Alan Reynolds has called on his players to rise to the occasion and get the job done as they take on Shelbourne in a Dublin derby at Dalymount Park this afternoon.
It’s fifth place taking on third place in Bohs’ penultimate game of the season with Reynolds’ men determined to get victory as the race for European qualification nears the finish line.
Reynolds said: “This is a massive game for us. We have prepared well and there is huge determination in this group to achieve what we set out to achieve.
“We know what’s at stake. It’s a big occasion and we need to rise to that and to relish it and, most importantly, get the job done. We are confident in our ability, but we need to be ruthless.
“It’s our last game of the season at Dalymount Park and we need to make that count for something.
“We have had some memorable results this season but we all need to dig deep, on the pitch and in the stands, to make sure we get another one today.
“Our supporters have been fantastic for months so I’m asking for them to do it all again today as we all strive to get this club back to where we want it to be.”
Bohs come into the game on the back of a 0-0 draw against St Pat’s at Dalymount Park on Monday.
Reynolds was pleased with the performance of his team but disappointed that they couldn’t turn the screw and force the win.
He will watch the game from the stands this afternoon, with Stephen O’Donnell calling the shots from the dugout, after being shown a second yellow card as the sides left the pitch at half-time in what was a fiery encounter with Stephen Kenny’s side.
Reynolds said: “It was a big game for both sides with a lot at stake. We felt St Pat’s should have had a player sent off a few minutes before half-time. I think that was clear to everyone in the ground, and obviously at half-time there were words had but we move on.
“Looking back at the game itself, we played very well in periods and had some really good passages of play. But as I said, we need to be more ruthless.
“We defended well and some of our build-up play was very good but we need to be taking more chances and tested goalkeepers more than we did. So that was the disappointing aspect.”
Today’s opponents come into the game after conceding a sucker-punch goal to lose 1-0 away to Macedonian side Shkendija in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
But Reynolds isn’t paying too much attention to that result for a side that have lost just once in their past 14 league games.
He said: “That was obviously a blow for them but the fact they are even playing games in Europe at this stage of the season is a testament to how good a team they are.
“They were champions last season for a reason, they had a bumpy start to the season but their quality has shone through again over the past few months.
“They got over difficult hurdles in Europe while becoming one of the form teams in the league in the same period so we know how good they can be.
“But we know how good we can be when we have everyone giving 100% from the first minute to the last, so that our focus is on our own performance today and getting the job done.”
Team news
Bohs have a full squad to choose from, with Reynolds adding: “Douglas James-Taylor missed the Galway game with a hamstring strain, and that’s something you have to manage. We had him on the bench against St Pat’s and intended to give him a run in the second half but with so much rain that day, the pitch was heavy and cutting up, so we opted not to take that risk.”