SETANTA CUP: Glentoran 1 Bohemians 2: AFTER SEEING his Bohemians team fight back from a goal down to claim their maiden Setanta Sports Cup victory at The Oval on Saturday evening, Pat Fenlon hit out at the competition's structure.
The Bohemians’ boss is finding it difficult to motivate his double winners as while the opening rounds of the North/South tournament take place in the 2009 League of Ireland season, the remainder are in 2010.
And given the Phibsboro club’s financial state, he and his players are unsure of who will be around to welcome Glentoran back to Dalymount next season.
“It’s very difficult because you are saying you have three or six points and then the season is over. What do you do?” he said.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of the season in our league with all the stuff that’s going on. It’s a crazy situation for everyone to be in and it’s got to be looked at because I think it will ruin the competition.
“There is nothing in the games at the moment. There is no incentive for the players to get worked up about – like a final on the horizon or a semi-final. So that’s very difficult to motivate people.”
The hosts took the lead six minutes after the break through Andrew Waterworth. Jason McGuinness equalised 10 minutes later before finding Jason Byrne in the box and the striker poked home an 88th minute winner.
GLENTORAN: Morris; Nixon, Ward, Taylor, Hill; Gillespie (Fordyce 78), Clarke (Fitzgerald 65), McCabe, Neill (Gardiner 78); Waterworth, Halliday.
BOHEMIANS: B Murphy; Shelley, McGuinness, Oman, Powell; A Murphy, Cronin (Keegan 60), Ndo, Brennan; Fenn (Crowe 68), Madden (Byrne 60).
Referee: D Malcolm(Bangor)
