Bohemians assistant manager Gary Cronin is hopeful his side can hang on to in-form striker Jonathan Afolabi until the end of the season but admits "teams would be mad not to be interested" in the player after his two-goal salvo knocked Drogheda out of the FAI Cup on Friday evening.
Afolabi was called up to Stephen Kenny's senior international squad for the tie with the Netherlands earlier this week and, although he didn’t make the match-day squad, his club boss knows how big a deal the call-up was for the youngster.
"When he got called in he was delighted," Cronin said. "He went straight up to the training ground, got his boots and headed in. We were all delighted for him. It would have been nice if he’d got on the bench [against Netherlands] but to be called up was a great achievement. He’s come back flying, he was flying beforehand.
"There’ll be a lot of interest in him with the goals he’s scoring but good luck to him, he deserves it because between the two goals he got earlier in the season and then when he wasn’t scoring goals he was getting a little bit of flak.
"But he kept his composure, trained very well and we all knew once he hit the back of the net again, the goals would come. He’s a fantastic professional, he’s a great person and at this moment in time, this time of the season, he knows where the goal is…
"The rate he’s scoring goals, it’s going to be hard to hold onto him. Temas would be mad not to be interested. There seems to be a new transfer window every week in Europe. We’re just hoping we get to finish out the season with him and then we’ll see how it goes.
"We understand there’s going to be huge interest in Jonathan Afolabi but while he’s with Bohs he’s going to keep on hitting the back of the net and drag us somewhere where we can achieve something at the end of the season.
Bohs impressed at Weavers Park after the home side’s Ryan Brennan had equalised from the spot following Krystian Nowak’s opener for the Dubliners. Afolabi’s second-half brace ensured the Gypsies name went into the hat for the semi-finals.
"Anything that gets us through to the semi-final is good football," Cronin added. "We dominated – I hate the word dominate – but we were the better side in the first half, we could have went in more than one goal up.
"Drogheda came out second half really, really strong. They got the penalty, it probably was a penalty – I think we should have had one ourselves in the first half but that’s football.
"Our reaction was perfect. To get a goal straight away and get ourselves back in the lead. We saw it out, got the penalty at the end and delighted to get through to the semi-finals.
"We needed to calm down and we did. We got a really good second goal and for periods of the second half we wee calm on the ball. When we do that we’re a good side. Hopefully now when we step into the semi-final, we can keep our composure and play the way we know we can play.
Along with Afolabi, another young tyro, James Clarke, has also caught the eye of late after a relatively slow start to the season. Cronin suggested it was always only a matter of time before the tricky attacker found his best form.
"James Clarke has been outstanding since he got his run of form," Cronin said. "James is the type of player that needed to get back-to-back, three games on the spin. The competition for places at the start of the season was difficult for him. He could have wobbled, but he’s come into really good form. I’ve never seen anybody dribbling with the ball the way James can.
"You see his composure for the second goal to slip Jon Afolabi in. That’ not the first time that’s happened, obviously. The winner against Dundalk was similar… he’s kept focus, James, he deserves his run of form at the moment and he more than deserved his Player of the Month award.
"The competition for places is really strong. Our players are coming good at just the right time in the season and that’s good for us."
