Bohemians head into their final league fixture of the 2025 SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division on Saturday afternoon as they make the trip to Greenogue Park to face Peamount United, writes Gary O’Connor. While it marks the end of their league campaign, there’s still one more massive occasion to come, next week’s historic FAI Cup Final against Athlone Town at Tallaght Stadium.
Alban Hysa’s side arrive in strong form, unbeaten in their last six matches, and full of belief heading into the final stretch. Last weekend, Bohs showed their resilience once again, battling back late to earn a 1-1 draw away to Treaty United.
Despite falling behind in the 70th minute, the Gypsies refused to give up and got their reward deep into stoppage time when Roisin McGovern’s header found the net to secure a deserved point. Reflecting on the game, Hysa felt his side were unfortunate not to claim all three.
“I think we performed very well, we should have won the game. Overall, we had so many chances. Their keeper, I think, was their best player. It was quite interesting that a young keeper comes in and performs like that. She saved top corner shots and chances that she’s not supposed to save. So, I would say she was the best player on the pitch for them. They didn’t offer much going forward, and their goal was the only real chance I remember for them. So it was hard to take, but there will be games like that where you don’t get what you deserve and I believe that was one of those games.”
With the season drawing to a close, Hysa reflected on the progress his young side have made, both statistically and in terms of performance.
“We’ve been smashing all of the stats from previous years. We’ve scored a lot more goals per game, in terms of all stats, it’s night and day. We’re already 12 points better off than last season with a game to go. We’re still fighting for that fifth spot, and all of the teams are closely bunched together, there are four teams pretty much in the same bracket in relation to points. It’s been the toughest league for years, which is great to see. I believe we’ve had a great season, both in the league and in the cup, reaching two finals, the first two in Bohemians Women’s history. But in terms of stats and points, we’re a lot better than previous years. It’s definitely been a season of progress.”
17 May 2025; Bohemians manager Alban Hysa during the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division match between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers at Dalymount Park in Dublin. Photo by Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
Now, Bohs face a challenging final test against a strong Peamount United side, who will be eager to finish their own campaign on a high.
“We’ll expect a big challenge from Peamount, they’ll want to win to finish as high as they can. Of course, it will be a stern test for us again, for different reasons. We just want to keep going and building until the final. It’s one of those games where I’ll need to be mindful of the players that are playing and make sure we keep everyone safe, but we still want to go out and get the three points.”
Hysa also highlighted the growth and mindset development within his young squad as one of the biggest positives of the campaign.
“Mindset and growth have been huge because it’s quite a young squad and we’re still developing. We haven’t arrived where we need to be yet, but we’re getting there. By next year, I think we’ll have a lot more experience in managing certain games and picking up more points. That’s been the biggest lesson, the experience and mindset growth of the players. You can tell they’ll never say die. We’ve shown that in the last few weeks.”
With one eye on the Cup Final, there’s a delicate balance to strike between maintaining momentum and managing fitness, but Hysa insists the focus remains on performing well and finishing strong.
“I’d say it’s a bit of both, managing the players, managing minutes, and resting those who need it, but also fielding a team that gives us the best chance of a win. We’ve assessed the players during training this week, and we know what we have to do in terms of selection.”
Bohemians will be eager to cap off a landmark season with another positive result at Greenogue Park before turning full attention to the biggest game in the club’s women’s history next weekend.
Kick off at Greenogue Park is at 4:30pm on Saturday. Supporters are encouraged to make the trip and get behind the team one last time before the FAI Cup Final.
Team News
Shauna Carroll (foot) and Aoibhe Fleming (foot) remain out.