Alan Reynolds says Bohemians gave a glimpse of what they are capable of last week and has challenged them to build on it tomorrow morning when they host Shamrock Rovers in the Dublin derby at Dalymount Park.
After a bruising couple of weeks where they surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Waterford and needed penalties to scrape past Kerry in the FAI Cup, Reynolds’ men showed their mettle when they travelled to Tolka Park last Friday to take on league leaders Shelbourne.
They were frustrated that they could not find a winner despite long spells in the ascendancy but there were plenty of positives to take from the 1-1 draw.
Reynolds said: “We came out of last week’s game disappointed that we didn’t win it but very pleased with the performance.
“It was a great goal from Danny Grant to put us ahead but it was frustrating that we didn’t manage to hold onto our lead again.
“The most pleasing thing after that though was that we settled and didn’t allow our heads to drop. I felt that we really went after the game and we played some good stuff.
“Obviously the lads’ confidence had taken a knock after the manner of the cup game against Kerry and the defeat to Waterford.
“There is huge pressure playing the league leaders when heads are down a bit but we showed what we are capable of. We need to build on that fast but we can take confidence from how we performed.
“We had chances to win it but came up against a goalkeeper in form. If you look back on the game, there was only one team trying to win it in the end.”
But the fixture list doesn’t get any easier with another Dublin derby, this time at the unusual time of 11.30am on Sunday morning.
Reynolds added: “As I said last week, this is a very important period for the club. We are playing some of the top teams in the country over the course of the next month and it is vitally important for us to get points on the board.
“Our league form has been disappointing and we know how good Shamrock Rovers are so it is up to us to show how good we can be.
“The last time we played Rovers at Dalymount in the cup, the place was hopping and everyone was right behind the lads from start to finish, which helped get us over the line.
“Against a team as good as Rovers we will need that again, and I have no doubt we will as these games mean everything to everyone at the club whether you’re a fan or a player.
“I’ve no doubt our fans will have their alarm clocks set for early tomorrow to make sure they are in good voice in time for the early kick-off, and we all want to give them something to sing about.”
Team news
Jordan Flores is available for selection once more but Bohs are sweating on the fitness of Alex Greive and James Akintunde.
James McManus and Jake Carroll are close to returning, but Rob Cornwall and Keith Buckley remain out.
