Champions back on top
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Pat Fenlon was a happy man at the full-time whistle on Friday night as his Bohemians team returned to the top of the table with a 1-0 victory over nearest challengers, Cork City.
“It was a good win and I was pleased with the performance,” said Fenlon. “I thought we played well enough in the game to create a couple of chances in the second half and we missed a few and at one stage I didn’t think we’d score but Jason stepped up and it was another good finish from him.
Bohs’ lined-up in a 4-5-1 formation and it worked well, forcing Cork into playing a similar setup rather than their usual 4-3-3. “Our shape was good tonight; we changed it around a little bit. We done a bit of work on it during the week and they adapted to it very well. We had been looking at it for a while to see if we could play it because we’ve got so many good midfielders who want to be on the ball.”
Cork had won nine of their last ten in the league prior to the game and the Bohs’ boss was clearly delighted with the result. “It’s a very difficult place to come and they’re on a very good run of performances and wins. They were obviously going into the game knowing a win would put them six points ahead. I probably would have settled for a point before but it’s great to have three.
“It’s a good win but nothing more than that. The last few weeks have been difficult for us and we suffered a bad defeat in Tallaght in the big local derby. To lose the way we did knocked the stuffing out of the players a fair bit. I think we responded well, last week we got a luck break against Drogheda but tonight we were back to our best,” Fenlon added.
The champions had been on a poor run of form going into the game, particularly on the road, losing as already mentioned to Shamrock Rovers as well as Derry City. Fenlon now hopes that they can get back to their usual form, saying: “I’d be hoping it is but there were signs tonight that we’re back to our best. We defended really well and got numbers behind the ball and worked really hard. The pitch wasn’t great in fairness but I thought we played decent enough. We were under pressure for probably the last ten or twenty minutes with a lot of balls going into our box.
Bohs face Galway tomorrow night and Fenlon will have to plan again without some of his key players. “I’m not sure but we definitely won’t have Glen (Crowe) or Mark Rossiter, and Owen (Heary) is still a bit sore so we won’t risk him. We’ve got some good young players as well.” Also, he was eager to single out Gary Deegan for his performance against Cork, adding: “He hasn’t trained much but I thought he immense.”
“It was a good win and I was pleased with the performance,” said Fenlon. “I thought we played well enough in the game to create a couple of chances in the second half and we missed a few and at one stage I didn’t think we’d score but Jason stepped up and it was another good finish from him.
Bohs’ lined-up in a 4-5-1 formation and it worked well, forcing Cork into playing a similar setup rather than their usual 4-3-3. “Our shape was good tonight; we changed it around a little bit. We done a bit of work on it during the week and they adapted to it very well. We had been looking at it for a while to see if we could play it because we’ve got so many good midfielders who want to be on the ball.”
Cork had won nine of their last ten in the league prior to the game and the Bohs’ boss was clearly delighted with the result. “It’s a very difficult place to come and they’re on a very good run of performances and wins. They were obviously going into the game knowing a win would put them six points ahead. I probably would have settled for a point before but it’s great to have three.
“It’s a good win but nothing more than that. The last few weeks have been difficult for us and we suffered a bad defeat in Tallaght in the big local derby. To lose the way we did knocked the stuffing out of the players a fair bit. I think we responded well, last week we got a luck break against Drogheda but tonight we were back to our best,” Fenlon added.
The champions had been on a poor run of form going into the game, particularly on the road, losing as already mentioned to Shamrock Rovers as well as Derry City. Fenlon now hopes that they can get back to their usual form, saying: “I’d be hoping it is but there were signs tonight that we’re back to our best. We defended really well and got numbers behind the ball and worked really hard. The pitch wasn’t great in fairness but I thought we played decent enough. We were under pressure for probably the last ten or twenty minutes with a lot of balls going into our box.
Bohs face Galway tomorrow night and Fenlon will have to plan again without some of his key players. “I’m not sure but we definitely won’t have Glen (Crowe) or Mark Rossiter, and Owen (Heary) is still a bit sore so we won’t risk him. We’ve got some good young players as well.” Also, he was eager to single out Gary Deegan for his performance against Cork, adding: “He hasn’t trained much but I thought he immense.”
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile