Season Preview: Bohemians

Bohemian FC

Year Founded: 1890
Stadium: Dalymount Park
Manager: Aaron Callaghan
Key Player: Ryan McEvoy

Bohemians will be looking for another steady if not spectacular season to follow on from their 7th placed finish last season. Manager Aaron Callaghan will have a tough season ahead but with a solid pre-season behind them, his side can go into the new season with confidence.

The Gypsies have won four out of their five games so far in 2013, scoring 19 goals while only conceding six. Their only loss came when new signing Ciaran Nangle scored an own goal in the final moments of extra-time in their Leinster Senior Cup clash with UCD.

Aaron Callaghan has had another tricky off-season after almost building his side from scratch last year. In particular, Bohs will suffer from the loss of free-scoring centre-back Evan McMillan who has joined champions Sligo Rovers and his defensive partner, Kevin Feely, who has left for Charlton. Keith Ward is another first-team regular from 2012 who has left the club.

The manager has signed 29-year-old Stephen Paisley from Shelbourne and has mentioned the possibility of pairing him at the heart of defence alongside Dave Scully, who played up front for the Phibsborough outfit last season. Amongst Bohs' other new recruits are striker Chris Lyons from UCD and goalkeeper Dean Delany from Shelbourne.

Bohemians will hope their younger players such as Keith Buckley, Roberto Lopes and Luke Byrne can flourish in the Premier Division alongside the experience of Dave Mulcahy and assistant manager Owen Heary who have both signed on for another season. Ryan McEvoy will also have to play a key role to play if Bohs are to improve on last year's finish.

2013 will by no means be an easy season for Bohemians. Their fans will hope their young squad can avoid a relegation scrap and repeat some of their impressive performances from last season, such as their 4-0 hammering of fierce rivals Shamrock Rovers. Bohs should have enough quality in their ranks to retain their premier league status this season but anything beyond a mid-table finish appears to be beyond their grasp this year.