointment.

“Not only does Trevor have years of experience as a coach operating at the highest level in this league, but he knows what it takes for young players to transition from underage and academy football to senior football.

“He has a proven track record in this regard, and I believe that his knowledge and experience will be of enormous benefit as the club looks to realise our aims in the coming years.”