Bohs summon spirit of ‘One, Two!’ for final
THE Bohemians programme on Friday night was a collector’s item as it included a replica of the club’s very first programme, a Shield game at Dalymount Park against Sligo Rovers on November 5, 1938.
A piece on ‘One! Two!!’, the Bohs mascot of 40 years, caught the eye.
A father of 14, no less than 12 of whom had died, ‘One! Two!!’ had returned from a Bohs game at Bray the week before, the readers were told, to be informed his wife of 41 years had passed away.
Photographed in a fine top hat, jacket and bouffant moustache, ‘One! Two!!’, whose real name was William M Moran, had clearly fallen on hard times as the club were appealing for ‘a small subscription’ for ‘this great old chap’ to provide ‘a little comfort’.
There was also an artist’s drawing of the proposed redevelopment of Dalymount Park with covered stands on three sides of the ground, and an open terrace at the St Peter’s Road end.
Some 85 years on, the club’s goals haven’t changed as Bohemians, with the help of
Dublin City Council, gradually move towards a new-look modernised ‘Dalyer’.
Attracting investment in such projects is always that bit easier when a club is successful and
Bohs have a final spin of the 2023 wheel next Sunday in the FAI Cup final against St Patrick’s Athletic.
The season was an improvement in terms of wins, points and goals, but sixth place was the same position as 2022, which stung manager Declan Devine, who was in defiant mood at the final whistle after a bloodless 4-0 win over Cork City, seizing the microphone and promising the fans in the Jodi Stand that the FAI Cup would be coming back to Dalymount.
Standing between Bohs and a return to European club competition, worth €250,000, are St Patrick’s Athletic, winners on penalties when the teams met in 2021. A win for the Saints would be cheered to the rafters at Tolka as Shelbourne would be in Europe for the first time since 2006.
‘Two weeks ago, our team preparation was about potentially finishing second and that’s how cruel it can be, this league is unforgiving,’ said Devine.
‘Our fans have been magnificent throughout the course of the year, having more than 4,000 at every single home game. We have a duty to make sure we go and do our job right over the course of this week and leading into next Sunday.’
‘There’s been nothing between the two teams all year and we’ll just prepare to make sure that we go out and perform to the levels we’re capable of.’
It’s 14 years since Bohs last won a maor trophy. Some of the club’s senior supporters, if not as old as ‘One! Two!’, can recall the fallow decades which ended in 1970 when Sean Thomas led the club to FAI Cup success. With 35,000 tickets sold for the Aviva Stadium next Sunday, the 40,000-mark could be breached for the first time for the FAI Cup final at the stadium.
‘One! Two!!’ won’t be there but his spirit lives on.
Waterford FC will play Cork City next week for a place in the Premier Division after a thrilling 2-1 promotion play-off win over Cobh Ramblers.