Jason Byrne returns to Bohs

Owen Heary has kick-started 2014 for Bohemians with the signing of former team-mate Jason Byrne from Bray Wanderers.

This will be the third time that the duo will be together after they played at Shelbourne and Bohemians under Pat Fenlon. They scooped up prizes at both clubs and won three league titles at Shelbourne before going on to land another two league titles, an FAI Cup, an EA Sports Cup and a Setanta Cup at Bohemians. During his Shelbourne years, Byrne was the top goal-scorer in the league for four consecutive seasons, breaking numerous records, and now he’s gunning for the big one.

Jason is aiming to overtake Brendan Bradley’s goalscoring record of 235 league goals, and, being only 30 goals behind, it is something that Owen Heary thinks he has a very good chance of doing. “I would love him to do it at Bohs. That was the real motivating factor in him coming back”, Heary told bohemians.com. ”I know he’s a legend at Bray too but I think he would really love to do it at a club like Bohs having had so much success here before. It’s something that is really in his sights now and I really believe he can do it in the next two years.”

Jason notched up 17 goals last year for Bray Wanderers, 13 of which came in the league, as they beat Longford Town in the play-offs to stay in the Premier Division. Owen Heary is hoping his killer instinct will help the club forward with the Bohs manager saying “As long as he’s given good service, he will score. Give Jason two or three chances in a game and he’ll find the net. You don’t lose that instinct. The younger lads will gain so much from him too. His movement, positioning, technique – the lads will be watching and learning from him every day in training.”

The Bohemians fans already know what to expect of Jason Byrne after he built up a good rapport with the fans during his time at Dalymount from 2008 to 2010, scoring 41 goals in close to a hundred appearances for the club.  “The crowd quickly grew to like and love him and it was there for all to see in his last game for us that there was a genuine affection between him and the supporters built up during his time here,” Heary said before adding, “Bohs is close to his heart, he’s delighted to be back and can’t wait to play in front of those fans again. If they get behind him and encourage him like they did before, he can be a real asset to us this season.”

While the signing of Jason Byrne is great news for Bohemians, it is another worrying sign for Bray Wanderers as they lose yet another key player for the 2014 season. Byrne follows Kieran Marty Waters (Shamrock Rovers), John Mulroy (Athlone Town) and Kevin Maher (Whitehawk FC in England) in leaving the club while speculation mounts on whether other players will remain at the club.