Soccer: Bohemians manager Pat Fenlon admits his side got what they deserved at Dalymount Park last night, when they were knocked out of the FAI Cup semi-final by Sligo Rovers.
Gavin Peers scored the winner for Rovers when he headed home Richie Ryan’s corner but Fenlon agrees with Sligo manager Paul Cook’s assessment that the game could have been over by then.
The Gypsies manager even suggested they were beaten by the second best team in the league, behind his own, ignoring fellow title challengers Shamrock Rovers who separate Bohs and third-place Sligo in the Premier Division.
“They’re a good side, the best in the league after us I’d say to be honest,” said Fenlon. “I’m disappointed to be out of the Cup but the performance wasn’t good enough to get anything out of the game.
“I’d have liked to have been in the Cup final but we’ve still got the big prize to go for and we’ve got to be ready to do that next Friday night.”
The manager is likely to be without defender Mark Rossiter for the penultimate game of the season against Galway United after he came off with what is believed to be a hamstring injury. That is tempered, however, by the hope another veteran, Owen Heary, is likely to back for the game in which Bohs could wrap up the title, depending on results elsewhere.
For Cook and his side, there’s now a chance to make amends for last year’s final defeat to Sporting Fingal, against either Shamrock Rovers or St Patrick’s Athletic.
However, he’s refusing to get drawn into what has gone before and is just happy with how his side are playing now.
“We’re a good side these days and we showed that here tonight,” he said after the game. “The lads were all up for it and we deserved to win. The semi-final is a very big game for everyone, though, and it’s a relief to get safely past it.
“It’s not so much that we were gunning for it or anything after last year but we’ve got a really nice tempo to us now and we’re just playing very well.
“It was a great goal by Gavin (Peers) but to be honest I think the game could have been over well before that, we had the better of the chances and their goalkeeper’s (Barry Murphy) made a couple of good saves.
“People have said we hadn’t beaten any of the best sides but I think that we’ve shown here that we’re more than a match for anyone when we’re at our best.”