European football returns to Dalymount Park for the first time in 14 years and manager Alan Reynolds wants everyone at Bohemians to give everything of themselves to give Bohemians the best chance of progressing.
Speaking from Dalymount today as Bohs held their final training session before their UEFA Conference qualifier first leg against St Joseph’s, Reynolds said: “For a stadium with so much history and that has held so many important games over the past 125 years, having European football back at Dalymount has been a long time coming.
“Ever since I came to the club, I’ve heard stories about how so many of our supporters hold treasured memories from European nights here. This is where we want to be.
“Many of the younger generation got to sample it at the Aviva in 2021 under Keith Long. But for a whole generation of younger fans, as well as those who began supporting the club in the past decade or so, having a European game in Dalymount is a first.
“We all know how hard everyone at the club – players, staff, volunteers, members and supporters – has had to work to get back here. It was a rollercoaster at the end of last season with plenty of ups and downs, and we want to make those efforts really count for something more now.”
Standing in their way tomorrow is Gibraltar side St Joseph’s, a club that has plenty of experience of playing Irish clubs in recent seasons.
First, in 2024, they lost out by a single goal to Shelbourne. Last year, they recorded an extra-time win over Cliftonville before being knocked out by Shamrock Rovers in the second qualifying round.
Reynolds said: “It’s an exciting game to be involved in, we are determined to progress further – we don’t want to stop here. But that won’t be easy.
“We know that League of Ireland teams have played St Joseph’s in recent seasons and got through but they ran a good Shels team really close and they’ve knocked Cliftonville out before as well so this is going to be a massive challenge for us, and the group are fully aware of how tough it will be.
“A lot of preparation has gone into this game. From what we have seen of them, they are big, strong and athletic and they have good height in the team. They’ve brought some new players in too so we have done as much homework as we can but there is still an element of the unknown going into this in terms of how they will line up and how they will set up.”
One thing that is clear though is Reynolds’ call for everyone at the club to dig deep to give Bohs the best possible chance of progressing further, with a second round qualifier against Connah’s Quay of Wales or FC Ballkani of Kosovo on offer to the winners of this round.
He said: “Everyone who comes to Dalymount who calls themselves a Bohemian has a job to do. Whether it’s me as manager, the players on the pitch, or Bohs fans and members packing out the three stands.
“We need everyone with us from the first minute until the last. In our last game here against St Pat’s two weeks ago, we went down to ten men against one of the best teams in the country before half-time. While we were 1-0 up at the time, I’m sure many people in the stands thought we would do well to hold on for the win.
“But whatever doubts any of our fans might have had, they put it out of their minds and got right behind us. They stuck with us right through tricky periods in that second half and our players grew in stature with that support. They lifted the roof off the Jodi Stand and not only did we hold on for the win, but we even added a second against the odds.
“So just as I am demanding everything of our players, we also need to demand that level of support again too.
“A 6pm kick-off midweek is not what we are used to, but I’m hoping our supporters will do their bit and give their everything to get behind the lads because we all want this club to progress further and to get to where we want to be.”
Bohs come into the game after a 2-0 win away to Drogheda United, their third win in a row following victories over Shelbourne and St Pat’s the previous week.
An own goal and a second-half effort from substitute Douglas James-Taylor were the difference between the teams but Reynolds acknowledges that his side didn’t have it all their own way.
He said: “Drogheda is a place where a lot of teams can struggle so we’d have been delighted to get any kind of a win up there.
“There were periods of the game where we rode our luck at times but there were other periods where we saw the attitude and determination we’ve spoken about and we saw it in spades. You look at Cian Byrne racing back to prevent a one-on-one with the keeper and then also clearing it off the line.
“I give great credit to our attacking players for the goals they’ve scored in recent games but moments like that are just as important and can also be the difference between winning and losing.
“We need to be sharp and ruthless at both ends of the pitch. We’re going into two massive games where we’ll be playing in temperatures we’re not that used to – staying alert and maintaining that sharpness will be key.”
Team news
Bohemians are at full strength, with Patrick Hickey available for selection once more having been suspended for Friday’s game away to Drogheda.
Match sponsor: EBS Blanchardstown
Tomorrow’s match is sponsored by EBS Blanchardstown, and we thank Gerry Cuffe for their generous sponsorship.