Reynolds cites clinical edge as Bohemians' European hurdle

Alan Reynolds said Bohemians' European exit in the UEFA Conference League third‑round qualifying was down to a lack of clinical edge, after the Dublin side fell 2‑0 to FC Midtjylland. He highlighted the disparity in quality despite a strong performance from his players.

Franculino opened the scoring in the first half and Valdemar Byskov Andreasen added a second in the second half, giving the Danish outfit a 2‑0 lead to take back to their home leg and keeping a place in the play‑off round within reach.

Reynolds noted two momentary lapses led to the goals and that a penalty was overruled by VAR, leaving the Bohemians faithful to wonder “what if” the decisions had gone their way. “The key is you’ve got to be clinical. When you get a couple of chances here, you’ve got to take them,” he told RTÉ Sport.

“I think they brought on a fella wide right that they're looking to sell for 15 or 20 million and if he's not starting on their team… there’s levels,” Reynolds added, praising his side’s “really, really strong performances.”

He recalled defender Senan Mullen’s head injury: “Senan got a bang on the head and had to go off for a minute. They smelled blood and capitalised on it,” underscoring the impact of the brief setback.

Reynolds praised the squad’s attitude, ambition and game plan, but admitted disappointment with the goals conceded, saying he was “delighted, pleased with the attitude, the ambition, the game plan… just disappointed with the goals conceded.”

If Bohemians are to progress to the next round, they will need a major upset and their first road win in Europe this campaign. Reynolds remains hopeful, noting “It will be tough. But wouldn’t it be interesting if we got the first goal in the game? That’s probably the aim,” while reminding his players they must first deal with Waterford in the league. He lauded the supporters: “The fans were outstanding at the end,” and stressed that “this is where we want to be next year, but we have to take care of Sunday,” despite being reduced to ten men after the first goal.