21-04-2025
'Unbelievable' - Alan Reynolds toasts Bohemians' derby revival after thrilling comeback turns Shamrock Rovers over
Bohemians manager Alan Reynolds hailed his players for the way in which they resurrected their fortunes in the 3-2 comeback win over Shamrock Rovers on Easter Monday.
Bohs trailed by two at the break in the Dublin derby following excellent goals from Josh Honohan and Michael Noonan for the Hoops.
But a Dawson Devoy strike gave the north Dublin side hope before Ross Tierney equalised and then 18-year-old Rhys Brennan scored a priceless stoppage-time winner at a packed Tallaght Stadium.
"It was unbelievable. Even I thought in the first half we started well for 30 minutes, then (Rovers) showed their quality and got two and we get in at half-time and we changed something," Reynolds told RTÉ Sport's John Kenny.
"(We) just tweaked something shape wise but you're hoping the lads will believe. You get one goal and it changes, and I felt after 55 minutes it started to swing.
"We started getting control of the game and then obviously scoring at the right time with Dawson, an outstanding goal.
"But we looked fit, we looked strong and kept going but had it got to 2-2 you're probably thinking, 'take the draw and get out of here'. But Rhys Brennan comes up with a great goal at the end."
On the tweak, Reynolds said a switch to a back four was key in getting more Bohs players higher up the pitch than in the first half.
"We had to gamble at that stage but you're also worried that you might get hit for three or four, but at that stage we wanted to get ourselves back into it," he said.
The victory marks a resurgence for the Gypsies, having endured mixed fortunes in the nine opening games but the win over their derby rivals now means they are on a run of three wins from their last four ahead of their next fixture at home to St Patrick's Athletic on Friday.
"Our season has been patchy but it's a new series now and we're two games into it and two wins and the aim is to move on on Friday again."
Reynolds' satisfaction was a stark contrast to his Shamrock Rovers counterpart Stephen Bradley who felt his players were unrecognisable in the way that they unravelled in the last 20 minutes.
"Second half we made basic defensive errors, defensive decisions, really basic stuff from our point of view - stuff that very rarely do we do," Bradley said.
"We gave up silly spaces in dangerous areas and it cost us. It's very unlike us and why? We need to obviously look and review and make sure it doesn't happen again.
"But it's very, very unlike us to make them defensive decisions that we did."
While disappointment was the primary emotion, upsides for Rovers did include a first SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division goal for 16-year-old Noonan, who had made history in the UEFA Conference League earlier in the year.
"There were lots of positives - it's hard to see them now because we've lost the game that we were winning 2-0 - and Michael was one of them," said Bradley, who will now prepare his side to face champions Shelbourne on Friday in what will be a third clash against a fellow Dublin side in succession after the Bohs defeat and last week's 2-2 draw with St Patrick's Athletic.
"His goal was excellent. He's been working hard, he's getting better and better and he'll only get better.
"Lots of positives but like I said second half from us defensively is miles away from what we have been and what we can be."
