Bohemians' supporters before the game. Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
brave new world
Bohemians' leadership on and off the pitch secure derby win and epochal occasion
A unique day in Irish football delivered a narrow, 1-0 win for Bohs against Shamrock Rovers.
4.13pm, 16 Feb 2025
Gavin Cooney
reports from the Aviva Stadium
ANOTHER DISPATCH THEN, from the Brave New World.
“Shamrock Rovers, it’s happening again”, sang the gleeful Bohs fans at the end, but truly, this had never happened before: a record, 33,208-person crowd for a League of Ireland game.
The season ends at the Aviva with the FAI Cup and the showpiece occasion, so think of this as the showcase event.
The driving force behind this occasion was Bohs’ chief operating officer Daniel Lambert, who started the day looking for the lesser-spotted Bohs/Bafta double: he’s also the manager of Kneecap.
What Kneecap have done for the Irish language, Bohs, Rovers and the rest of the clubs have done for the League of Ireland: they have recovered one of Official Ireland’s cast-offs and injected it with originality and ambition, without ever seeking to sand off any edges.
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Both have effectively been democratised: the Irish language need not be restricted to classrooms and the civil service, while the League of Ireland has shown its value to the Floating Voter and offered a flipping plastic seat to The Barstooler.
There had never been as many seats on offer as today, however, and it will be remembered as another day in which Irish football was bold and brave enough to stand up for its own potential.
The day was also, of course, a test event for Bohemians’ potential, as they ready themselves for a couple of rambling years as Dalymount is being redeveloped.
Rovers’ fans were corralled into the Havelock Square end and were naturally not in the mood to see the occasion through the lens of What’s Best For The League, unfurling a banner that won’t win marks for brevity:
Bohemian FC: Selling out their traditions and values
Ripping off their own supporters
All for a ‘home’ derby on the Southside
The Bohs fans’ Tifo similarly evoked the “red and black army rolling in from the north.”
The greater part of their fascination was naturally with new striker Lys Mousset, who has landed in Dublin in the rehabilitative phase of a career that featured a £10 million move to Premier League Sheffield United less than six years ago.
This was hardly a case of the Moose on the loose, but one in which the Moose made a very limited and specific set of movements. Clearly struggling for match fitness, Mousset lasted 55 minutes before he was withdrawn for Colm Whelan.
Mousset and Roberto Lopes. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
He did show his quality on the few occasions he got on the ball, dropping for for a snap one-two with Connor Parsons in the move that forced Bohs’ opening goal. Parsons, signed in the off-season, skated by Roberto Lopes in a manner rarely seen, and though his shot was deflected onto the post by Ed McGinty, Ross Tierney was in the right place to slam home.
Their Thursday night exertions may have left Rovers in a torpor, for Bohs largely dominated the first half from the moment they went in front. Alan Reynolds’ set-up was smart: Bohs shifted to a back three in possession, with right-back Liam Smth tucking into midfield. This allowed Dawson Devoy drift into space closer to the left touchline, from where he could dictate play.
Though the day was primarily about enumerating the value of this rivalry, Stephen Bradley will be left counting its cost. Adam Matthews limped gingerly off after colliding with McGinty for the opening goal, while Gary O’Neill and Danny Mandroiu were both substituted after receiving medical attention. With Dylan Watts and Dan Cleary already out of Thursday’s return leg against Molde, Rovers’ aggregate advantage is looking less convincing as it did this morning.
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Danny Grant was roundly booed by his former side as he jogged on, Rovers’ socks pulled up and covering the tattoo of Dalymount Park on his leg. Grant’s powerful running punched holes in Bohs’ midfield, however, and truly, Rovers should have found an equaliser. Teenagers Victor Ozhianvuna and Michael Noonan were both somehow denied inside the six-yard box, while Aaron McEneff was inches from connecting with a cross ahead of James Talbot.
Bohs completely renounced attacking in the endgame, but they clung on, with Bohs fans keeping one of their loudest cheers for the return of captain Keith Buckley from injury.
Bohs have prioritised leadership this season: along with the return of their own captain, they have signed the captains of Sligo Rovers and Dundalk: both Niall Morahan and John Mountney were crucial to Bohs’ steely endgame.
It’s fitting that Bohs’ leadership on the pitch delivered a result, as their off-field leadership secured an epochal occasion.
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Bohemians' leadership on and off the pitch secure derby win and epochal occasion
ANOTHER DISPATCH THEN, from the Brave New World.
“Shamrock Rovers, it’s happening again”, sang the gleeful Bohs fans at the end, but truly, this had never happened before: a record, 33,208-person crowd for a League of Ireland game.
The season ends at the Aviva with the FAI Cup and the showpiece occasion, so think of this as the showcase event.
The driving force behind this occasion was Bohs’ chief operating officer Daniel Lambert, who started the day looking for the lesser-spotted Bohs/Bafta double: he’s also the manager of Kneecap.
What Kneecap have done for the Irish language, Bohs, Rovers and the rest of the clubs have done for the League of Ireland: they have recovered one of Official Ireland’s cast-offs and injected it with originality and ambition, without ever seeking to sand off any edges.
Both have effectively been democratised: the Irish language need not be restricted to classrooms and the civil service, while the League of Ireland has shown its value to the Floating Voter and offered a flipping plastic seat to The Barstooler.
There had never been as many seats on offer as today, however, and it will be remembered as another day in which Irish football was bold and brave enough to stand up for its own potential.
The day was also, of course, a test event for Bohemians’ potential, as they ready themselves for a couple of rambling years as Dalymount is being redeveloped.
Rovers’ fans were corralled into the Havelock Square end and were naturally not in the mood to see the occasion through the lens of What’s Best For The League, unfurling a banner that won’t win marks for brevity:
Bohemian FC: Selling out their traditions and values
Ripping off their own supporters
All for a ‘home’ derby on the Southside
The Bohs fans’ Tifo similarly evoked the “red and black army rolling in from the north.”
The greater part of their fascination was naturally with new striker Lys Mousset, who has landed in Dublin in the rehabilitative phase of a career that featured a £10 million move to Premier League Sheffield United less than six years ago.
This was hardly a case of the Moose on the loose, but one in which the Moose made a very limited and specific set of movements. Clearly struggling for match fitness, Mousset lasted 55 minutes before he was withdrawn for Colm Whelan.
He did show his quality on the few occasions he got on the ball, dropping for for a snap one-two with Connor Parsons in the move that forced Bohs’ opening goal. Parsons, signed in the off-season, skated by Roberto Lopes in a manner rarely seen, and though his shot was deflected onto the post by Ed McGinty, Ross Tierney was in the right place to slam home.
Their Thursday night exertions may have left Rovers in a torpor, for Bohs largely dominated the first half from the moment they went in front. Alan Reynolds’ set-up was smart: Bohs shifted to a back three in possession, with right-back Liam Smth tucking into midfield. This allowed Dawson Devoy drift into space closer to the left touchline, from where he could dictate play.
Though the day was primarily about enumerating the value of this rivalry, Stephen Bradley will be left counting its cost. Adam Matthews limped gingerly off after colliding with McGinty for the opening goal, while Gary O’Neill and Danny Mandroiu were both substituted after receiving medical attention. With Dylan Watts and Dan Cleary already out of Thursday’s return leg against Molde, Rovers’ aggregate advantage is looking less convincing as it did this morning.
Danny Grant was roundly booed by his former side as he jogged on, Rovers’ socks pulled up and covering the tattoo of Dalymount Park on his leg. Grant’s powerful running punched holes in Bohs’ midfield, however, and truly, Rovers should have found an equaliser. Teenagers Victor Ozhianvuna and Michael Noonan were both somehow denied inside the six-yard box, while Aaron McEneff was inches from connecting with a cross ahead of James Talbot.
Bohs completely renounced attacking in the endgame, but they clung on, with Bohs fans keeping one of their loudest cheers for the return of captain Keith Buckley from injury.
Bohs have prioritised leadership this season: along with the return of their own captain, they have signed the captains of Sligo Rovers and Dundalk: both Niall Morahan and John Mountney were crucial to Bohs’ steely endgame.
It’s fitting that Bohs’ leadership on the pitch delivered a result, as their off-field leadership secured an epochal occasion.
Bohemians brave new world League of Ireland LOI Shamrock Rovers