All over bar the shouting

If any doubts remained over which club would succeed Drogheda United as eircom Premier League champions for 2008 then Bohemians’ 3-0 drubbing of St Patrick’s Athletic at Dalymount Park last Monday night surely put them to bed. That win – courtesy of second half goals from Mark Rossiter, Glen Crowe and Jason Byrne – nudged Bohs an incredible 16 points clear of St Pat’s at the top of the league.

With virtually all his players now back from injury and available for selection, the only thing that would seem to be able to stop Pat Fenlon's side with just eight games remaining would appear to be complacency. Is Fenlon concerned that his players will take their eye off the ball in the final eight weeks of the season? “No, not at all. They have to keep performing at that level because if they want to still be here next year and they want to perform for us again it’s as simple as that,” he told extratime.ie following the game against St Pat’s.

In truth, Bohs have not received anywhere near the recognition they’ve deserved for their achievements so far this season. The football may not always have been free-flowing and they may have escaped with more than fair share of narrow victories, however, when one considers the statistics, Bohs’ record this season has been nothing short of phenomenal. The victory over St Pat’s on Monday evening extended their unbeaten run in the league to 23 games. It was also their ninth consecutive win and 18th clean sheet in the league this season. Indeed, in their 25 league games so far this season the opposition has breached the Bohs’ defence a mere eight times and no team has been able to do it more than once in the same game. If that kind of form isn’t worthy of high praise then it’s hard to imagine what is. No wonder the Bohemians fans have christened the class of 2008 'The Invincibles'.

The current scenario is one which looked unlikely at the beginning of the campaign. While Fenlon had previous in the league winning stakes, the general consensus was that it would take him a bit of time before he was able to mould Bohs into a side capable of winning the title. The squad he inherited was one with a smattering of top eircom League players - the likes of Owen Heary, Kevin Hunt and Glen Crowe - while Jason Byrne was brought back from England. That said, on paper the squad he had at his disposal was a compentent bunch but there were question marks on the heads of many as to whether they were capable of stepping up to the plate.

And that is exactly what many of them have been able to do. The likes of Rossiter, Stephen O'Donnell, and Liam Burns have batted away any doubts fans may have had about their ability to lead Bohs to silverware, while Neale Fenn has been nothing short of a revelation. Youngsters such as John Paul Kelly and Conor Powell have continued to progress and in goalkeeper Brian Murphy they have arguably the best player in the league.

Of course, there are those who will say that nothing has been won yet. And while those people are obviously factually correct, Bohs are now within touching distance of their tenth league title. Following the game with Pat’s, there was a notable difference in the way Gypsies manager Pat Fenlon fielded questions about the title race being over.

Understandably he stopped short of proclaiming his side champions, but his counterpart on the night, Johnny McDonnell was more forthcoming. “The league is gone now and we’ve got to think about second spot and make sure we secure that,” he said.

And so it would seem. Pat’s may have a game in hand over Bohs but the cold hard fact is that Pat Fenlon’s men require just twelve more points from their remaining eight fixtures to guarantee themselves their first title since the 2002/03 season. Four of those games are at home, while four will see them take on sides who currently sit in the bottom five.

Next up for Bohs in the league is Finn Harps at Dalymount Park on Friday 19th of September, followed by trips to face Shamrock Rovers at Tolka Park on the 26th and Bray Wanderers on October 3rd. Win those three and Bohs will then travel north to take on Drogheda United on October 10th knowing that three points will see them crowned champions.

All that of course assumes that St Pat’s will win all their games between now and then. With them still involved in the Uefa Cup and facing a glamorous double header with German outfit Hertha Berlin over the coming weeks, Bohs may find themselves being handed their league winners medals long before they head up the M1 to United Park.