When the draw was made for the fourth round of the FAI Ford Cup on MNS a few weeks ago, the standout tie from my point of view was the meeting of Dundalk and Bohemians at Oriel Park.
Sean Connor was in studio with us when the draw was being conducted, and from his reaction, I figured that he'd have preferred to avoid Bohs until a later round. But, having said that, the interest the game generated in Dundalk is bound to have been good for the Lilywhites.
Live TV coverage (pity it was a 0-0 for TG4), good gate receipts, and now another gate to share from the replay at Dalymount, emphasise that clubs can cash in from a good cup run, or the right type of draw, but the coin throwing at Pat Fenlon during his live after match interview doesn't show Dundalk's supporters in a good light.
It could be argued that conducting an interview with the opposing manager right in front of where the Dundalk fans are situated is a recipe for trouble, and that issue should have been addressed before the game. However, that said, the headbangers who threw coins at the Bohemians manager haven't done their club any favours.
Incidentally, I'm told that the currency thrown were five and ten cent coins! Nobody was going to get rich from collecting those missiles. Which reminds me of a time when we were doing a match at Tolka Park a couple of years ago, when some bright spark thought it would be funny to fire coins at the window of the studio. What fun the throwers had.
After the first coin struck, there followed a small shower of coins, and at the end of the programme we collected something like €15 in total. Not a bad payday for us, when the money from the ‘so-called’ fans point of view would have been better off spent in the club shop contributing to the clubs funds.
I'm blue in the face writing about how important the small things can be when non-match attendees form their opinions of the League of Ireland. Incidents like last Friday’s reinforce the idea that maybe a League of Ireland ground isn't the best place to go on a Friday or Saturday night, if coin throwing is seen to happen. Especially if the person getting hit is the manager of one of the team.
When incidents like this occur in the UK the person responsible is ejected from the stadium and banned from future games. Of course CCTV in the grounds in England make this course of action much easier to take. It's unlikely that those responsible for throwing coins at Pat Fenlon will be identified, but the club should be warned as to the behaviour of the fans, even if it only a tiny minority who are culpable.
That should apply to all clubs, not just Dundalk, who have managed to create some of the best atmospheres that I've experienced this season. But the whipped up atmosphere has to be contained and not allowed to get out of hand. Let’s hope this is an isolated incident and won't be repeated during the rest of the campaign. If it is, the penalties would have to be severe.
Likewise, the Derry City supporter who came onto the pitch to confront the referee after the cup tie at the Showgrounds must surely be regretting his actions. I'm not sure if he needed to be lead off the field in a headlock by the stewards, (we've had the situation at Croke Park recently where two stewards were suspended for an over-vigorous response to fans coming onto the field of play after a match), but there's no doubt that the supporter in question will find himself in hot water with the authorities.
Unfortunately, none of the panel were in a position to make a definitive call on the Sligo Rovers winner, because the camera wasn't focussed on the referee for the entirety of the incident which led to Rafael Cretaro's winner. Certainly to judge by the number of emails we received from unhappy Derry City supporters, it's one that won't be forgotten for quite some time.
Colm 'The Kid' Foley had to borrow an RTÉ shirt on Monday as his own was strobing badly in studio. He asked for something trendy when Kevin, our runner, went to wardrobe to pick up a shirt. I was hoping Kev would come back with something really rancid, but he actually did alright. In fact the shirt he selected was way better than the one Colm intended wearing.
On the subject of shirts, our autocue operator Paul was wearing a Tottenham jersey behind the cameras in Studio 6. He was told that a repeat of this offence would result in serious consequences. We haven't exactly decided what those consequences might be, but if you have any ideas, let us know - mns@rte.ie will find us.
This week, the MNS team are having a night out at the Bohemians v Dundalk replay at Dalymount Park, and I'm already looking forward to the opening of the new stand at Tallaght on Saturday night for the visit of Dundalk. It should be a great occasion.
Unfortunately the Ultras, who do most of the flag waving and singing at Tallaght will now be in the new stand behind where the cameras will be situated, so the viewers will miss the displays they put on. Those who go along to Tallaght will however sample the atmosphere to its full effect in the stadium.
Finally, good luck to St Pat’s in the Europa League this week. They face a stiff task away to Steaua Bucharest, but hopefully the tie will be still alive for the second leg in Inchicore the following Thursday.
The fact that the game is being played behind closed doors in the Romanian capital will surely benefit the Saints, but as Dave Barry said in studio, Pat's supporters shouldn't be punished for the misdemeanours of the Steaua fans in a previous round, and Saints supporters should be able to go to the away leg. Be that as it may, a 1-1 or even a 2-1 defeat would make for a great night by the Camac on the 27th of this month.
