Oh well, I guess a dose of reality should do us good.
Roll on Kilkenny and revenge for all those embarrassing defeats last season!!
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Oh well, I guess a dose of reality should do us good.
Roll on Kilkenny and revenge for all those embarrassing defeats last season!!
Having been at the game in Dalymount, I wouldn't be as optimistic as atfc online about the sart of the new season. This was my first chance to get a look at the new squad and to say we were dire would be an understatement.
Not one decent effort on goal in the whole game and out of the first 45 mins I'd say we only had the ball in the Bohs half for about 3 of those minutes combined. In fairness Bohs fielded a full team and they did look sharp but if this is the best the Town have to offer then it's going to be a long season....
And just in closing, I don't want to sound like I'm being negative for the sake of it. I think the locals policy is well worth a try and I would love to see it succeed and see the club do well. I also know that a policy like this will take time to develop. However, I'm just going on the basis of what I saw in Dalymount last night and what I saw wasn't pretty.
Peace,
Ade
by Kevin O'Neill, Westmeath Indepdndent
Harsh lessons were learned as Athlone Town's new look side was convincingly taken apart by a hugely impressive Bohemians at Dalymount Park on Saturday.
It was always going to be immensely hard to compete for 90 minutes against one of the current top three in the land - a professional outfit with pace and power in all areas. In terms of Irish soccer, the likes of Glen Crowe, Colin Hawkins and Kevin Hunt are the real deal. And how Athlone knew it come nine o'clock Saturday. There is nothing to be ashamed of there. Match sharpness will have improved and hopefully, the younger players will have gained much needed experience. That's the positive.
But more worrying for manager Jimmy Greene ahead of Friday's kick off was the fickle nature of Athlone's capitulation. They looked tight and organised for the opening twenty minutes but then fell apart, conceding two poor goals before half time. Again though it must be put in perspective. Bohs' have serious quality, the type of which Athlone is unlikely to face in the First Division.
The loss of the Frawley brothers through injury didn't help matters either. It meant that Greene had to shuffle his pack as he moved Stephen Kelly to centre back and started Damien Rushe, one of the young brigade who will have learned so much from this encounter. The only other change for Athlone saw them use Bohs reserve goalkeeper, Alan Fitzpatrick due to Shane Curran's ankle injury, which should not keep him out of Friday's match with Kilkenny City.
Although disappointed with the scoreline, Greene was not overly downhearted following the game. "In my view, we played against the best players in the League. "My players should look at Bohs' and aspire to reach their level. I am disappointed because you are never happy to lose. But it must be taken in context. I am sure that plenty of Premier Division teams will suffer the same fate this season. We knew it would be very hard but I am certainly pleased with the workout it gave us," he said.
Not your everyday usual workout though. It was hard graft as Crowe and Paul Keegan, backed up by Hunt and Dave Morrison carved Athlone open time after time. Again, lessons learned about sharpness, creativity and direct, fluid football. The Town had to further reorganise after twenty minutes when the lively Henry Kenny was forced off with a worrying groin strain - he is rated 50/50 for Friday's match. The floodgates opened after 22 minutes. Crowe expertly finding space behind Robert Shine to head home a pinpoint cross from the right by Morrison.
Athlone faced an almighty task as Bohs' aura and confidence seemed to enter a boom period. One became two when Hawkins was allowed the freedom of Dalymount to head home Morrison's corner. Without the Frawleys' aerial strength, Athlone looked quite weak at set pieces. Hawkins was ultra dominant in the air all day and Athlone simply could not contain his powerful attitude. Bohs' third goal came from -yes you guessed it - a set piece. Damien Lynch's beautifully flighted delivery masterfully finished by Crowe's overhead kick. Again though he was afforded far too much space inside the box. Substitutions on both sides took some fluency out of Bohs' game but they made it four nil after 62 minutes - Keegan getting the goal his overall play deserved after fantastic wing play by Bobby Ryan.
Eight minutes from time Gary O'Neill clinically finished to round off a good night's work for Stephen Kenny's men, who on this evidence of this display will take some beating this season. Athlone will be disappointed that they failed to have a single shot on target.
Against a team of far superior quality it is difficult because they push you deep into your own half. But Athlone's efforts to retain possession was poor. Tough to judge Athlone against quality opposition but Greene will be hoping for more determination and an increase in tempo come Friday. Cruel lessons learned from the most clinical teacher.
Three days earlier Athlone registered a comfortable 3-0 victory over Mullingar Town at Willow Park. Henry Kenny, Davy Dowling and David Murphy got the goals.
Athlone Town: Alan Fitzpatrick; Chris Malone; Adrian Carberry; Robert Shine; Stephen Kelly; Damien Rushe; Michael Collins; Henry Kenny; Davy Dowling; David Murphy; Eric Molloy. Subs: Alan Clarke for Kenny (20 mins); Trevor Moylan for Malone; Gary Devine for Murphy (both 60 mins); Michael Harney for Rushe; Tony Izzi for Shine (70 mins); Declan Loughnane for Fitzpatrick (84 mins).
Bohemians: Ashley Bayes; Stephen Caffrey; Damien Lynch; Colin Hawkins; Paul MeNally; Kevin Hunt; Fergal Harkin; Dave Morrison; Paul Keegan; Glen Crowe; Mark Rutherford. Subs: Bobby Ryan for Rutherford; Derek Coughlan for Hawkins (both 54 mins); Gary O'Neill for Keegan (63 mins); Jason McGuinness for MeNally; Simon Webb for Caffrey (both 75 mins); Mark Webb for Crowe; Ken Oman