Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Bohemians -v- St. Patrick's Athletic
- Jody Moylan
- Mon, Oct 19 2009
When this stage of the season rolls around rare it is to find a game without its own weight of importance. With four games remaining for both Bohemians and St. Patrick's Athletic in this years’ League of Ireland Premier Division, it will most definitely be a case of everything to play for and everything to lose for both sides at Dalymount Park on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.45pm).
There will be relief for many of the protagonists in the league that the 2009 season and year of living dangerously is finally drawing to its’ end. Victory in Phibsboro for either side could well be one of the major footnotes when the season is discussed and finally defined on the 6th of November.
Bohemians are still in the running for a second ‘double’ in successive years. While the marriage of the EA Sports Cup to the League title may not be quite as romantic as when the League and FAI Cup paired off under the Jody Stand last year, the search for silverware this season is no bad joke, rather a means for survival.
The board at Bohemians might well be thanking the Gods that they have, in Pat Fenlon, a man who has seen it all including winning four league titles as a manager. For the neutral it would appear that the choppiest of waters have been navigated for the Gypsies this season. They go into the latter stages with all remaining fixtures against opponents in the lower half of the league table; St. Patrick’s Athletic (home), Galway United (away), Sligo Rovers (home) and Bray Wanderers (away).
Impressive wins against Drogheda and the more recent 2-0 victory over Cork City at Turners’ Cross shows a tenacity and desire to power to the finish line above and beyond all others. Pat Fenlon, however, is not taking the St. Pat's challenge lightly, citing his sides loss at Richmond Park earlier in the season as a reason to be cautious.
“St. Pat’s represent a formidable challenge. With the players they have they should be a much better position in the league. They beat us 3-1, and not many sides have done that,” stated the Bohs boss.
Pat's come into this one off the back of a 2-0 win over Bray Wanderers last Friday but their form has been wayward. What may be likened to a ‘rebuilding’ process has ultimately been a truly dismal year for the Saints, save for their mid-summer run in Europe to avoid 2009 being a complete disaster.
Pete Mahon took on a loaded task after Jeff Kenna stepped down and things are not about to get any easier on Tuesday in north Dublin. His term so far has failed to rouse the Saints from a season long slumber and both his victories in 2009 have come at the expense of bottom side Bray. Whether his interim contract proves a success remains to be seen but he’ll have his work cut out to avoid the relegation play-offs.
Bohs lie in second place, two points behind Shamrock Rovers on 67 points with equal games played (32).
St Pats are three places off the bottom on 37 points. That ties their points tally with Sligo Rovers who are above the Saints on goal difference. Pats’ have a game in hand over the North Westerners, something that will even itself out this coming weekend.
Team News
Jason Byrne and Gary Deegan return from suspension fro Bohemians. Owen Heary (hamstring) remains doubtful, while Jason McGuinness and Mark Rossiter are out longer-term.
For the visitors, Stuart Byrne returns from suspension and is joined by Mark Quigley who has recovered from a recent illness. Enda Stevens is set to miss out having injured his knee against Bray on Friday night while Gary Dempsey is a doubt having damaged his ankle in the same match.
Prediction: Home win, 2-0.
