John Fallon: No quarter given by surprise package Bohs at end of first series
TOUGH AT THE TOP: Paddy Kirk of Bohemians celebrates after his side's victory in the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Derry City and Bohemians at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Eight weeks and nine sets of fixtures in, all the League of Ireland protagonists have sized each other up and it makes for a fascinating review at the quarter-way stage.
Crowds are up, as is the buzz, but the anticipated duopoly of Shamrock Rovers and Derry City has yet to spark.
Instead, a disruptor has immersed themselves into the title race and it's not the one seasoned observers tipped to upset the hierarchy.
St Patrick's Athletic have finally come good, winning three on the bounce, yet just one victory in his opening six attracted spotlight on Tim Clancy's employment status.
No, the threat has materialised from the other side of Dublin, in the shape of Bohemians.
That's just one of the storylines produced from the first full series of meetings between the 10 teams.
Digest this stat for the paralysis draws cause. Bohemians lost two of their opening nine games in both 2022 and 2023, yet are 10 points better off this year and occupy the summit of the table.
Keith didn't recover from the slow start, crawling from those five draws to eventual sacking but his replacement Declan Devine in his first full season has still to experience a game ending deadlocked. Seven wins – the latest at Derry City on Monday – has them sitting pretty at the top by six points and downplaying their credentials will be given the short shrift it Warrants. Devine has cited his squad overhaul as reason for patience but the return of goalkeeper James Talbot after an injury-plagued year has proven his finest acquisition.
Backed to the hilt for another title – equalling the four-in-a-row feat of their 1980s predecessors – it took till their seventh outing for Shamrock Rovers to taste victory. The draw epidemic that plagued Bohs last year transferred across the city as six of them, coupled to defeat at home to Derry, had the sceptics rounding on Tallaght. No team has an entitlement to soar on reputation alone but having the quality does.
In that respect, Jack Byrne and Graham Burke over the past three games displaying the form that won them Ireland caps was integral to their Uptick. Dundalk and Bohs were dispatched with relative ease and they cruised past UCD on Monday to move within seven points of top. The monster has found its roar again.
New City owner Dermot Usher aiming for a top-half finish was admirable but aspirational in the context of operating a policy of one-year contracts and the thinness to their squad has been punished over an often Turbulent Opening Series. Bohs were first to inject realism on a bouncing opening night at Turner's Cross the promoted side but recovered to push both Shamrock and Sligo Rovers into late equalisers at their home Patches. Those draws against two of last year's top five only carried substance if they beat the teams around them budget-wise. Collecting just one point at home to Shelbourne and Drogheda United spelt trouble before St Pat's doled out a 4-0 beating last Friday. Their erratic formwork swung the other way by edging Dundalk on Monday but prevailing in the matches against teams of similar Standard will determine whether they rise from a relegation battle.
Nothing smacks of inconsistency than staying unbeaten in the opening seven and losing the record with two defeats in four days – both at Home. Support from billionaire owner Phil O'Doherty equipped Ruaidhrà Higgins with a squad capable of dethroning Shamrock Rovers and winning at Tallaght for the first time in six years two games into the campaign constituted a statement Result. A couple of draws at home to Dundalk and Sligo weren't cause for concern, especially when they won at Shelbourne, but the impediment of their artificial surface was again magnified by the latest defeats to Drogheda United and Bohemians. Losing central-defensive colossus Mark Connolly to a hamstring injury last month has stung and so too, over time, be the move of assistant boss Alan Reynolds back to Waterford for personal reasons.
Long-time funder Conor Hoey has been honest to confess that only external investment will facilitate an upgrade to join the rest of the division in full-time format but Kevin Doherty is doing a fine job in serrating the hypothesis. He's worked wonders in the face of a Shoestring Budget. An even split of three wins, defeats and losses from their nine matches puts them three clear of Cork City in the playoff spot and 10 ahead of basement side UCD. Left to Lincoln City helped procure a pair of loanees for another season in Freddie Draper and Elicha Ahui, with both contributing handsomely. Injuries and suspensions will ultimately test them but they've begun by distorting the natural order predicted.
For a player famed by his wing wizardry and dash, Damien Duff has ditched the stereotype by working off a Creed of pragmatism. There's nothing surprising in how Duff's team set-up – wing-backs complemented by a box Midfield and twin strikers. It was personified in the number he did on Cork City in the St Patrick's Day victory, maximising set-pieces and opposition lapses. That's all backboned by a defensive discipline and manifested by conceding the fewest goals. Just five have beaten Conor Kearns so far, a record that only Derry have matched. That's just one of the foundations Cork City will have to crack to make a splash on their top-flight return.
Bids to host the 2028 showpiece must be submitted today and a tilt by Ireland – coupled with the UK associations – has long been considered favourite once they aborted interest in staging the 2030 World Cup to facilitate a clear European run for Spain and Portugal.
Standing in their way of success when Uefa’s executive committee vote in October is the challenge of sole rivals Turkey, the bridesmaid of Tournament bids.
What gives the UK and Ireland quest the stronger chance is its economic superiority in terms of ticket and hospitality revenue and the need for Uefa to “restock its coffers” following the drain of Covid-19, according to England chief executive Mark Bullingham.
From the Irish side, Lansdowne Road, Croke Park and the unbuilt Casement Park were listed among the 14 stadia in the initial dossier submitted last year.
Although the GAA a fortnight ago approved the availability of their two stadia, the Belfast venue could drop off the list when the final 10 are revealed in today’s proposal.
Old Trafford and West Ham’s London Stadium have both been demoted to the standby list from the 14 after the English FA chose the Etihad and spanking-new White Hart Lane arenas as their Manchester and London venues. Wembley has been earmarked to host the final.
It’s understood that Uefa will grant places to two members of the joint-bid that fail to qualify on the field through the conventional system.
Vera Pauw last August punctured the euphoria in Ireland’s qualification watershed year by decrying what she perceived as a detrimental development for women’s football.
Her grievance centred on Uefa’s favouritism towards League A teams when it came to reaching the 2027 Euros, last week confirmed to be held in Switzerland. The link between this concept and tournament qualification is far more pronounced in the female version.
Provisional criteria for segregating the Nations League draws, which unlike Fifa’s ranking discounts friendly results, posits Ireland into League B.
“The group winner from the second tier, after playing two years on the lower level, needs to play the second team from the top tier (League A),” explained Pauw.
“It means the chance of qualifying will be minimised instead of being open to the Second Tier. The top teams will go away from the rest and stop the game’s development.”
Ireland dislodged higher seeds Finland in their group to clinch a World Cup playoff against Scotland but, to end their Euros wait, the likelihood is two playoffs will have to be hurdled. Thankfully, Ireland relish uphill tasks.
