However, listening to the report on the RTE Friday night sports programme – which has been an excellent production this season - left me pondering the accuracy of the report.

The first-half was described as a poor affair, which from a Sligo Rovers perspective it wasn’t. Bohemians were pinned in their own half for most of the 45 minutes, we hit the crossbar with a gilt-edged chance which was never mentioned and generally we played the home team off the pitch.

The pattern was continuing in the second-half until Seamus Coleman got his red card and that changed the whole complexion of a game, which up until that point was heading for a NIL – NIL  result.

Yes, Bohs scored three well-taken goals and, BASED SOLELY on the evidence of the final 20 minutes, were much the better team as we lost our concentration completely.

We managed to hit the woodwork in the closing stages – not mentioned either – and we got no credit in the report which certainly sounded as it  was infected by a ‘Dublin bias’ – maybe that’s a bit unfair, but that’s how it sounded.

Sean Connor’s post-match interview was a bit off-the-mark also, but at least he has an excuse for looking at the evidence from a Bohemian FC perspective – they pay his wages.

Top marks to the supporters who really provided great inspiration for the team for the 90 minutes. Top marks to the players for the opening 70 minutes and hopefully everyone will learn how ‘not to tackle’ for the remainder of the season. Had we kept 11 men on the pitch we might even have won the game.

The evidence of our performance was plain to see at the end when the players received a standing ovation – that doesn’t happen too often after a three-goal defeat.

Hopefully, we will have another large contingent at United Park next Friday night.

Will we good enough to win there??

We are certainly good enough to compete.


By Conall Collier