Bohemian
FC v Derry City FC, Dalymount Park, League of Ireland Premier Division Round
28, Friday 25Th August 2023, kick-off 7.45pm
Derry City
will be eager to put a disappointing week behind them and focus on their title
charge when they face Bohemians on Friday. Two penalty shootout defeats in the space
of four days saw the Candystripes eliminated from both the Europa Conference
League and the FAI Cup. Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men now fight on just one front, for
the League of Ireland Premier Division title, and have only ten games remaining to
overturn a five point deficit to the top.
Despite
keeping clean sheets against both Tobol Kostanay in the third qualifying round
of the UECL, and St. Pat’s in the second round of the FAI Cup, Derry City find
themselves out of both competitions following two cruel penalty shootout
defeats. After playing 240 minutes of football in their last two fixtures,
Higgins’ men travel to north Dublin on Friday to face a Bohemians side who sit level
on points with City, behind only on goal difference.
Bohs are
unbeaten in seven games, since a 3-1 defeat against Sligo Rovers in late June,
and find themselves in the fight for the league title. Manager Declan Devine,
former Derry City manager and player, joined the club prior to the end of the
2022 season and was tasked with a rebuild after a sixth placed finish last term.
The Dublin side began the 2023 campaign positively too, winning seven of their
first ten games, leaving them top of the table until round fourteen in early
May.
When Derry face Bohs, there is often
little to separate the sides. In the last ten meetings between the teams, there
have been five draws, four Derry wins and just one win for Bohemians. That sole
win for the Dubliners came earlier this season, when a second-half Dean
Williams penalty in the Brandywell took the three points back down to
Phibsborough. In fact, the Candystripes haven’t lost in Dalymount since September
2020, when Keith Ward and Andre Wright both scored in second half stoppage time
to ensure a 2-1 Bohs win. Friday’s meeting will be the last of the four in the
2023 season. Last time out, a 0-0 draw was contested in Derry, whilst a Ryan
Graydon goal separated the sides in Dalymount four weeks prior. Both teams have
won three of their last five league games and, with five points separating
first and fourth, a win is vital to both side’s title push.
There have
been some memorable encounters between the two in recent times. Derry played
some of their best football this season in the first half in Dalymount in May,
dominating a ten-man Bohs side before defending some resilient pressure from
the home side in the second half. Derry’s 3-2 win in Dublin in July 2022, which
included a Dawson Devoy wondergoal for the hosts, sticks out as another noteworthy
encounter. Earlier that season, James Akintunde scored a 93rd minute
winner for City to sink his current employer. The English forward started Bohemians’
most recent game, a 6-0 win over Rockmount in the FAI Cup.
A 3-3 draw
late in the 2021 season was a classic Bohs-Derry fixture. Liam Burt opened the
scoring after just 7 minutes for the home side. Just after the hour mark, Jamie
McGonigle levelled the tie with a wonderful curling strike into the top corner.
Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, a former fans favourite at the Brandywell and previous
Bohemians player, put City ahead on the 76th minute. Georgie Kelly,
who came through the youth ranks at Derry, levelled the tie once again five
minutes later. Derry thought they’d won it after James Akintunde scored a late
goal in the 91st minute, but a 96th minute Ciaran Kelly
equaliser ensured the points were shared. City finished fourth that season, just two
points above Bohemians, and qualified for European football after Bohs lost in
the 2021 FAI Cup final.
Ruaidhrí
Higgins will have to rejuvenate his side after such a tough week both
physically and mentally. Two penalty defeats and 240 minutes played across two
fixtures will take its toll on the players, but the close and competitive
nature of the current title race will serve as motivation to finish the season
strongly for players and staff alike. After coming off injured against Tobol in
Tallaght, Will Patching was replaced again in extra-time against St. Pat’s.
Cameron Dummigan was in immediate discomfort after awkwardly twisting his hip
in a tackle in normal time and was replaced by Danny Mullen. Shane McEleney,
who was carrying a niggle following the game against Drogheda, was replaced by
Mark Connolly on the hour mark. These knocks will hopefully not be serious, as Ruaidhrí Higgins needs as deep a squad as possible coming into the final stages of the
season.
Bohemians
seem to have as strong a squad as possible coming into the tie against Derry. They’ll
be hoping to continue their excellent form and take third place from the
Candystripes. St. Pat’s, who sit one point clear in second place, will likely
defeat UCD at the weekend and will expect to hold onto their current standing no
matter the result in Dalymount. Declan Devine hasn’t deviated from his preferred
4-2-3-1 formation this season and tends to have favourites when it comes to his
main starting eleven. Just thirteen players have made over twenty or more league
appearances this season for Bohemians (one of which being Grant Horton who has
returned to Cheltenham following the expiration of his loan).
Bohs’ goalkeeper James Talbot has
started all 27 of their league games this season, keeping an impressive ten
clean sheets but conceding an average of more than a goal per game. Polish
defender Kacper Radkowski, on loan from Slask Wroclaw, is the only other player
in the Bohemian squad to start every league game. The midfield trio of captain
Adam McDonnell, eighteen year old James McManus, and James Clarke, has been the go-to recently. Bohs are strong in this position on the bench too, with the
experienced heads of Jordan Flores and Keith Buckley both making over twenty
appearances this term. McManus was the subject of bids believed to be around €250k from unnamed English clubs during the summer after
impressing for the Dublin side, despite juggling League of Ireland football
with completing his Leaving Cert.
Jonathan Afolabi, formerly of Celtic,
is in superb form lately. He has netted in eight of his last seven league appearances
and has scored in both of his sides’ FAI Cup games this season. The 23 year old
will have been highlighted as one of Bohs’ main threats. Declan McDaid and Kris
Twardek have made more substitute appearances than starts this season but offer
quality in the wide areas when featuring. They have seven assists between them
this term. The return of former star player Danny Grant from Huddersfield Town,
who was close to a move to St. Pat’s, has further boosted the
Bohemians front-line. He has made two assists in just three appearances since
returning to Dalymount. Alistair Coote has ten goal involvements in 21 games,
whilst former City striker James Akintunde has one goal and one assist in
fourteen since leaving the Brandywell.
Whether it’s high scoring or not,
Derry’s trips to Dalymount are entertaining affairs. The Derry faithful often
travel in numbers to Bohemians away, and with over 3100 making the journey to
Tallaght last week, many will make their way down to Dublin again on Friday.
The home support in Dalymount is one of the best in Ireland in terms of
creating an atmosphere and throwing the title race into the mix will add that
little extra fire to the tie. Derry have kept three clean sheets in their last
three – in playing time that is – but with Afolabi’s tendency to find the net
recently, Brian Maher and his defence will be made to work if they’re too make
it four in a row. Champions Shamrock Rovers also face Dundalk on Friday,
looking to extend their lead at the top. A Dundalk win would do Derry, Pats,
and Bohemians a favour in terms of keeping Rovers close. It would, however, put
Dundalk on 46 points which is Derry and Bohs’ current tally. A win for both City
and Dundalk on Friday would see the Candystripes come within two points of Rovers
in top spot, with a game in hand against in UCD coming in September. Derry
could really do with that win to keep the title dream alive.
Pól O’Hare – 23rd August 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment