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Bohemian rhapsody

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Mark Jones

Bohemians 1, Longford 0

DUBLIN — Doubles don’t come easily in any sport. Just ask Bohemians, who ended a barren spell by triumphantly adding the FAI Cup to the League championship they’d clinched the previous weekend.

A 1-0 victory over Longford Town in Sunday’s final gave the Dublin club its first double since 1928 and rounded off a memorable season for manager Roddy Collins, a brother of former World middleweight boxing champion Steve.

If Collins justifiably drew much of the praise for his managerial achievement, the real romance of the final was generated by the Bohs’ goal scorer, Tony O’Connor. As the only remaining part-time player at the club, the 34-year-old full-back might have been appearing in his last game, but he marked the occasion with a vital goal in the 60th minute, which was enough to settle the issue.

Asked what the defender was doing in Longford’s penalty box when the chance arrived, O’Connor admitted he wasn’t too sure.

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"I lost my way," he said. "I got a little lost and the blood just rushed to my head,."

The left footed volley was no thing of beauty, but it glanced in off the post.

"Unbelievable," was Collins’s reaction. "I’m the one with the big mouth and the snappy shoes, but this is all down to the players. They’re the ones who go out and do all the grafting."

The reward for Bohemians is a place in the preliminary round of the Champions League, while Longford have earned a spot in the UEFA Cup.

Meanwhile, Monaghan were promoted from Div. One of the National League along with already confirmed champions, Dundalk, and Athlone have to play off with UCD for the remaining place in the Premier Division.

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