Alan Reynolds says Bohemians have been approaching tomorrow’s game against Drogheda United as being the biggest game of their season so far.
Reynolds’ side have had a positive few weeks, progressing to the semi-final of the FAI Cup, winning a Dublin derby and drawing twice with league leaders Shelbourne.
It has been a welcome period after a disappointing league campaign this season, but Reynolds insists his side cannot rest on their laurels and has demanded further improvements.
He said: “For me this is the biggest game of the season so far and that’s how we have approached it all week.
“Drogheda have shown what they are capable of in the last while. They’re in the semi-finals of the cup, have had some really good and have scored a lot of goals in the process. They have good players and they have a system that works really well for them.
“So this is a massive game for us to see where we are. We have had some really good performances ourselves over the past number of weeks but we are striving to improve further still.
“You can’t have a good few weeks and be content with that. We have to keep improving, we have to keep striving to turn those draws into wins.”
Bohs come into this game buoyed by their biggest win of the season, a 4-0 victory away to UCD in the FAI Cup with a brace from Ross Tierney and late goals from Alex Greive and Martin Miller.
Bohs dominated the opening period to the extent that they would have been frustrated that it took them until the 34rd minute but in the end it was a comprehensive result, and a sense that lessons had been learned from the previous round’s lucky escape against Kerry.
Reynolds said: “We scored four goals and secured a clean sheet last week. We were dominant early in the game but for all the chances we had, it took us a while to make the breakthrough so we still need to be more clinical.
“But it was a professional performance. We know how difficult it can be in cup ties from the previous round, so we’re delighted with the result and the support we had from out there too.
“It would have been easy for the fans to get frustrated when it took us a little longer than we had hoped to get a breakthrough but they stuck with us, and the players responded to that encouragement and thankfully were able to reward it with a really strong win in the end.”
Team news
Dawson Devoy returns from suspension. Adam McDonnell (ankle) is close to a return but this game will come too early for him, while James McManus is ruled out with a knock.
Filip Piszczek (ankle), Keith Buckley (knee) and Rob Cornwall (knee) remain out.
