Friendly Report: Bohemians 0 - 0 Athlone Town
- Fran Reilly
- Sun, Feb 15 2015
Bohemians and Athlone Town played out a 0-0 draw in this pre-season friendly at Dalymount Park, with both managers using the game to build their players' match fitness as well as to size each other up ahead of their EA Sports Cup first round clash on March 10th.
This was the first time the two sides have faced each other since manager Keith Long departed Athlone for Bohemians in the off-season, taking four Town players with him: Kealan Dillon, James O'Brien, Dylan Hayes and Derek Prendergast. The match was a good exercise for both sides ahead of the fast-approaching new season, if not exactly a dress rehearsal for their competitive meeting next month.
Town boss Eddie Wallace - Long's assistant at Athlone before taking up the top job himself when Long departed – made two subs in the first-half and another two at half-time, making it harder for his side to get into a rhythm as Bohs gradually took control of what was at least a very colourful affair in the kit stakes, both sides in their away strips: Bohs in green and Athlone in bright orange.
The first shot of the game came in the eighth minute, when Gavin Boyne picked up a miscued clearance from Bohs centre-back Anto Murphy – but Murphy atoned for his error by blocking the effort.
Two minutes later at the other end, former Athlone midfielder Kealan Dillon produced the game's first shot on target - but his effort from 25 yards lacked power and was easily gathered by Patrick Dunican in the Town goal.
Marc Griffin had a great opportunity to put the home side ahead in the 16th minute, but he couldn't connect properly with Karl Moore's cross and his first-time effort was straight at Dunican.
But the best chance of the half fell to former Drogheda United midfielder Adam Wixted. Some good work in the box by the veteran Jason Byrne allowed the striker to cross and Wixted should have buried it from eight yards as Byrne would have surely done if the roles were reversed. But Wixted didn't place the effort well enough and the scrambling Dunican got his body in the way to save.
On 32 minutes, some neat interplay between Derek Pender and Dillon allowed the later to cross. It was a teasing ball, destined for the head of Byrne, but Dunican came off his line to punch – and despite miscuing completely, he did enough to take it off the head of the League of Ireland's second-highest all-time top goalscorer.
Roberto Lopes started the game in midfield for Bohs and the defender showed why he usually plays at centre-back when his 41st minute shot from the edge of the box went well wide of the target. He did demonstrate some midfielder's vision a minute later when he almost slipped Wixted in behind Stephen Dunne, but Dunican read the situation to smother the pass.
Both managers made a number of changes after the break in order to give everybody a run out, and this affected the continuity of the game.
Despite being pinned back for much of the second half, Athlone could have gone ahead in the 62nd minute when Michael Brown's cross was met perfectly at the back post by Marco Chindea – but he put his header straight at Delany when he should have directed it back across goal.
Dillon almost scored a screamer in the 72nd minute when a quick Bohs free-kick on the left flank was played short to him and he struck from 25 yards – he beat substitute 'keeper Phillip Marceta, but he rattled the crossbar instead of rippling the net.
Marceta had to look sharp ten minutes later when he spilled a shot from Bohs substitute Adam Evans – another substitute, Dean Kelly, was rushing in to capitalise, but Marceta was agile enough to tip the ball away from the striker and draw a foul in the process.
Bohemians: Dean Delany; Derek Pender (c), Anto Murphy, Derek Prendergast, Lorcan Fitzgerald; Adam Wixted (Patrick Kavanagh, 54'), Roberto Lopes, Kealon Dillon, Karl Moore (James O'Brien, 60'); Jason Byrne (Dean Kelly, 54'), Marc Griffin (Adam Evans, 77').
Subs not used: Lee Steacy (gk), Jake Hyland, Dylan Hayes, Robert Duggan, Robbie Creevy, Conor Murphy.
Booked: none.
Athlone Town: Patrick Dunican (Phillip Marceta, 63'); Stephen Quigley (Derek Doyle, 65'), Aidan Collins (Aidan Friel, 36'), Stephen Dunne, Phillip Hand; Marco Chindea, Gavin Boyne (Eric Foley, 46), Thomas Mulroney (Ryan Doolin, 30'), Michael Brown; Gary Burke (Garreth Brady, 46), Philly Gorman (c).
Subs not used: Robbie Gaul.
Booked: Derek Doyle (70)
Referee: Paul Tuite.
Attendance: 120 (estimate).
Extratime.ie man of the match: Kealan Dillon (Bohemians).
About Fran Reilly
Fran Reilly joined Extratime.ie in February 2015 having previously written for the Drogheda/Fingal Independents, loi19.com and the Cork City matchday programme. Though only part of the ET family for a relatively short time, the Donaghmede …
Subs
Subs
P | Team | Pd | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Peamount Utd | 20 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 52 |
2 | Shels FC | 20 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 46 |
3 | Shamrock Rvrs | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 45 |
4 | Galway Women | 20 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 38 |
5 | Athlone | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 35 |
6 | Bohs | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 31 |
7 | Wexford W | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 28 |
8 | DLR Waves | 20 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 13 |
9 | Sligo | 20 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 11 |
10 | Treaty Utd | 20 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 8 |
11 | Cork City W | 20 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 6 |
P | Team | Pd | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Galway | 36 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 94 |
2 | Waterford | 36 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 69 |
3 | Cobh | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 59 |
4 | Wexford | 36 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 53 |
5 | Athlone | 36 | 14 | 5 | 17 | 47 |
6 | Treaty United | 36 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 44 |
7 | Bray | 36 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 44 |
8 | Longford | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 40 |
9 | Harps | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 37 |
10 | Kerry | 36 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 10 |
P | Team | Pd | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Shamrock R | 36 | 20 | 12 | 4 | 72 |
2 | Derry | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 65 |
3 | St Patrick's Athl. | 36 | 19 | 5 | 12 | 62 |
4 | Shels | 36 | 15 | 15 | 6 | 60 |
5 | Dundalk | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 58 |
6 | Bohs | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 58 |
7 | Drogheda | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 41 |
8 | Sligo | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 37 |
9 | Cork | 36 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
10 | UCD | 36 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 11 |
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