BOHEMIANS MANAGER Aaron Callaghan has criticised the FAI for their lack of help regarding their Europa League campaign as be believes their domestic match schedule is putting players at risk of injury.
Having drawn 0-0 with Thór Akureyri at Dalymount on Thursday night, Bohemians travel to Cork City for a teatime kick-off in the league tomorrow.
Next Thursday they are on the north coast of Iceland for their return leg with Thór, arriving back in Dublin in the early hours of Friday morning. Bohemians had requested that next weekend’s scheduled league game at home to UCD be played on Monday week. And though UCD agreed, the league have scheduled it for Sunday at 3pm.
The league said yesterday that under its rules games cannot be put back beyond the Sunday after clubs have played in Europe and added that Bohemians had the option to play UCD last week when the EA Sports Cup quarter-finals were on and didn’t avail of it.
“We asked them to move the UCD game to a Monday, and we got permission from UCD to do that, to give us an extra 24 hours recovery, but it was turned down,” said Callaghan. “These boys are not superhuman. They are putting their bodies on the line week in, week out. You can see that from the performance last week. In my wildest dreams, I just cannot understand why we cannot get an extra night’s recovery. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Weary from the Thór game, Bohemians may make up to half a dozen changes tomorrow. Captain Owen Heary and fellow full back Luke Byrne, along with midfielder Dave Mulcahy, are nursing knocks and strains. Striker Dinny Corcoran (shoulder) remains out. Shane O’Connor is Cork’s only injury absentee.
Nothing less than the redemption of a win will be acceptable to supporters as Shamrock Rovers defend their unbeaten home league record against in-form St Patrick’s Athletic at Tallaght Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
Midfielder Stephen O’Donnell is suspended having been sent off against Bohemians. Striker Ciarán Kilduff has resumed training, but is not fit to play, while Seán Gannon (ankle) remains out.
St Patrick’s striker Christy Fagan is almost certainly out after he came off with a hip injury having scored their winner against IBV in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Leaders Sligo Rovers can open up a seven-point lead overnight should they beat struggling Bray Wanderers at the Showgrounds this afternoon.
Reading, newly promoted back to the English Premier League, have signed Bray’s 17-year-old central defender Pierce Sweeney.While glad of the small undisclosed fee, it does add to Bray’s recent defensive problems as manager Pat Devlin is without the suspended Seán Houston, while Dave Webster (knee) is a doubt.
New signings, midfielders Kevin O’Connor and Brendan King, are added to the squad.
