Alan Reynolds says Bohemians are returning to Dalymount Park this Friday with confidence after finally getting the result last week that their performance deserved.
Bohs are looking to make it back-to-back victories against men from Louth when they host Drogheda United on Friday, a week on from coming back from 1-0 down to beat Dundalk 3-1 at Oriel Park.
Reynolds said: “After a disappointing run, we got back to winning ways – that’s not an easy feat having gone a goal down in the first half against a side that also caused us real problems when we played them here in Dalymount Park earlier in the season.
“I feel that we had better performances in the run of games where we didn’t win, but the most important thing last week was that we found a way to push on and get the three points. We needed to get that monkey off our back.
“Despite going a goal down, we never let our heads drop. I have to give credit to our players because they worked extremely hard in the second half to force the game back in our favour.
“Our substitutes came on and made a real difference, and we finally got what I felt we deserved from the game.
“We had some standout performers as well, it was great to see Douglas James-Taylor back among the goals again, even it was from the penalty spot, as he has been as frustrated as anybody with the number of games he’s missed this season, and wants to kick on now.
“We had another big performance from Ross Tierney, who made such a big impact when he came on against Shelbourne earlier in the week, and he will be looking to kick on now too, while Dawson Devoy led by example once more and was brilliant in setting up Zane Myers for the third.”
The result puts a different complexion on Bohs’ form. Prior to beating Dundalk, Reynolds’ men were without a win in nine games – now they are unbeaten in three and looking to recapture the form and energy that saw them top the table in the first series of games.
Reynolds said: “Yeah, despite the run of form we had been on, we are now unbeaten in three games again and remain in third but we want to be better, we need to be better, and we want to push on further.
“The players got a reminder of how good it feels to win, and how good it feels to celebrate with our supporters. We need more of that. It can’t just be a flash in the pan.
“I think most supporters appreciate how incredibly competitive the division is this season but there is expectation – we need to embrace that expectation and we want to be winning more games.”
Standing in the way of building on last week’s win is a Drogheda United side who have caused Bohs no end of frustration in recent years.
Reynolds said: “There have been some great battles between Bohs and Drogheda in recent seasons and at times we have found out the hard way how well organised Kevin Doherty’s teams can be and hard to break down they are.
“We found a way to win against Drogheda United on the last day of last season when it mattered the most and when our season was on the line, and we have to do it again.
“We know from experience how difficult they will make it against us and if we are to win, how hard we will have to work for it. The last time we played Drogheda, a scoreless draw, they were in our faces in the first half, but we had the better chances and by the end of the game, we were the ones pushing to win it.
“We need that from the start. We need to be aggressive. We know the quality we have in our team, so it is up to us to go out and show it, and to set the tempo of the game.
“But it won’t be easy so I’d ask our supporters again to stick with us. Despite going behind the last time we played in Dalymount a fortnight ago, they stuck with us until the end and we salvaged a late point against Shelbourne – which was the very least that we deserved from that performance.
“We built on that last week with a big win against a good team. There’s nobody in our dressing room patting themselves on the back after one win – we know that we can and need to be better.
“But I believe we have regrouped well after a challenging period, and with our supporters behind us, I firmly believe we can push on further.”
Team news
Jordan Flores (ankle) and Markuss Strods (leg) are both hoping to return but Senan Mullen (hamstring) is definitely ruled out.
Match Sponsor: LBN Bookkeeping
LBN Bookkeeping Services is a bookkeeping and tax preparation company based out of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with a secondary office on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.
Matchball sponsor: Marie Sherlock TD