A blustery Tallaght Stadium saw the Bohemian MU19s take on Dublin rivals, Shamrock Rovers, in an EA Sports LOI Academy League clash.

The Bohemian squad were looking to build on a week which saw Chris Lotefa and Jack McCormack score their first senior team goals for the club in a 5-0 Leinster Senior Cup Final triumph against Usher Celtic.

McCormack got the action underway and sought to put the home side under immediate pressure. O’Reilly created the first chance of the game within the first two minutes after dispossessing a loose Rovers pass and embarked on a great solo run before his effort pulled wide of the Rovers goal.

The early pressure and work-rate from Bohs was rewarded in the 7th minute when Bohemians scored the first of the game. Dean Williams won a free-kick in a dangerous position after being bundled over by the Rovers centre-half as he sought to control the ball. McCormack delivered a low-driven ball which the Rovers keeper spilled into his six-yard box before being rifled into the roof of the net by Nickson Okosun.

Bohs doubled their advantage in the 13th minute when Pharell Manuel picked up the ball in the centre of the pitch before a short-run opened the Rovers back-line; his first effort was deflected off a hooped shirt but found itself at the feet of Manuel again who calmly curled the ball beyond the Rovers keeper.

Rovers slowly grew into the game and began to create chances. An excellent Rovers cross, which looked destined to meet an arriving Rovers head, was intelligently intercepted by Louis Holzman.

Bohs were continuing to tirelessly pressure the Rovers backline in possession and making it extremely uncomfortable for Rovers to play out from the back with Okosun and O’Reilly forcing several Bohs corners.

Rovers managed to pull a goal back from the penalty spot in the 41st minute when Onesime Tembe was brought down by Jack McCormack just inside the area. Tembe converted the penalty after sending the Bohs #1, Collins, the wrong way.

The second half saw a rejuvenated and confident Rovers side determined to find an equaliser with Joseph Collins forced into a series of excellent early saves.

Rovers found the leveller in the 51st when a long-diagonal ball found space behind the Bohs backline. A foot race ensued between Bohs Joseph Collins and Rovers Tembe. The Bohs keeper was only able to throw himself at the ball which ricocheted off his body finding the feet of Cian Curtis who turned the ball into an open goal from the edge of the box.

Bohs were slow to grow into the second half and struggled to cope with the intensity of a resurgent Rovers. The Hoops completed their comeback in the 65th minute when Daniel Bergin met a low-driven cross which was slotted passed Collins.

Rovers continued to control the tempo of the game and pepper Collins’ goal. A series of substitutions by Bohs sought to inject some freshness into the game and they chased an equaliser.

The final ten minutes were a period of high Bohs pressure which saw Rovers forced to regularly clear their lines. Bohs’ best chance of the closing stages fell to the feet of Adetobi Jinadu who’s edge of the box effort fizzed over the Rovers bar.

Soon after, referee Jack White brought proceedings to a close as Bohemians fell to a 3-2 defeat to Shamrock Rovers.

Team-sheets

Bohemians: J Collins, F Cowper Gray, S McMahon, J McCormack, B Gilmore, N Okosun, J O’Reilly, P Manuel, D Williams, A Jinadu, L Holzman Substitutes: A Stuart Trainor, R Kane, A O’Brien, T Mooney, P Grogan, L Cailloce, A Guneyer, A Seruga, S Tracey.

Shamrock Rovers: T Letis, A Condron, C O’Sullivan, F Turley, C Lennox, Z Abada, C Curtis, J O’Sullivan, O Tembe, N Razi, N O’Kelly. Substitutes: E Jakas, D Avenbuan, D Bergin, O Jakas G Tetteh, K Dignam, A Corish.

A double from defender Luke Nolan and a Victor Lace strike helped Bohemians secure a 3-0 victory against Finn Harps in the Oscar Traynor Centre on Saturday in the EA Sports MU17 LOI Academy League 2023.

Bohs dominated the early exchanges against a well-organised Finn Harps side with Reilly going close in the 8th minute with a powerful drive that went just wide.

As the first half progressed, Bohs continued to attack with Christopher Conlan and Victor Lace linking up well together to cause Finn Harps problems. Aaron Culleton impressed for Bohs passing the ball from midfield effectively.

Victor Lace came close to breaking the deadlock on the 30-minute mark with a long-range effort. Samuel Collins followed two minutes later with an attempt from the edge of the box that narrowly missed the target. Just before half-time, an excellent run and well-timed cutback by Christopher Conlan set up Victor Lace for a tidy finish to open the scoring for Bohemians.

Harps made a goalkeeper switch at half time and were unfortunate to lose their substitute goalkeeper Ronan Callaghan to a hand injury early in the second half, forcing an outfield player to step into goal for the remainder of the match.

Harps, to their credit, began to grow into the game and attack more but in the 58th minute Bohs’ full back Luke Nolan doubled Bohs’ lead with a nice finish. Nolan then added to his tally to make it 3-0 to Bohs in the 62nd minute, capitalising on another assist from the impressive Christopher Conlan.

Bohs then saw out the game well with substitute Joey Chad going close to making it 4-0 with an effort late in the game.

In the end, Bohemians emerged with a well-earned 3-0 victory against a competitive Finn Harps team. Next weekend, Bohs travel away to St. Patrick’s Athletic on Saturday afternoon.

The Bohemians WU17s made the short trip to a rainswept AUL for a North Dublin Derby against familiar foe, Shelbourne.

Bohemians came into the game in a strong vein of form going unbeaten in their previous four games climbing to fourth in the league. And the hosts, Shelbourne came into the game with a perfect record claiming twenty-four points from a possible twenty-four in the league.

The opening minutes of the game saw a tenacious Bohs side work to impose their presence on the game. The first chance fell to Bohs’ left-winger, Glennon, who after a great darting run fired a low-driven shot which was turned away by the Shels keeper.

A period of pressure from Bohemians saw Shelbourne forced to concede a series of corners – a corner delivered by Glennon saw cries of handball from the Bohs’ players which were waved away by the referee, Jack Keating.

Shelbourne began to grow into the game, controlling possession and attempting to pressure a resilient Bohs’ defensive line. Bohs’ duo Baird and Doyle did excellently to deal with intense pressure down the Bohs right-side.

Whilst Bohs remained under pressure, they were unafraid to press Shelbourne to force loose passes, and mistakes and pressure Shelbourne. Amy Ellis and Baird had success in delivering accurate passes to catch the Shelbourne defensive line off balance and creating chances for Bohs.

A dangerous Shels free-kick in the 35th minute forced a save from the Bohs #1, Ella Brennan, which was parried into a crowded box which was turned into the Bohs goal. However, the referee had already blown his whistle for offside which was met by a sigh of relief by the Bohs team.

An excellent run by Glennon, in the 43rd minute, saw her brought down resulting in a dangerous free-kick on the left-hand side of the Shels box. An excellent floated delivery by Rooney was flicked across the Shelbourne goal by the head of Glennon which landed at the feet of Amy Ellis who calmly dispatched the ball beyond the Shels keeper.

The last chance of the first half fell to Shelbourne, chasing a quick response. A cute through ball found Ella Brennan and the Shels striker in a foot race which the Bohs keeper did excellently to smother before the Shels striker could get a foot to the ball.

Shelbourne began the second half at a high intensity and flew out of the traps eager to find an equaliser. Shelbourne very nearly found themselves level after a well-worked corner forced Bohs to clear their lines.

Bohs found themselves under a period of immense pressure from Shelbourne set-pieces with Ella Brennan forced to make an excellent save to turn an excellent Shels header around her post.

Moments later, a long-diagonal Shels ball found the feet of the Shels #12 – whose flashed effort kissed the face of the Bohs crossbar. Bohs dealt well with the early Shels pressure and continued to press Shels and force mistakes.

They were rewarded for their efforts in the 60th minute when Bohs doubled their advantage. High pressure by Baker forced a loose Shels pass; which found the feet of Glennon who hit the ball first time with the ball slipping through the hands of the Shels keeper who was unable to get back to stop the ball from rolling over the line.

Although two down, Shelbourne began to control the game and create chances forcing a series of excellent saves from Brennan.

Shels earned a lifeline in the 75th minute when Savannah Keogh picked up a loose Bohs clearance before unleashing a low-driven strike on the edge of the box which Brennan could only get her fingertips to.

The final fifteen minutes were played at a frantic pace with both sides continuing to give their all.

The Bohs #10, Baker, doggedly won the ball on the edge of the Shels box before squaring the ball with the ensuing Bohs strike cleared off the goal line in a last-ditch Shels attempt.

A long-range Shels effort in the 80th minute looked destined for the back of the Bohs net but was met by a long diving hand of Brennan who managed to turn the ball over the bar.

A deep Shels free in the 90th minute was floated into the box and met by a powerful header which was thundered past a diving Bohs keeper and into the back of the net bringing the Drumcondra side level.

Shels clinched all three points in the 95th minute after a misplaced Bohs pass found the feet of Shels’ Ruby McCarthy, who rifled the ball into the net.

Jack Keating brought proceedings to an end at the AUL in a match which saw Bohs run out 3-2 losers in a tight, exciting affair.

A warm Sunday afternoon was the backdrop at the Oscar Traynor Centre as the Bohemians MU15s welcomed Galway United to the capital for the seventh round of fixtures in the EA Sports MU15 LOI Academy league.

The opening 15 minutes saw an aggressive Galway attack seek to wear down and force mistakes against a resolute Bohs defence. Bohs remained patient and sought to hit Galway on the counter with Chuckwu and Idah being the key men in attempting to cause issues amongst the Galway backline.

The two wide-men were having success in drawing fouls from the Galway defence which helped create the best Bohs chance of the opening half an hour – a great delivery was met by the head of Bohs defender, Dunne, who forced a great save from the Galway keeper.

The second third began with the Bohs backline continuing to confidently deal with high Galway balls. A loose ball caused Bohs no.3 Josh Delves to catch an oncoming Galway player with an outstretched leg which saw the young man given his second yellow.

Galway with a man advantage sought to turn-the-screw on Bohs forcing an excellent save from the Bohs no.1 McDonnell who turned the ball around the post for a Galway corner. The ensuing Galway corner caused a goalmouth scramble before Cillian Tollett managed to put the Tribesmen ahead in the 35th minute.

A man-and-goal down, Karl Keogh’s side began to control the game and create chances in an attempt to level the game. The Gypsies’ attacking play was orchestrated through Coyle and Skoubo Keely in the midfield who were constantly looking to play attacking and forward passes.

The best Bohs chance of the 2nd 3rd was, again, created by Coyle after an excellent solo run before playing a slide-rule played into Schabowski who had his effort turned around the post for a corner.

The final third saw a Bohs side in hot-pursuit of an equaliser as they continued to pressure the Galway backline. Bohs were rewarded for their efforts in the 64th minute when the head of Christian Coyle met the brilliant delivery of Colgan to bring Bohs level.

The remaining 25 minutes turned into an excellent back-and-forth game with Bohs sides desperate to leave with all three points. A series of Galway corners were dealt with brilliantly and calmly by the Bohs goalkeeper who had commanded his box well all game.

However, Bohs were fortunate as one thundering Galway header crashed off the crossbar before being cleared by Bohs.

Bohs continued to press and an excellent tackle by Coyle in the middle of the pitch saw Bohs hit Galway on the counter; an excellent ball played between the Galway backline was squared to Idah who was unable to convert the chance as it drifted marginally wide.

Galway had the last chance of the game after an incisive break which found them in a 2v1 against McDonnell. Thankfully for Bohs, the Galway attacker was unable to convert the chance.

Soon after, the referee Jack Nolan blew for full-time at the Oscar Traynor Centre bringing an end to a back-and-forth game of football which showcased the resilience and determination of this Bohs team.

Bohemian’s U15s manager Karl Keogh reflected on the game: “As the head coach, I am very proud of the players for their performance today. Our performance was an excellent workout for our players.”

He explained that “the experience of playing over an hour with ten players in three different systems is invaluable to the group’s learning and development this season, as well as in the future.”

“Every game and every gameweek offers a learning opportunity, and today the players really rose to the challenge. Playing against any Galway team isn’t an easy game, and doing it with a man down”

Keogh said that he and Derek couldn’t be “prouder of how we approached this.”

“On Tuesday, we will continue to work hard and go again with all of the above in mind, proud that our lads left nothing behind today, and were unlucky not to come away with all 3 points. Credit to Galway today also, who caused us a lot of problems,” he concluded.

Bohemians and Galway United played to a 3-3 draw in a closely contested EA Sports U-19 League match at the Oscar Traynor Centre. The game, held on Wednesday evening, was an even encounter in which both teams created plenty of chances.

Bohs started the game on a positive note, absorbing Galway pressure and showing promise on the break. The deadlock was broken midway through the first half when Jake McCormack’s precise header found the back of the net from a corner, giving Bohs the lead.

As the first half progressed, Bohs began to assert themselves create more chances, with Sean McCarthy’s efforts at full back catching the eye. Chris Lotefa came close with a low drive, and a combination between Taylor Mooney and Lotefa forced a save from Galway goalkeeper McDonagh. Just before half-time, Sean McMahon’s header hit the underside of the bar, denying Bohs a second goal.

The second half saw Bohs maintain their positive approach. Mooney’s effort off the post came close to extending the lead, setting the stage for Nickson Okosun’s brilliant finish in the 56th minute. A well-orchestrated play involving Finn Cowper Gray and a chipped pass from Billy Gilmore allowed Okosun to calmly find the net, doubling Bohs’ advantage.

Galway United found their footing, benefiting from a fortuitous bounce that led to Smyth’s goal, reducing the deficit. Galvanized by the goal, Galway equalized in the 75th minute, creating a tense finale. Their persistence paid off as they took the lead late in the game through a well-placed finish after Bohs’ goalkeeper Joseph Collins initially made a fine save.

Despite the setback, Bohs showcased their resilience. Adetobi Jinadu’s efforts earned a corner, which Mooney converted into an equaliser in the dying moments of the game. The final score stood at 3-3, reflecting the back-and-forth nature of the encounter.

Congratulations to Bohs-SKB U15s who won the Treaty United U15s tournament involving Treaty United, Cork City and Galway United at the weekend.

Congratulations to Bohs-SKB duo James McManus and Danny McGrath, who are both in Spain with the Ireland U17s, who play against Belgium today and Thursday.

We are delighted to be collaborating with Dr. Aine Mac Namara, Liam Sweeney and Dan Horan from DCU.

The research will be examining our players’ exposure time within our academy.