Alan Reynolds says Bohemians need to make home advantage count on and off the pitch as their temporary exit from Dalymount Park draws nearer.
Bohs have just five home league games remaining at Dalymount before redevelopment work begins at the end of the year, and Reynolds is demanding his side make the most of it.
He said: “I think that the support we have received over the European campaign was a real reminder to our players about what this club means to so many people, their families and their communities, how lucky we are to be a part of it.
“That’s something that is in the back of our players’ minds every time they take to the pitch, particularly when we’re at home here in Dalymount. This is our second of three weekends in a row that we’ll be at home in Dalymount and we can’t take these days for granted because we know how much everyone is going to miss the place when we’re out of it, so we have to give it absolutely everything and we need our fans giving it everything too as they have done all summer. It’s up to every single one of us at the club to ensure we make the most of it.”
Bohs come into the game against Derry on the back of a comfortable 4-0 win over Longford Town in the Club Orange Men’s FAI Cup last Sunday, which booked a quarter-final date away to St Pat’s on Saturday September 5.
Reynolds said: “I think the most pleasing aspect was how quickly our players drew a line under the disappointment of our European run coming to an end and immediately refocused their minds on the job at hand. That’s easier said than done – European games can take a lot out of players and we struggled badly the week before against Waterford.
“Having had disappointing results in our two previous domestic games after tiring European games, there was always the fear of a cup upset but we dusted ourselves down, did what we had to do, and I was delighted with our response and our performance.
“Longford’s starting XI had eight players who were previously at Bohs at either senior level or in our academy, so they came to Dalymount with something to prove. But we started with tempo, got the early goal to settle the nerves and played some great stuff to get a 4-0 win, which was no more than our performance deserved.”
There will a big step-up when Derry City, managerless since the departure of Tiernan Lynch a fortnight ago, come to Dalymount Park. Bohs have taken on the Candystripes three times this year, winning the first meeting 1-0 at the Brandywell in February, drawing 1-1 in Dalymount on May Day, before a bruising 4-1 defeat at Celtic Park in June.
Reynolds said: “Derry are obviously going through a transition period but regardless of who is in the dugout, it is clear that Derry have one of the best squads in the country with some of the best attacking quality in the league who will hurt you if you let them.
“We found that out to our cost the last time we met, throwing away a 1-0 lead and a good first half performance to lose 4-1 after a really poor showing in the second half, one of our worst performances of the season. We know we need to be so much better than that against players of Derry’s quality.
“So the message to our players is that we have to bring the same level of commitment and ruthlessness that we had throughout our European campaign into our performances in both the league and cup between now and the end of the season.”
Team news
Bohemians are without Sam Todd (quad).
Streaming
The game will be streamed on LOITV, with commentary from Richie McCormack and Alan Cawley.
Commentary also available on Off The Ball/Newstalk.
Match sponsor: Fingal Homecare
Providing trusted community care in North Dublin for over 40 years, Fingal Home Care is dedicated to delivering professional, reliable, and person-centred support that helps people live independently and with dignity in their own homes.
Matchball sponsors:
- Parasol Suncreams
- My Meat Wagon
- Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign