Football fans often hold a certain kind of affection for players that are considered home-grown, and Bohemians supporters are no different.
When a club is able to produce its own star players, it means that little bit more to the fans. They tend to show more affection and appreciation for these types of players as if they are parents encouraging their own children to reach the level of potential that they believe the youngster has in them.
While fans will always get a buzz when their team manages to secure a big name signing, they are just as excited when a young player makes the step up to the first-team and proves their worth.
Just ask anyone who was at Dalymount Park earlier this season to see Marc Hughes head in an injury time winner against Drogheda United. Some might not have heard of the young striker before that day, but they have been on the look-out for him ever since.
Quite often a bond is created between the player and the supporter. Some of them won’t admit to it, while others will tell anyone that will listen about this mutual understanding.
You see, the player longs for the vocal encouragment that the supporter dishes out, while the supporter thrives off the influence that they can wield on a player. So it is a two-way feed that both benefit from.
Of course, things don’t always work out as everyone plans them to. There are certain players that slip through the cracks of the professional game, but for those that do make it, the trust that the supporters give them proves to be worthwhile.
This type of support was evident in the recent Uefa Champions League qualifier against Red Bull Salzburg. Conor Powell, a graduate from the Bohemians academy, stood out above all of the other high profile players and this delighted the home crowd.
Every surging run forward that the left-back made was greeted with the collective sound of a largely biased support spurring him on. It was exactly the type of reponse that one would expect from the Bohs fans as one of their own registered a notable performance.
There are other youngsters that have become familiar to the Dalymount faithful this season, like striker Paddy Madden, defender Sean Byrne, and midfielder-cum-defender Ryan McEvoy.
The aforementioned Hughes can also be added to that list and so can the likes of Dean Marshall and Brian McCarthy, even though both of those now ply their trade with Sligo Rovers and Longford Town respectively.
All of the youngsters that have emerged this season have been working hard in the Newstalk A Championship team, which is managed by Tony O’Connor. Some have featured for the first-team in the EA Sports Cup and even made their Premier Division debuts. So their appearances in the first-team squad have been on merit and not just to fill some kind of quota.
If Bohemians are to keep moving forward as a club then they need to keep a steady flow of players coming up through the youth ranks. After all, bringing through young players is the lifeblood of League of Ireland football.
With a manager like Pat Fenlon willing to give the young players a chance, and a coach like O’Connor guiding them along the way, more opportuntities will surely open up for these raw talents as they attempt to forge successful careers for themselves in the professional game