Fenlon left dejected by Dublin derby defeat
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Bohemians manager Pat Fenlon admitted his side were beaten by the better side on the night as St Patrick’s Athletic came out on top in the first Dublin derby of the season.
Keith Fahey secured all three points for the Saints with a spectacular long range shot early in the first half.
A dejected Fenlon said after the game: “We didn’t work hard enough tonight and they showed that bit more hunger and desire to win the match. For the goal it was a good strike, but Murph will be disappointed because he’s a top class goalkeeper. He saved Bohs enough times last season though and he was good last week for us as well. It’s just one of these things. You have to take your hat off to him [Fahey] and move on. It’s a good goal and there’s not a lot we can do about it now.”
Fenlon said he will wait until he sees television footage before he decides whether to take action against Killian Brennan after the winger was red-carded for an alleged head-butt in the closing stages of the game. “I didn’t see the sending off because I’d followed the ball so I’ll have to wait and see it on the TV. Someone has suggested that there was a head butt or a punch, but I’ll wait and see it and I’ll deal with it then,” he said.
With a one match ban already hanging over him from last season, Brennan now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines leaving the Bohs boss with something of a selection headache.
Fenlon said: “We’re fairly tight and with four out injured today and Killian gone next week as well, that’s probably him going to be banned now for four or five weeks, but we’ll just have to get with it.”
Brennan was just one of three players sent off in a frenetic closing ten minutes, with Pat’s Dessie Byrne and Barry Ryan also seeing red. “The first sending off with Dessie – the referee lets it go in the first half with players kicking the ball away and then he changes it in the second half. That’s what frustrates you,” Fenlon added.
On bright spot on an otherwise bleak night for Bohs was that recent signing Jason Byrne managed 30 minutes as he steps up his recovery from a hamstring injury. Fenlon is confident that once Byrne is back fit, the goals will start to flow. “He’s not totally match fit yet but we may need to use him pretty soon and he’s worked hard to get himself into decent knick. He’s champing at the bit to play and he’s disappointed he wasn’t starting tonight but he might get a chance shortly. I think we’ll score plenty of goals. We’ve got enough players in the team to create chances and score goals and I think that will come. I’m not too concerned about that,” Fenlon said.
