Alan Reynolds says Bohemians are travelling to the Brandywell in no doubt that they are facing one of the title contenders.
The Candystripes host Bohs at the Ryan McBride Stadium after contrasting performances on their respective 2025 season openers.
Tiernan Lynch’s side travelled to the Tolka last Friday and were beaten 3-1 by defending champions Shelbourne, while Reynolds’ men claimed the Dublin Derby spoils with a 1-0 victory over Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva Stadium.
Reynolds said: “We had the result we wanted on the opening day of the season but it’s only one game.
“Derry didn’t get the result they wanted in Tolka but, again, it’s only one game. They have a new manager in Tiernan Lynch who has brought in a lot of quality, experienced players, and they will be looking to push on.
“There is no doubt in our players’ minds that we are travelling to play a team who will be title contenders this season.
“That is the expectation up there, so we have to be better again than what we were on Sunday because the Brandywell will be hopping and Derry will come at us on their own patch.
“They’ll be disappointed with their result last Friday but they were a new team playing against the champions, who are a settled group, so I expect them to be much stronger.”
While there is anticipation on Foyleside, the same is true amongst Bohs fans after the success of Sunday’s win over arch-rivals Rovers.
Much was spoken about the one-off nature of the game, playing in the national stadium in front of a league record attendance of 33,208.
But, in the run-up to the game, Reynolds was keen to remind players and fans alike that, for them, it represented just the first of 36 league games this season, and that is a mantra he has not deviated from since.
Reynolds said: “With all the coverage and media focus on the game, it’s easy and natural for supporters to get caught up in all that hype.
“But we spoke to the players before the game about how, whether we won, drew or lost, that it was still only the first game of a 36-game season.
“It’s something we spoke about with the members of the club beforehand too, and that message remains the same now.
“We enjoyed the win, and we enjoyed the day. It was a great occasion to be a part of as it showed how far the league has come in terms of public interest and how far Bohs as club has come too in terms of the support it can draw from within the club’s own community and further afield too.
“With such great support behind us, such a massive build-up, and such a great atmosphere in our national stadium, you are desperate to send your fans home happy, so we were delighted we were able to do that. But it is firmly in the past now.
“It was an important three points and it was important for us to get off to a good start. But that’s all it is – a good start. We still have a lot more work to do to get where we want to be.
“While we were delighted with the result, there were aspects of our performance that I wasn’t happy with too, so nobody will be getting carried away. We have to keep pushing ourselves and continue to strive to get better in every game.”
Team news
Jordan Flores (calf) and Alex Lacey (calf) are doubts.
