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Bohemians manager Alan Reynolds has challenged his side to start the season as they mean to go on when they take on St Patrick’s Athletic at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow.
After a long pre-season and a big build-up to what Reynolds acknowledges will be an emotional season for the club, he wants his players to show what they are capable of and hit the ground running from the off in front of a expected crowd of over 20,000.
Reynolds said: “Massive occasions like tomorrow are why you’re involved in the game, and I hope we give our supporters another great day out.
“We’re all excited, it’s still a novelty for everyone involved tomorrow to get to play in the Aviva Stadium. It’s a magnificent stadium, a place you could never not enjoy getting to play or coach at.
“It’s a big year for this club. We have European football to look forward to but we have to put that to the back of our mind as the first challenge we have is to make sure we have a good start to our league campaign.
“This is our last season in Dalymount Park and we know the significance of that for everyone at the club. It brings with it a lot of emotion. There’s so much history and tradition at this club and so much of it is intertwined with Dalymount Park.
“We had Turlough O’Connor and Tony O’Connor in addressing the team during pre-season and while our players already know how much a privilege it is to play for this club and to be the last squad of players to play in the ‘Old’ Dalymount, hearing the memories, the passion and the love that Turlough and Toccy still have for the club and the ground really drove it home to them.
“We want to be a group that creates more memories. Even in my short time here, I’ve been lucky enough to meet people like Billy Young, an absolute legend of the club and it’s special that he will be remembered everytime we take to the pitch in our home kit too.
“So it will be emotional for the club and the community around the club. We have members and supporters who have been going to Bohs games for decades, some of them came to Dalymount with their fathers, their mothers or their grandparents and all of those memories are special to so many people.
“Supporters will be thinking of people like Alan Bird, who gave everything to this club in a voluntary capacity. These are all the people and traditions our players take to the pitch to represent, and we want to represent them well and be successful for them.
“As coaches and players, we have our jobs to do and we are well prepared and well drilled on how we want to play and what we want to achieve, but who we represent is a part of that too. We want our supporters behind us and we want our players to excite our supporters too.
“You think back to the last game of the season, when we were devastated the week before by losing to Shelbourne and everyone at the club was kicking themselves. But in Drogheda, players and supporters put that behind them and we dug deep to get a big win, and with that bit of luck which we haven’t always got, we got over the line.
“It was great to see the fans and players so happy together that day, the atmosphere was sensational, and that’s what we want to build.”
There will be plenty of new faces in the Bohs team looking to create special memories of their own too, while Dawson Devoy will be looking to make his mark having been appointed club captain.
Nine days ago, Darragh Power (Waterford) became the ninth new arrival ahead of the new season following the additions of Patrick Hickey (Galway United), Sam Todd (Derry City), Hugh Martin (UCD), Harry Vaughan (Hull City, loan), Ryan Burke (Waterford), Paul Walters (FC Cincinnati, loan), Sadou Diallo (Derry City) and Senan Cullen (Torino, loan).
Reynolds said: “It’s been a long pre-season, we were back in at the start of December and the players have put the hard work in so we just want to get out there now and play.
“There will be a number of players making their debuts too, and what a place to do it. They will want to show our supporters what they are capable of and start as they mean to go on.
“We’re really pleased with the standard of players we have recruited this season. As well as the quality we have brought in, we have young players coming through our own system knocking on the door now who have really impressed and are giving us plenty to think about.”
It’s a familiar opposition in the form of Stephen Kenny’s St Pat’s tomorrow. Not much separated the sides in their four meetings last season with both clubs winning one each and drawing twice.
Reynolds added: “It’s a massive Dublin derby and there is pressure on both sides to get off to a good start, so it has all the makings of a really exciting game.
“Regardless of the venue, Dublin derbies are always fantastic occasions but having it at the Aviva obviously adds even more to the occasion. We all know how good a team St Pat’s are, and we had quite a few epic games with them last term.
“Like us, Pat’s are looking to build and like us they try to play good football, so we have teams here who will go out and play and give it a real go, so that should make it a really good spectacle.”
Team news
Bohemians have a full squad to choose from.
Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Red & Black, our matchday programme, at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow.
Our first issue of the season is in memory of Alan Bird, our long-serving programme editor, who sadly passed away in November.
Supporters are advised to arrive at the Aviva Stadium early: Stadium bars are open from 12.30pm.
Bohemian FC reminds all fans that the use of pyrotechnics is banned in the League of Ireland.
Significant fines will be issued to the club in the event of pyrotechnics be thrown onto the pitch at the Aviva Stadium.
Any supporter caught throwing flares onto the pitch will be held accountable and banned from the club.