BOHEMIANS v SHAMROCK ROVERS
Extra.ie FAI Cup Second Round
Sunday August 29 2021
Dalymount Park, 4pm
Live on LOITV.ie
Keith Long has urged his young side to play to their big-game capacity once more when Shamrock Rovers provide the opposition at Dalymount Park in the FAI Cup.
With the permitted attendance belatedly increased to 800 for this game, it will be the most bums on seats in Dalyer since a crowd of 3,560 saw Bohs beat Shelbourne 2-0 in March 2020.
Bohs players have recently drawn on the vocal backing of their fans in the Aviva Stadium Europa Conference League victories against Stjarnan, Dudelange and PAOK, and they will be relying on that raucous support once more – this time from the Jodi Stand – against traditional Dublin rivals Shamrock Rovers.
Despite bumpy periods of form this season, the Gypsies have risen to the occasion in big games, most notably that recent four-game winning streak in Europe, while Georgie Kelly’s goal was the difference when these sides met in the league in June.
And Long believes that a performance of the calibre of those victories will be needed to progress in the cup against the league leaders and reigning champions.
His team go into the game refreshed after a weekend with no competitive fixture, a result of tomorrow’s opposition playing a Europa Conference League tie of their own, which saw the postponement of last week’s scheduled league meeting between Rovers and Bohs.
Stephen Bradley’s side will be disappointed that they were on the wrong side of a 5-2 aggregate reversal against Flora Tallin in that tie, but they have been the form team domestically over the past 18 months.
That is a challenge that Long and his players are looking forward to.
Long said: “This is a great game to have. They don’t come much bigger than this.
“They say you have to beat the best teams to win a cup, and Rovers have proven to be that over the last 18 months or so.
“We want to play in big games of consequence and this is certainly a game that requires us to perform to capacity.
“It will be a real test of our group’s development. It will be a tough game but one that we are looking forward to and the challenge of trying to progress to the next round of this competition.”
The postponement of the league meeting between the sides gave Long’s team a breather after a hectic six weeks or so competing domestically and on the continent, but also refocused the minds ahead of what will be another busy schedule.
That postponement, and that of next week’s league game because of the Ireland U21 call-ups of Andy Lyons, Ross Tierney and Dawson Devoy, means Bohs now have four league games to reschedule; away to Dundalk, Finn Harps and Shamrock Rovers, and home to Derry City.
Long’s side are geared towards the task ahead of them as they look to qualify for Europe once more through the league, and progress in the FAI Cup.
After European hangovers saw them take just one point in total from disappointing outings against Longford and Waterford, they returned to winning ways with a 1-0 win against Sligo Rovers a fortnight ago with skipper Keith Buckley, so often the unsung hero that made Bohs tick throughout that European run, the matchwinner.
Long said: “After the dust has settled on our European campaign, we can now fully focus on our domestic stuff, and it was vital we were able to bounce back after a hectic schedule with a winning performance against Sligo Rovers a fortnight ago.
“Previous league games between European games had seen us drop valuable points but against Sligo, the boys showed great resilience, character and unbelievable fitness levels to produce a great team performance to get the desired result.
“It was an important win helped by the supporters in the stand, who created a great atmosphere and understood the importance of the game.
“We enjoyed playing against European opposition but we cannot be satisfied with that and for us to continue to develop as a club, it is imperative that we try to secure European football next year.
“We have a number of games in hand but we will also have fixture congestion, which can be difficult to navigate but the group is fully focused on achieving our objectives.”
This game is being exclusively streamed on LOITV, with Eric Lalor presenting pitchside, joined by 1992 Bohemians FAI Cup hero Dave Tilson, while Rúaidhrí O’Connor is on commentary alongside Dave Scully.
FAI Cup games are not included in the season pass, but the stream can be purchased for €5 from LOITV.ie
TEAM NEWS
Bohemians have a full squad to choose from.
Stephen Mallon (hip) has been eased back with substitute appearances against PAOK and Sligo Rovers, while Promise Omochere (quad) is available once more as well.[/toggle]
