Bohemians head into one of the standout fixtures of the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division season this weekend as they travel across the city to face Shamrock Rovers in a Dublin Derby at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday evening (kick off 5pm), writes GARY O’CONNOR.
It promises to be a fascinating encounter with both sides battling for league position and pride, as well as the added spice that always accompanies a derby. For Alban Hysa’s team, confidence is high after a superb 3-1 win away to Wexford in Ferrycarrig Park on Tuesday, a victory that made it three wins in a row and lifted Bohs above Rovers in the table.
That result moved the Gypsies into sixth place on 29 points, two clear of Saturday’s opponents. With four games remaining in the league and an FAI Cup final to come in Tallaght in just a few weeks’ time, there is still plenty at stake as the season heads towards its climax.
Tuesday’s win in Wexford highlighted both the quality and resilience within this Bohs squad. Hannah O’Brien opened the scoring inside the first 15 minutes with a sharp finish, but Ellen Molloy levelled from the penalty spot just before the interval. Rather than allowing their heads to drop, Bohs came out strong in the second half. Leiagh Glennon struck just after the hour to restore the lead, before Katie Malone wrapped things up with 10 minutes remaining.
Reflecting on the performance, Hysa said: “Great, amazing. A good performance although we gave away a sloppy goal but saying that we nullified Wexford, they didn’t have many chances, Rachael didn’t have much to do to be honest. It was another professional performance by the team. We are delighted to come away with the three points.”
That reaction typified the shift in mentality within the group, something Hysa has worked hard to build this season. He was pleased with how his players handled the setback of conceding and then found another level.
He said: “Yeah we came out in the second half with the thought that the game was there for the taking and that the team were playing well, and not to let the game pass us by. We were the better team on the night and we had chances in the first half that we didn’t take and even in the second half their keeper made a good few saves. So I thought we had a proper go. We made changes at the right moments, as soon as we did we got the second and then we made the last change and got the third. We were spot on with what we did on the night.”
Attention now turns to Tallaght and a derby clash that is sure to capture plenty of interest. Rovers may have lost their last three games, but they remain a dangerous opponent packed with talent and experience now led by former Republic of Ireland international Stephanie Zambra. For Bohs, the motivation is clear, extend their winning run, stay above their rivals, and keep building momentum.
Hysa knows the task ahead but believes his squad are ready.
“It will be a stern test, we are two points ahead of Rovers in the league at the moment, so we will go into this game full of confidence. We are in very good shape, most of the players are back from injuries so we have got almost a full squad to choose from, it’s great to see all the players back and to have competition for places. We have three wins in a row so hopefully by Saturday night we will have our fourth. We are going to Tallaght with the mentality of winning the game. We want to go and push as high up the table as we can.”
The Bohs manager has repeatedly spoken about the maturity of his young side and he sees fixtures like this as key to their development.
“They are massive, because every game poses a different challenge, a different set of opposition and players so obviously we have to adapt week on week in relation to playing different teams. We have played a lot of big games this season and are always up for these big games as we have seen with Shels and Athlone. Rovers is another huge game and I have no doubt we will turn up for that game. It’s a big game, it’s a Dublin derby and they are very important in terms of our progression.”
Another major positive for Hysa has been the spread of goals across the team. While defenders chipped in early in the season, the frontline are now taking centre stage as shown by the goals from O’Brien, Glennon, and Malone against Wexford. Alannah McEvoy has also been in excellent form recently.
“It is great to see all the attackers scoring more because in the beginning of the season we had all the defenders scoring from corners. We have had 14 different scorers this season so we have everybody chipping in up until this point in the season, so while it’s great to have everyone contributing and making sure we score goals it’s great to see the attackers getting on the scoresheet to bring their confidence up for the last few games of the season.”
Derbies are always unpredictable, and while form and league tables provide the backdrop, what matters most is who rises to the occasion on the day. With bragging rights, momentum, and sixth place on the line, Saturday’s clash promises to be another fiercely contested chapter in this growing rivalry.
Team News
Shauna Carroll (foot) and Aoibhe Fleming (foot) remain out.