SSE Airtricity League Men’s Premier Division
Friday March 10 2023, Richmond Park, 7.45pm

Declan Devine says Bohemians will have to deliver their best performance of the season to date to beat St Patrick’s Athletic in Richmond Park on Friday.

Devine’s men go into the game with their tails up once more having bounced back from last Friday’s disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Shelbourne with a confident 3-1 victory against Drogheda United at Dalymount on Monday night.

Goals from Jordan Flores, Ali Coote and James Akintunde sent the Bohs fans, who packed out Dalymount once more, home happy.

Devine said: “It was a really good response after what I thought was a very harsh result the Friday previous. I asked the players to start with high intensity. I asked them to really go after Drogheda in the early stages of the game, and we did that.

“We had a really good response and we freshened up with three or four players coming in. We were positive in our approach to the game. The players are confident in themselves and they are confident in the players around them.

“We had many good performances. Ali Coote, with his goal, his creativity and his ability to go past people with the ball. James Akintunde played brilliantly, and Declan McDaid was sensational.

“Johnny Afolabi, his performances are at the very highest level. In the 93rd minute, to run back into his own half and win the ball back for us when Drogheda were counter-attacking us showed his willingness to do his job for the team, and was, for me, as good as any goal I know he is going to score this year.

“But there were a lot of good performances. Bucko again, Jordan Flores – three goals in four games – having played half of those at left-back.

“I was blown away by James McManus too, and I have spoken before about the level I feel that kid can go and play at. Overall it was a really good team performance.”

But with another quick turnaround and in the knowledge that they face another enormous challenge at a sold-out Richmond Park, Devine’s players were not afforded any time to pat themselves on the back.

Devine said: “We have to make sure that when games are coming thick and fast, which they are, that we are ready for them and not complacent going into them.

“Going into this game it has to be exactly the same. We have to make sure we are ready for a huge match. We cannot get carried away – we are just four games in – but the one thing we know is that we are going to need our full squad.

“We have shown over the four games we have played, and the amount of substitutes we have used, that we will bring fresh legs on in the latter stages of games because none of our players coming on will weaken us.

“We have a strong squad. We have both defensive and attacking options, and serious competition, particularly in midfield. There are different ways of skinning a cat. You have to go after every game and pick the right personnel for each game.”

While not getting carried away, with three wins from their opening four games, Devine is pleased with how his new-look side is progressing.

He said: “I am delighted with how the team has settled in but we have to strive to get better. There is no point in me saying we have arrived – we definitely can and must get better.

“It has been a crazy 12-week period. Going through a pre-season with new players, and then bringing in so many new players so late in the transfer window, I am delighted with how we started.

“But we are all working hard to improve further, and we know that we will need our best performance of the season to go and win on Friday night. We need the highest level of performance from everybody – right throughout the squad.

“St Pat’s have some seriously talented players. They are very capable, especially in front of a packed home crowd. We have got to be up for that. We have to be ready to meet that challenge head on. We have to make sure we defend properly and that we attack with purpose.

“I know that the players are all itching to play. They are really looking forward to this game, and they are really looking forward to Sunday’s game against Crumlin too as they all just want to play.

“They are loving the games at the minute and are showing real intensity in our play, with the exception of the first period against Shelbourne.

“But I believe we have the capabilities of moving up the gears. We have trained well this week and we have made sure the boys are right because we need to up our performances again to win at a difficult venue.”

TEAM NEWS

Dylan Connolly (suspended) is Bohemians’ only absentee.

SSE Airtricity League Men’s Premier Division
Monday March 6 2023, Dalymount Park, 7.45pm

Declan Devine has told his side they need to ask more questions of the opposition in the final third when they are in the ascendency in games.

It is second versus third at Dalymount Park on Monday night, meaning Devine’s side have not been afforded much time to feel sorry for themselves following Friday’s 1-0 defeat against Shelbourne.

In a tight game in Tolka Park, Bohs struggled to break down a fired-up Shels side.

Frustrated in the opening periods of the game, Devine’s men were on top before and after half-time but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities that might test the home keeper, Conor Kearns.

And their chances of making a breakthrough received a blow in the 66th minute when Dylan Connolly received a controversial red card from referee Arnold Hunter, which was unsuccessfully appealed on Saturday.

Damien Duff’s side made their numerical advantage count with Kian Leavy scoring the only goal of the game 11 minutes later as Bohs were knocked off their perch at the top of the table by Derry City.

Bohs have a quick turnaround to try to put that pressure on the league leaders when Kevin Doherty’s Drogheda – unbeaten so far with one win and two draws – provide the opposition at Dalymount on Monday.

Devine said: “We were gutted on Friday night. It is not in my DNA or in the DNA of my players that we are willing to lose games, especially a Dublin derby.

“We have to take that defeat on the chin – there is no point feeling sorry for ourselves.

“We are happy that we have another game coming so quickly as I feel we have a strong squad but we certainly will not be underestimating Drogheda.

“Against Shelbourne, we went down to 10 men having been on top without having enough penetration. We had a lot of the ball without creating enough clear-cut chances. That is something we have to learn from – we have to be creating more chances in all our games.

“But I felt that even when we went down to 10 men that we were the better team but we have to learn that when we are on top, that our attack-minded players ask more questions of the opposition in the final third.”

One positive to take from the game was the performance of 17-year-old midfielder James McManus, previously singled out for praise by Devine for his form in pre-season, who was introduced as a half-time substitute for his first league appearance of 2023.

Devine said: “The young lad is a really talented boy. He is a box-to-box midfielder. He can dig in and give you a defensive option but is also very creative and has a willingness to get on the ball.

“I feel we have good midfield players – it was great to see John O’Sullivan take back to the pitch. That cameo role will give him a lift. He is still a bit away from starting but to have players like him and James McManus able to come on

“It is important to have those options. We have used our bench in all three games. I used four subs down in Cork, four against Dundalk and five against Shels when we were chasing the game.

“That is the purpose of having a strong squad. I trust every member of our squad. There are players the fans haven’t seen much of yet but there is really strong competition for places.

“When you have three games in a week, that is when you really feel the benefit of a strong squad, and we will be playing a very strong team against Drogheda. We cannot look past that. It is a home game.”

Monday night fixtures often fail to quite match the atmosphere of Friday night games, but Devine is hoping to see fans into the ground early and Dalymount rocking once more.

He added: “We have won our one home game already and we want to build on that. We want our home form to be strong.

“We need our supporters really behind us in this game. I would call out to them – and I understand that it can be really expensive and a hard ask to attend three games in a week – but if we have our supporters in the ground early and behind us again on Monday it will really give the team a big lift.

“We need our people behind us. We need that bond that we had at the Dundalk game – that extra bit of noise and support that helps to get you over the line.

“Drogheda are coming into Dalymount having not lost a game in three, so it is important that we are fully focused for what will be a battle on Monday night.”

TEAM NEWS

Dylan Connolly (suspended) is Bohs’ only absentee.

The Jodi Stand is long sold-out for this game, but some tickets remain for the Des Kelly Stand from tickets.bohemians.ie.

SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
Friday March 3 2023, Tolka Park, 7.45pm

Despite Bohemians’ positive start to the season, Declan Devine says there is still room for improvement.

Bohs top the table after two wins from two after 2-1 victories against both Cork City and Dundalk.

For Devine, however, the most pleasing aspect so far has been how quickly his team have gelled – on the pitch and in friendship too.

He said: “Our performances have been good but I still think there is a lot more in us. For a group that has only been together for 10 weeks, we have made great strides but we need to strive to get better still.

“It is still very much early days but this group has given us a hell of a lot on a daily basis.

“Their mental capacity to deal with the pressure of the opening two games – one on live TV and the other in front of a sold-out Dalymount against one of the top teams in the country – gives us confidence going into the next game.

“The quicker we gel as units and become harder to break down from front to back, the better.

“We have conceded late goals in our last two games and that is something we want to get out of our system. We have got to get back to keeping clean sheets.

“Obviously that has been difficult as some of the defenders we brought into the club only came in over the last few weeks – we were light in defence right through pre-season. That’s not an excuse but it is a fact. Our defence hasn’t played a lot together.

“For me, though, the most pleasing thing about this group so far is how they have all gelled – not just football-wise but friendship-wise. They have been fantastic together.

“There is an incredible togetherness there and a willingness from everybody to do each other’s work in difficult moments of games.

“Their mentality has grown as a group and we want to improve that further over the course of the season.

“Take Johnny Afolabi, for example, and the natural power and aggression that he plays with. Then you look at the quality throughout the squad – James Akintunde plays really well the first game, Declan McDaid plays in his place for the second game and scores.

“We have options, too. We have Kris Twardek flying in training. We have James McManus, who hasn’t played a minute in the two games so far, who is going to be a fantastic player for this club.

“The whole group is enjoying being in each other’s company and they are driving each other on in training every day. If we can take those training levels into matches, then I think we will be in a very good place.”

One man in particular that Devine beams with pride about is his skipper Keith Buckley.

Renowned for his displays in midfield for many a year, the 30-year-old has matched those performances at right-back in what is not his natural position.

Without a recognised right-back during pre-season, and with additions in other areas of defence not forthcoming until the 11th hour, there was understandable concern among supporters, already weary from witnessing a leaky back four last year, as to how Bohs’ rearguard would fare this season.

But in the two games so far, Buckley has looked at ease at right-back – a throwback to ever-reliable captains of recent decades, Derek Pender, Owen Heary and Tony O’Connor, who all skippered the team from that position.

Despite his standing as a long-standing fan favourite at Dalymount, Buckley has never been one to hog the limelight. He is certainly not one to seek compliments but Devine has plenty of them regardless.

Devine said: “I look at Keith Buckley and I get so much joy watching him play for this club.

“I see a real leader there – a real footballer who knows what it is about to play at the top level of Irish football.

“He has been so impressive in a position that would not be his natural position, and up against really good players too.

“He came up against Ryan O’Kane, then he picked up a yellow card just before Daniel Kelly came on for Dundalk and you’re thinking ‘this could be dangerous’ but his experience and knowledge of the game got him through that while also leading the team.

“That is a testament to himself, his mental strength and his willingness to do whatever it takes for the team.

“I go into games knowing that with Bucko in the team, we are in a good place.”

It was undoubtedly that kind of mentality that the club lacked last season, in particular against the most recent encounter against tomorrow’s opposition in September.

After a league campaign that fell flat and led to an agonising end to Keith Long’s dedicated eight years’ service to the club as manager, Bohs had a shot at redemption in the FAI Cup.

Already unbeaten against Shelbourne in the league last year with two wins and two draws, Bohs fans went into the FAI Cup quarter-final with hope, believing the season could be salvaged at Tolka Park.

Instead, they saw their team walloped 3-0 in a scoreline that did not even do justice to the home side’s dominance. Afterwards, Jordan Flores summed up the performance with one word: pathetic.

But as well as an overhaul in personnel since that game, there appears to have been an overhaul in character too.

That includes Flores. Despite being one of Bohs’ best performers last season, he has been like a new signing this term – playing with a fire in his belly that has seen him score in successive games, and look like he really enjoyed it too.

Devine said: “There are players here who played in that game who have really stepped up to the plate this season.

“And everyone who was here for that game last year needs to learn from that experience – the empty feeling of leaving the ground on such a big occasion with nothing.

“We have to have belief and quality on the ball, and play to the levels we are capable of playing.

“We have got to make sure that when we leave Tolka Park at 10.30pm on Friday night that we leave with no regrets.”

But Bohs know they are in for a tough game against a club who consider this fixture a grudge match.

Devine said: “Going into these games with confidence isn’t enough, we have to know we can push our performances up a level or two.

“It is going to be a very tough game. Shelbourne have been very unlucky in their opening two games. They were unfortunate not to beat Drogheda and they were unfortunate to lose to St Pat’s. They played really well in both games.

“We know the intensity of the game is going to be high and we know the expectation levels of both sets of supporters is going to be high.”

TEAM NEWS

James Clarke (thigh) is a doubt but Jay Benn (concussion) will be available for selection for the first time since suffering a nasty clash of heads moments into his pre-season debut against Wexford.

Declan Devine hopes increased capacity for home supporters can make Dalymount Park an intimidating place for away teams to come to this season.

Bohemians were roared onto victory away to Cork City in Turner’s Cross last Friday by a raucous 700-strong travelling support.

And with the Des Kelly Stand now set aside for home fans only this season, his side will have over 4000 supporters behind them at tomorrow’s sold-out game – the biggest Bohs support for a competitive fixture at Dalymount in 14 years.

Devine said: “Last week in Turner’s Cross, it was amazing. Our support gave us the impetus to start the game properly and ultimately helped us get the three points. There were 6,500 there but all I heard up until the last ten minutes was the 700 or so Bohemians fans.

“Our players responded to that, and they showed great determination and fight. Having that support gives you an extra yard, gives you an extra inch in your height, and makes you determined to win every header and second ball.

“The support definitely got us across the line and that is going to have to be required again. We need everyone pulling in the same direction during the good parts and the bad parts for the full duration of the game. As hostile as we can make Dalymount the better.

“It is great to be back at Dalymount. Everyone is really looking forward to it. We have the two sides of Dalymount for tomorrow sold out with Bohs fans, and it is fantastic that we will have that level of support behind us.

“A lot of the credit for that has to go to people behind the scenes for that. Everybody – staff, members, volunteers – has been working day and night over the past number of weeks to get the place ready for our first home game and it’s up to us now to pull it all together on the pitch.

“We are getting that relationship between players and fans again, and the excitement is building. We have to do everything in our power to send our fans home happy.”

Goals from Grant Horton and Jordan Flores had Bohs looking comfortable last week but a mistake at the back allowed Ruairí Keating in to pull one back for Cork City on 82 minutes and Devine’s side had to soak up a lot of pressure to hold on to all three points.

Devine added: “I was over the moon with how we performed last week. Any three points in this league have to be hard earned, and we worked extremely hard last week.

“The group is very tight. We have a great mixture of leadership, great players who have come back to the club, and new players excited to be here and who want to push on.

“At times last week we played some really nice stuff. We have to understand that we got our reward last week because of our work ethic and what we were willing to do to get the points. We have got to be like that again this week.

“Dundalk are in Europe for a reason, and for us to get anything out of the game, and to get that feeling we got last week for our supporters and for ourselves, we have to work for the full 90+ minutes and win every wee individual battle as well.

“It is going to be a tough game and we have to make sure we are ready for it. Dundalk are a side full of quality and experience.

“As a club they have consistently won trophies and qualified for Europe in recent years. We are fully aware of what is sitting in front of us and we have to be at our best.”

TEAM NEWS

James Akintunde (foot) and Jay Benn (head) are rated 50-50.

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of Polish centre-back Krystian Nowak.

The experienced 28-year-old joins from Romanian side Universitatea Cluj having previously played for clubs in Poland, Scotland and Croatia.

Nowak is the 12th new arrival since the end of last season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde, Dean Williams, Grant Horton, Luke Dennison, Dylan Connolly, Jay Benn, Kacper Radkowski and Drew Baker.

Welcoming Nowak to Dalymount Park, manager Declan Devine said: “Krystian is exactly the type of experienced defender I wanted to bring to the club in this window.

“He has had a great career so far, has played in some top leagues and he is a really good age profile for us.

“We knew we had to strengthen in defence and we have done that now over the past couple of weeks. Krystian now gives us that extra bit of experience that we needed at the back.

“We have had a lot of new arrivals in this window, the group is gelling well and I feel that we now have serious competition for places right across the squad.

“We are delighted to get Krystian in and we are really looking forward to seeing what he will bring to the group.”

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of defender Drew Baker on loan from Fleetwood Town until the end of June.

The former Manchester City Academy player is the 11th new arrival ahead of the new season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde, Dean Williams, Grant Horton, Luke Dennison, Dylan Connolly, Jay Benn and Kacper Radkowski.

The Englishman, 20, will go straight into the squad for tomorrow’s league opener away to Cork City at Turner’s Cross.

Welcoming Baker to Dalymount Park, Bohemians manager Declan Devine said: “I am absolutely delighted to have Drew on board.

“For such a young player, he already has an invaluable amount of first team experience, and at a good level too, first with FC United and more recently in League One with Fleetwood.

“Like Kacper and Grant, Drew gives us great options at the back in terms of his quality and his versatility – he can play at centre-back and at right-back.

“We are really looking forward to working with him over the next few months and he will go straight into our squad going to Cork City tomorrow night.”

Bohemian Football Club has revised our match ticket pricing structure ahead of the 2023 season – the first such change in circa 15 years.

We can also announce (below) our match ticket sales schedule for home fans for the forthcoming League of Ireland campaign, which will be available from tickets.bohemians.ie.

This includes tickets for our first home game of the season against Dundalk on Friday February 24, which will go on sale today at noon.

We are delighted to confirm that the new Mono Stand (Connaught St) will be ready in time to house away fans for that game.

As you will be aware, due to another club record number of memberships and season tickets, only a very limited number of Jodi Stand matchday tickets will be available again this year.

Jodi Stand tickets will therefore be priced, for all games, at €20 for adults, €15 for concession/student (student IDs will be checked) and €8 for U12s.

But with away support now located in the newly-constructed Mono Stand, we are delighted to have been able to secure a significant increase in our capacity to accommodate home fans with the Des Kelly Stand – now mixed seating and terracing with a capacity of 1300 – entirely for Bohemians supporters for all games.

We would also like to put on record our gratitude to club staff and volunteers who have worked day and night against time pressures in assisting efforts to ensure that the Mono Stand would be ready for the new season and for their ongoing work in improving facilities for home fans in the Des Kelly Stand. They have assisted greatly in increasing the stadium’s overall capacity to 4500.

Prices for the Des Kelly Stand (home fans) and Mono Stand (away fans only) will operate on a categorised basis.

For Category A games (Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, St Patrick’s Athletic and potentially some FAI Cup games), tickets for the Des Kelly Stand and Mono Stand will be priced at €20 for adults, €15 for concession/student (student IDs will be checked) and €8 for U12s.

For Category B games (all other league games), tickets for the Des Kelly Stand and Mono Stand will be priced at €15 for adults, €10 for concession/student (student IDs will be checked) and €5 for U12s.

These are our first adjustments to our match ticket pricing structure in circa 15 years despite drastically increased matchday costs and the return to full-time football.

We thank our fans for your continued support – we can’t wait to see you all packed into Dalymount once more in 10 days’ time.

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of centre-back Kacper Radkowski.

The 21-year-old former Polish underage international joins from Śląsk Wrocław on loan until the end of the season.

Radkowski is the tenth new arrival ahead of the new season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde, Dean Williams, Grant Horton, Luke Dennison, Dylan Connoly and Jay Benn, while academy graduate Cian Byrne has been promoted to the first team.

Manager Declan Devine said: “Kacper has been in training with us in pre-season and is a signing we were desperate to get over the line.

“It took a little bit longer to get the deal done than we had hoped so we are delighted to get it done now.

“Kacper has been an under-20 international for Poland and you don’t get to that level without having real quality.

“He fits the profile of player we want to bring to the club in terms of that quality and his youthfulness.

“He has been around the squad during pre-season, the players know all about him now and he is a really good fit for us. I’ve no doubt that he will be a fantastic side for us.”

Radkowski said: “I am delighted to be joining Bohemians. I have enjoyed meeting the squad and management in pre-season and I am really looking forward to us having a good season together.

“Everybody at the club has been really welcoming to me. The atmosphere in the squad is very, very good, and we cannot wait to get started now.”

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of right-back Jay Benn on loan from Lincoln City until the end of June.

The 21-year-old, who joined English League One side Lincoln from Halifax Town last summer, goes straight into the Bohs squad for this evening’s pre-season friendly away to Wexford at Ferrycarrig Park.

Benn is the ninth new arrival ahead of the new season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde, Dean Williams, Grant Horton, Luke Dennison and Dylan Connoly, while academy graduate Cian Byrne has been promoted to the first team.

Welcoming Benn to Dalymount Park, manager Declan Devine said:

“We are delighted to bring Jay in. Defence is an area where we needed to strengthen and Jay is exactly the kind of player we have been looking for.

“He’s good going forward and solid defensively and we are really looking forward to working with him and welcoming him into the group.

“Jay is a player who Lincoln really rate, and has good first-team experience at right-back and centre-back from his time with Halifax, so I want to thank Mark Kennedy, Jez George and everyone at Lincoln for their assistance with bringing Jay to the club.”

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm the appointments of Dave Henderson as Head of Recruitment and Development, and Trevor Croly as Lead Academy Coach.

Director of Football Pat Fenlon said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to build on and complement the structures that have been developed at the club in recent years with the expertise of Dave and Trevor.

“They are both excellent additions to what we are trying to build towards, and will both bring a wealth of knowledge and ability to the roles as we look to put in place a football strategy that attracts and retains the best young players in the country.”

Henderson returns to the club where he served with distinction as a goalkeeper in the 1990s, and subsequently as scout, goalkeeping coach and Head of Recruitment, having also worked in similar roles with Hibernian and Shelbourne.

As Head of Recruitment, Henderson will work alongside the first-team and academy set-ups and be responsible for identifying and recruiting players and coaches that fit the club’s playing and coaching philosophy, and developing the club’s scouting network.

Henderson said: “I’m delighted to be back. Bohs are my local team and I have great memories from my previous times at the club.

“We want to develop a strategy that brings in the best players we possibly can to push the club on in the here and now, but also to plan ahead and recruit and identify players and coaches for the future too.”

Croly served as assistant manager to Keith Long for the previous six seasons, having previously managed Shamrock Rovers and Bray Wanderers, and served as assistant manager at Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic.

As Lead Academy Coach, he will be responsible for developing a high performing environment for all coaches and players to support and work in conjunction with the Head of Academy Craig Sexton to ensure the smooth transition of players to senior football.

Croly said: “There are a lot of talented young footballers at the club, and we want to harness their potential.

“I am looking forward to helping Craig lead the coaches within the academy in creating a high performance environment for both coaches and players to maximise their potential.”