Alan Reynolds has warned his players that they cannot keep throwing away leads. Bohemians picked up a huge 3-0 win away to Shelbourne on Monday, but prior to that they suffered back-to-back defeats in matches where they opened the scoring. And it’s not just a recent phenomenon – against tonight’s opponents St Patrick’s Athletic in April they scored inside the opening minute, but ended up on the wrong side of a 3-1 scoreline. Bohs have gone from a winning position to picking up nothing on
five occasions this season, while they have drawn twice in matches where they have gone in front. Addressing their form against Pat’s, Reynolds said: “While there was nothing between the teams in that game, we saw how good and how clinical Pat’s can be when we played them in Richmond. “That was a game where we took the lead in the first minute but were second best after that. “That’s happened too often this season and is something we need to address. We have taken
the lead in a lot of games this season but have surrendered points too often.” Reynolds has taken heart from the fact that against Shels last Monday, just as they did at Richmond Park, they scored inside the first minute, but this time they built on that brilliant start. “On Monday, we had a similar perfect start against Shelbourne – a brilliant goal from Harry Vaughan inside the first 30 seconds setting us up nicely,” he said. “The difference on Monday was we kept our
concentration, we threw our bodies on the line when we had to and when we were out of possession, we didn’t give the opposition an inch even during spells of very heavy pressure, particularly in the second half. “It was a big improvement from the games against Derry and Dundalk where, again, we started really well, took the lead but squandered our advantage and were left empty-handed. “Those performances weren’t good enough but my hope now is that Monday’s win in Tolka Park, and more
importantly the manner of our performance, is the start of how we mean to go on. It has to be. “We weren’t perfect, but we were very good. Right across the team, we rolled our sleeves up, threw bodies on the line, fought hard for every ball and defended well as a unit.” As well as the Dundalk, Derry and Pat’s games, Bohs have lost from winning positions against Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers this season. Reynolds continued: “Supporters have seen the worst of us
and the best of us over the past couple of weeks and we have a real job of work to ensure that they see the best of us more often. “To get the levels of consistency we need to kick on and get to where we want to be, we have to show the same sense of purpose that we had on Monday in all games. “Obviously that win was a monkey off our back, after a disappointing couple of results, frustrating performances, and having
our character questioned. We need to draw a line under those now and look forward. “It was a great performance and exactly the kind of response we needed. “We enjoyed our goals, we enjoyed our win, we enjoyed getting one over one of our rivals and we enjoyed celebrating with our fans and sending them home happy. “But we have spoken as a group about how it can’t be a flash in the pan. We need that level of performance and drive in every game.”
Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond .
Bohemians, Alan Reynolds, Shelbourne, St Patrick's Athletic, Harry Vaughan, Tolka Park, Richmond Park, wasted leads, first-minute goals, Derry, Dundalk, Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers