FAI CUP SEMI-FINAL Bohemians v Sligo Rovers:THEIR EXCELLENT current form, which has seen them edge to the top of the Premier Division table, has Bohemians in cup final mode, according to manager Pat Fenlon, as he prepares his side for tonight's first semi-final with Sligo Rovers at Dalymount Park.
“Every match we’ve played in the last three or four weeks has been like a cup final,” said Fenlon. “So, we’re in that mode, which is a good thing. But there’s a big prize at the end of it.”
Unbeaten in 12 games in league and cup stretching back two months, Bohemians will also be out to avenge being knocked out as holders by Sligo in the quarter-finals last year. But having gone on to lose to Sporting Fingal in the 2009 final, Sligo have their own agenda.
“They lost the final last year and they’d like to get back and rectify that, I’m sure,” agreed Fenlon. “But we’d love to get there as well. Having the final in the Aviva has given it added spice.”
Despite a buffeting in recent games which twice warranted his substitution, striker Jason Byrne has been passed fit to start. Captain Owen Heary is suspended, though he’s out with a hamstring strain anyway. Fellow defender Jason McGuinness is also out with a similar complaint while Steven Gray and Anthony Murphy are recovering from Achilles operations.
Save for long-term casualties, Richard Brush and Mauro Almeida, Sligo hope to be at full strength as midfielders Romuald Boco and John Russell return from international duty and suspension respectively.
Meanwhile, former Bohemians striker Gary O’Neill wants Sporting Fingal to build on their rousing win at Shamrock Rovers last Saturday and maintain their push for Europa League qualification by beating Galway United at Morton Stadium in the league tonight. “Victory at Rovers sets us up nicely for these three last games,” said O’Neill. “Qualifying for Europe in back-to-back seasons would be a great achievement for the club.
Suspension deprives Sporting of their captain and playmaker Shaun Williams while central defender Shaun Maher (hamstring) is the chief injury concern for manager Liam Buckley. Striker Eamon Zayed returns from international duty with Libya.
Anything other than a win for Galway, who’ve conceded 16 goals in losing four of their last five games, will see them resigned to the relegation play-off, even then they would need UCD to slip up at home to Dundalk to gain a reprieve for a week at least.
Goalkeeper and captain Barry Ryan is suspended while midfielders Stephen O’Donnell, whose had minor surgery on a leg injury, and Ciarán Foley (ankle) are also unavailable.
“It’s not just the (six) points that have pleased me,” said UCD manager Martin Russell of what he described as UCD’s best fortnight of the season following wins over Shamrock Rovers and at Galway last week. “It’s the performances that won them. With three games to go there is still work to be done, but we are conditioned to look up not down,” added Russell whose only injury absentee is his son, left-back Sean.
“When we went there in May we were on a bit of a roll at the time and they turned us over well and good,” said a guarded Dundalk captain Liam Burns of a 3-1 defeat to UCD on their most recent visit.
“We were very disappointing. We probably have a brand new team now if you look at the players who were playing then and now. We’ve just got to go there and take our performance, our energy levels and enthusiasm out of the Sligo game, maybe cut out the odd mistake and hopefully get a good result.”
Left-back Wayne Hatswell is suspended, though midfielder Stephen McDonnell has returned unscathed from Bulgaria where he appeared in all three games for Paul Doolin’s Ireland under-19s as they made the Elite Phase of the Uefa championship qualifiers.
