O’Neill expecting Bohs to step it up in Tallaght
By Daire Walsh
SHAMROCK Rovers midfielder Gary O’Neill expects form to go out the window when the Hoops welcome arch rivals Bohemians to Tallaght in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division tomorrow evening.
Currently 16 points adrift of Rovers in the table, the Gypsies have won just six games to date in this year’s top-flight – albeit one of them came at the expense of Shelbourne on Friday.
It is anticipated that Stephen Bradley’s defending champions will return to winning ways following a narrow reversal to Dundalk six days ago, but O’Neill knows Keith Long’s northsiders are capable of delivering a season-best performance at Tallaght Stadium.
“I’ve learnt fast since I’ve come to Rovers, no matter how the form is going into these games, it just goes out the window,” he told The Echo.
“It’s very much a once-off and it kind of has a cup fixture feel to it, where it’s just all hell for leather for 90 minutes. It’s a frantic game. Both sets of fans, it’s the one they want the bragging rights for.
“It doesn’t matter how they’re doing in terms of form or how we’re doing in terms of form. As you’ve seen over the last three or four years, anyone can beat anyone. They knocked us out of the cup last year when we were flying.
“It’s just one of those games where it’s very much fiery and feisty, and both teams are obviously going out to win. It’s definitely one that form goes out the window for.”
As a result of their 1-0 success over the Hoops at Oriel Park last week (thanks to a goal from former St Patrick’s Athletic midfielder Robbie Benson), Dundalk are now just five points behind Rovers at the summit of the Premier Division with a game in hand.
Given the race for the title has suddenly gathered pace again, Rovers will be looking to underline their credentials with a victory tomorrow and a similar result away to St Pat’s on Monday.
While the Kerry native doesn’t believe these games will be season-defining for the Hoops, he nonetheless acknowledged the significance of both fixtures.
“It is getting tight in a sense that they [Dundalk] obviously have a game in hand, but I don’t think it was ever going to be plain sailing,” he said.
“I don’t think we were ever going to win the league in June. It was never going to be done, so there’s still work to do, we know that. It’s a big week for us with Bohs and Pat’s on Monday,” O’Neill added.
“As players there’s no better game to bounce back and realign our focus than Bohs on Friday. There’s still a long way to go. We still have to play Dundalk again and Derry twice. Big, big games. It’s the same on the other side, they’ve tough games to play as well. It’s a big week for both teams, but I don’t think the season is going to be defined by it.”