There's no lonelier place for a striker than their own mind when the goals dry up.
The crowd expects, team-mates hope, and the striker shoulders it all. In that mental fog, every run feels incorrect, every touch laboured, and even the most routine of finishes becomes a test of nerve.
Last weekend, in the 88th minute of Bohemians 1-0 win away to Sligo, Lys Mousset found his release.
A great run in behind, second favourite to get to the ball and a single swing of the right foot led to a precious goal, and with it came the kind of relief only a striker will truly understand.
Mousset’s start to life in the League of Ireland hasn’t matched the hype that accompanied his arrival.
Expectations were understandably high for a player who had graced the Premier League, but football very rarely sticks to the plan.
He began the season as Bohemians’ primary front man, but performances lacked edge and goals never followed.
Eventually, his role shifted from starter to substitute, his minutes whittled down to cameos that offered little opportunity.
After starting the opening three games of the season what followed was six appearances off the bench with a return of zero goals.
The murmurings around his fitness began to grow louder. And in fairness, they weren’t unfounded.
Mousset has been clearly chasing sharpness, playing catch-up in a league where demands are high and games are unrelenting.
For any player, finding match fitness mid-season is difficult; for a striker out of form and fighting to find rhythm, it can be cruel.
But last Saturday, he got his moment. And with that moment comes a change in everything, not just in how others see him, but in how he sees himself.
There isn’t a striker in the world who hasn’t suffered a dry spell. It comes with the job.
The difference is in how each striker copes. I’ve played with forwards who blame the service: if they’re not scoring, it must be the delivery.
Others turn to superstition - lucky boots, the same pre-match meal, even the same pair of socks that brought them joy once upon a time.
Some pretend not to care, showing a carefree swagger in the dressing room while silently agonising over every miss. Then there are those who internalise it all, replaying every fluffed chance over and over, letting it eat into them.
There’s no right or wrong way - just different personalities managing the same demons.
Personally, I’ve lived through all those phases. From blaming the tactics to hoping a fresh haircut would change my luck, it’s only with experience that I learned the only way through is forward.
You turn up. You train. You stay ready. Eventually, the game gives you something back.
The Moose finally gets his goal! 🫎
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) May 10, 2025
What a time to get it! pic.twitter.com/VgajQPgt8I
And that’s where Mousset’s winner becomes more than a statistic. It’s a mental reset. It’s the moment that triggers a run of goalscoring form - or at least the hope of one.
What makes Mousset’s journey more layered is the physical element.
He’s clearly trying to get his body right while being expected to deliver. There’s a huge difference between being fit enough to train and fit enough to compete at a high level in a demanding, high-tempo league.
Weight loss, energy levels, muscle recovery - these aren’t minor hurdles.
And trying to get leaner while still being explosive on matchday with energy levels to match the expectations of a game can be a losing battle.
Still, when the goal finally arrives, everything changes.
This week, training will feel different for him. The ball will sit more kindly, contact with the ball will feel cleaner and the shoulders will feel a little lighter. He’ll laugh more. He’ll move freer.
And, crucially, the mistakes won’t haunt him as much, because the mind, now at ease, is less likely to punish itself.
The reward for persistence, as any striker knows, is the glorious moment when the ball hits the net and the world goes quiet for half a second.
Throughout my whole career, the phrase 'it’s a famine or a feast' sticks in the mind the most.
Now that Mousset has had his first bite, he’ll be desperate to return to the table tonight against Shelbourne.
Belief is a funny thing. One goal can restore it. One moment can breathe life into a season that felt like it was slipping away.
Mousset will still have to earn every second on the pitch. The competition for places is strong and his performances must now carry the same purpose he showed in the final minutes against Sligo.
If he can follow that 88th-minute winner with another big moment tonight, the narrative shifts.
No longer the Premier League name struggling to fit in - but a striker finding form in the League of Ireland.
Strikers are judged on goals. Behind every finish is a battle, and behind every drought, a deeper story.
Lys Mousset’s story may have started slowly, but the hope for Bohemians fans is that it’s far from finished.
After last week’s release, maybe, just maybe, the feast is about to begin.
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