SHAMROCK ROVERS v BOHEMIANS (Friday May 17th, Tallaght Stadium, 7.05pm)
Bohemians go to Tallaght determined to turn good performances into matching results. They also go with confidence drawn from a victory in the last derby at Shamrock Rovers’ home ground, writes BRIAN TRENCH.
Manager Aaron Callaghan is sure his side can clock up points again after two narrow defeats. “For three-quarters of those games we’ve had good performances and, if the performances are good, things will change around,” he said.
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“I thought we were the better side against Cork for most of the match. Tommy Dunne [Cork City manager] said to me after the match they had got out of jail.
“Against UCD one or two contentious decisions swung the match. Those games turned on slight errors.”
Motivating the players has not been an issue but a derby match against Shamrock Rovers represents a particular challenge. “The magnitude of the game speaks for itself, given the past encounters between the sides. But I don’t do the history side of things. Every game is taken on its merits,” said Callaghan.
“Shamrock Rovers have shown what they can achieve when they’re on form. If we’re not 100 per cent on the night it’s going to be very difficult.”
Bohemians’ 1-0 win in Tallaght last September marked 19-year-old Greg Murray’s second league appearance in goal for Bohemians and, on Friday, he is likely to make his first league start this season. Dean Delany’s groin injury will probably rule him out after 13 successive league starts.
This is one of several enforced changes to the Bohemian line-up, as striker Chris Lyons and defender Roberto Lopes, both of them central to the team’s endeavours this season, are suspended.
The 3-5-2 formation used in recent games is likely to be set aside and Callaghan will consider the claims of Dwayne Wilson, Kevin Devaney and Dave Scully to start up-front or in a position just off the furthest forward.
Lopes was rested against Cork City after starting all 12 league games in the season up to that. “I knew the suspension was coming and the rest won’t do him any harm,” said his manager.
Looking forward to next Monday’s EA Sports Cup match at home to Bray Wanderers, Callaghan insisted that “the plan for the season was to win a trophy and this is a trophy we could win”.
“If you get the right draws and right results you find yourself all of a sudden in a semi-final. It’s a very important game from the club’s perspective,” he added.
The manager expects “to rotate one or two players” but is hoping that there are no injuries coming out of Friday’s match that require more changes than that.
