ALAN REYNOLDS SAID there was “plenty of soul-searching” among his staff and the Bohemians players after narrowly avoiding one of the biggest FAI Cup shocks in recent history against Kerry FC last weekend. Some fans would argue there wouldn’t be enough time on the trip back to Dublin from Tralee to make that a worthwhile exercise. A 4-2 penalty shootout win over the First Division club meant that journey was a grim one.
“The frustration of the supporters is shared by the players and staff, and the reality is the only positive we can take out of the game is the fact that we are in the next round,” Reynolds said in a press release ahead of tonight’s Dublin derby with Shelbourne. “The result and performance, particularly after doing so well and digging so deep to beat [Shamrock] Rovers in the previous round to get there in the first place, was nowhere near good enough and I can assure you that there is nobody shying away from that. “For me, the important thing for us now as a group and as a club now is how we react.
We have to react well and we have to react fast. As a club, we have to stick together and dig deep to get the right performances and results that will move us back up the table.” There will be Bohs fans wincing at every bit of those last three paragraphs.
That’s because the last three months have been dire, with little in the way of progress on the pitch despite the exciting return of Dawson Devoy and Ross Tierney. And yet. Bohs have done so much g.