It is a battle at the bottom as Bohemians and Sligo Rovers clash in a potential relegation battle at Dalymount Park.
Both sides have had far from ideal starts to the 2025 Premier Division season, with the home side having won only one league game at Dalymount since April 2024, and none at all this year, and the Bit O’Red’s only win this season coming against Shamrock Rovers at the beginning of March.
Both managers are in danger of losing their jobs, with chants of “We want [Alan] Reynolds out” reverberating around Dalymount Park in Friday’s loss to Galway United, which saw Moses Dyer score twice in a 2-0 defeat for the Gypsies.
Many fans were not best pleased with the decision to keep the former Waterford and Republic of Ireland U21 assistant as manager after a disappointing 8th place finish last season.
However, a raft of new signings were made, including former Premier League striker Lys Mousset, keeping the fans onside with the 50-year-old.
However, Bohs’ sloppy 1-0 home loss to Drogheda United this day last month put what many fans considered to be the final nail in the coffin for Reynold’s tenure as Bohs manager having taken over from Declan Devine a year ago.
However, Bohs have persisted with Reynolds with many seeing Friday’s reception to Dalymount of Sligo Rovers as last chance saloon for the Waterford native.
John Russell’s men prop up the rest of the league seven games into the new season, with their only win coming against Shamrock Rovers at the start of March.
Incidentally, however, only two teams have scored more goals than the Bit O’Red this season.
Unfortunately, Sligo’s defence have let them down massively, conceding 15 goals.
No game typified this more than February’s visit to Richmond Park, as they conceded what would be the winning goal a minute after scoring themselves, in an albeit enthralling 4-3 loss.
Russell will no doubt also be sweating over his role as manager post-Friday night, with the 39-year-old having been tipped as one of – if not the first manager to lose their jobs this season, and despite dominating a number of lost games, the stats don’t lie. One win from seven and bottom of the league.
PREDICTION: Bohs have only won one league fixture at Dalymount since April of last year, and I think that depressing stat is going to continue on Friday with a 1-1 draw.