LIMERICK v BOHEMIANS
Saturday February 24, Markets Field, 6.30pm
While Bohemians fans have enjoyed a week of derby day bragging rights, Keith Long and his players are keeping their feet firmly on the ground.
Two towering headers from a dominant Dan Casey and a stunning strike from Paddy Kavanagh saw the Gypsies overturn a 1-0 half-time deficit to beat rivals Shamrock Rovers 3-1 at Dalymount Park last Friday.
It was the perfect way to kick off the new season but as fans are still beaming a week later, manager Long and his team quickly shifted their attention to tomorrow’s tricky trip to Markets Field.
They face a Limerick side who, in new manager Tommy Barrett’s first competitive game in charge, also kicked off their 2018 campaign with three points after a 1-0 win away to Sligo Rovers last Saturday.
Manager Long said: “We’ve spoken about the need to be more consistent this season, so we’re certainly not going to get carried away after one good result.
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“It was a great night for the fans, the players and everyone at the club. But you move on quickly.
“We know we will have to be fully focused for Limerick as there are no easy games, particularly now it’s a ten-team division.
“Limerick got a great win up in Sligo and kept another clean sheet having not conceded in pre-season either.
“They’ll be full of confidence, they’ve good players too, so it’s going to be a challenge and our attitude has got to be right.
“They’ve a new manager in place, it’s their first home game of season, so they will have a big crowd behind them.”
For Long, there are aspects of his team’s performance that he would like to see improve.
He said: “It wasn’t a perfect performance, there are improvements to be made. But it was the first game of the season.
“People are settling in and if you haven’t experienced the intensity of the derby before, nothing can prepare you for that and it takes time to get used to.
“What we have to do tomorrow is match the intensity of last week and try and improve our overall performance if we can.”
One player who continues to improve is 20-year-old defender Casey.
Having initially broken into the team at right-back following his arrival from Sunderland last July, it was at centre-back that he most impressed towards the end of the 2017 season.
Last week he grabbed his first two senior goals and the man-of-the-match award to cap it all off.
Long added: “I was really pleased for Dan. He’s still a young player with a lot to learn but I was delighted for him.
“He’s not the finished article yet but he has a good attitude and I believe he can become an important player for us.”
TEAM NEWS
Bohs continue to be without long-term absentees Ryan Swan (cruciate) and Cristian Magerusan (metatarsal) but Long has no other injury concerns.
