SOCCER:BOHEMIANS OFFICIALS will meet with Pat Fenlon today to discuss his position following a board meeting at the club last night where his desire to depart was the main item on the agenda.
“I don’t think anybody at theclub wants the man to leave,” said club secretary Denis Maher after last night’s meeting,” but if he is to go then we would certainly want it all to be amicable.”
Fenlon, who seems more likely than not now to be still be in charge for tomorrow night’s game against St Patrick’s Athletic, has been linked with a scouting role for Scottish club Celtic while Liam Buckley and John Gill are among those who have been linked with the Bohemians job in the event that he does depart.
Elsewhere, Cockhill Celtic have been rewarded for their win over Galway United in the EA Sports (League) Cup with a home tie against holders Sligo Rovers in the second round. The Buncrana outfit are on course to host the game on April 25th and a club official said last night they did not favour moving the match to the Showgrounds in order to maximise revenues.
“If they were interested then obviously it’s something we’d be happy to look at,” said Rovers chairman Michael Toolan yesterday, “but we’re more than happy too to go up there and it’s understandable they’d like to host Sligo Rovers, the holders, down in their ground.”
Sligo, meanwhile, unveiled a new partnership with the town’s Institute of Technology yesterday to launch a scholarship scheme that will help young people develop their football and academic careers. “It’s an exciting scheme for us,” says Toolan, “and the hope is that it will be beneficial to both sides. We’ll bring coaching expertise to them and allow them to promote the college through the club while they will provide us with facilities.”
There will be four scholarships on offer each year. “Obviously, we’re hoping Sligo Rovers gets players for the future out of this but there’s a bigger picture too,” he continued. “Players need to ensure they have a good education so they have something to fall back on when their playing career is over.”
Further details on the scheme, which is open to men and women, are available at sligorovers.com and itsligo.ie.
Cork City boss Tommy Dunne last night shrugged off comments made about him by Roddy Collins in an interview ahead of tomorrow night’s visit by Collins’s Monaghan side to Turner’s Cross. Collins had a brief spell in charge of the club prior to Tom Coughlan’s departure and Dunne spent a portion of that time on his coaching staff. Both then departed and after the supporters group, FORAS, took over they approached the latter about taking the job on a long-term basis.
Collins told the Echo newspaper: “Unfortunately they have a boy doing a man’s job as their manager. The job is too big for him and that will prove itself. He was only an understudy to me. It’s a pity, because it’s a massive club. It’s a Premier Division club, they shouldn’t be in the First Division.”
Dunne suggested Collins was engaging in “gamesmanship” and said: “It doesn’t really interest me what he has to say. All I’m interested in is trying to win the game on Friday night.”
EA SPORTS (LEAGUE) CUP – Second round draw: Pool 1: Limerick v Tralee Dynamos or Waterford United; Wexford Youths v Cork City; Pool 2: Cockhill Celtic v Sligo Rovers; Derry City v Mervue United; Pool 3: Drogheda United v UCD; St Patrick’s Athletic v Shamrock Rovers; Pool 4: Monaghan United v Dundalk; Shelbourne v Bohemians. All ties scheduled for April 25th. The winners of each tie progress to an open draw at the quarter-final stage.
