KEITH LONG HAS again expressed his disappointment with fixture scheduling in the League of Ireland after last night’s scoreless draw with Derry City at Dalymount Park.
The Bohemians boss watched his side play eight games in the month of April before congestion eased but has again had to manage tight turnarounds following last Friday’s 2-1 win away to Waterford.
That was following two weeks without a game due to the mid-season break.
Speaking after the game, Long said the high volume of matches can be increasingly difficult to deal with, particularly when so many players are absent due to injuries.
“We were missing eight players tonight,” he said. “It’s a lot for any squad to try and manage.
We’ve been unlucky with injuries but the Friday-Monday games have been very difficult to manage.
“There’s no recovery time for players if they get little bumps and bruises, or if they’re carrying knocks.
It should free up now in the second half of the season. There’s less of the Friday-Monday games. Hopefully we’ll get bodies back and be able to pick from a fully-fit squad.”
First team regulars like Rob Cornwall, Dinny Corcoran and Danny Mandroiu have all been sidelined, although the latter’s injury problems are less of a cause for concern.
“Danny was a minor strain. We had to be careful. If we put him in [against Derry] you risk extending the injury and then he’s out for a longer period.
“You have to manage those injuries and listen to the medical people.”
Bohs sit third in the table and will be hoping to open up a nine-point lead on the Candystripes when they take on Cork City on Friday night.
Long confirmed that he is hoping to have midfielder and vice-captain Keith Buckley back for the game at Turner’s Cross.
Versatility
Cornwall, Aaron Barry and Michael Barker are all recognised centre-halves who will be unavailable this Friday.
Barker picked up a head injury in Monday’s game, causing full back Darragh Leahy to slot in at the heart of the Gypsies’ defence in his absence.
“It’s an honest attempt to get to the ball,” he said of Barker’s injury. “I’ve haven’t watched it back but it looks like there’s a bit of a coming together.
“He’s got his eyes fully on the ball in that moment. It was difficult. Darragh had to step in and we brought on Paddy Kirk.
Robbie McCourt can play at centre-back if we need him to and can play at left-back too. So we’ve got a bit of versatility throughout the squad.
“We’re missing Aaron Barry and Rob Cornwall. It does have an impact when they’re in certain key positions.”
Of his side’s performance on Monday, Long said: “We’re happy we’ve maintained the distance on them, it would have been great obviously if we had extended it out to nine points.
“But it’s not the end of the world drawing here tonight, missing the players we were. It was a little bit flat, the performance.
“I thought we lacked a little bit of quality at times. It’s to be expected maybe.
They were shots from distance. We didn’t create any clear-cut openings. There was a cross in the second half from Keith Ward that maybe Ryan Swan should gamble on and get across the front post.
“Ryan Graydon on another cross could have gambled a little bit. We didn’t work Peter Cherrie enough tonight for me. It was a little bit flat, the performance.”
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