Alan Reynolds Questions Dawson Devoy Ireland Omission After Bohs Winner

Dawson Devoy could hardly have picked a better night to remind everyone what he has been doing for Bohemians all season.

Less than 24 hours after being left out of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s latest Republic of Ireland squad, the Bohs captain arrived in the 90th minute to score the winner against Drogheda United at Dalymount Park. The 2-1 victory kept Alan Reynolds’ side right in the Premier Division title race and, by Saturday morning, his manager was asking how a player who started for Ireland in June had fallen so far out of the picture.

Reynolds said he understood Devoy had missed not only the final 26-man squad, but Ireland’s wider provisional and standby lists too. Those panels aren’t made public by the FAI, so that part can only be taken as Reynolds’ account, but his frustration was fairly obvious.

“I’m disappointed and it makes me think it was a token gesture.”

There is a bit of irony in that wording. When Devoy received his first senior call-up in May, Reynolds was making the exact opposite point.

“This isn’t a token call-up either. It’s something he deserves.”

At the time, Reynolds also called him the best midfielder in the League of Ireland. It didn’t sound particularly outrageous then, and his season since hasn’t done much to weaken the argument.

Devoy has been Bohs’ player of the season so far. He has carried the armband, controlled games from midfield and increasingly become the player Reynolds’ side look towards when they need something. His performances had already earned recognition before the Ireland call-up, including third-place finishes in the Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month voting in February and May, while RTÉ analysts Alan Cawley and Richie Towell were both speaking about him as the central figure in this Bohs side.

Friday night was another example. Connor Parsons gave Bohs the lead before Andrew Quinn levelled for Drogheda, and with the game heading towards a draw that would have done Reynolds’ side few favours in the title race, Devoy arrived at the edge of the area and finished it.

There is a nice bit of symmetry to where he now finds himself at Dalymount too. Devoy came through the Bohs academy, played UEFA Youth League football for the club and made his senior debut under Keith Long before moving to MK Dons in 2022. He returned permanently in July 2024 with Bohs looking much more nervously towards the bottom half of the table than the top.

Two years later, he is captaining them through a title race.

His Ireland debut in June carried its own piece of club history. Devoy started the 1-1 friendly draw with Canada in Montreal, becoming the first Bohemians player to win a senior Republic of Ireland cap since Glen Crowe in 2002. For a club that has long taken pride in developing its own players, one of its academy graduates reaching the senior national team again after more than two decades felt significant.

The debut itself lasted 45 minutes and Reynolds has since admitted it wasn’t the easiest night for him. Hallgrímsson also has midfielders playing at a higher level every week, so there is no suggestion Devoy should simply walk into an Ireland squad because he is playing well for Bohs.

What Reynolds is questioning is how quickly the door appears to have closed.

Devoy was good enough to enter the senior setup in May and start for Ireland a few weeks later. Since coming back to Dalymount, he has continued playing every week, captaining a side competing for the league and producing decisive moments like Friday night.

Yet three months after that first cap, his manager believes he isn’t even sitting on the fringes of the squad.

League of Ireland players have heard plenty about pathways, opportunities and the importance of domestic football to the national setup. Devoy has come through an academy here, gone abroad, returned home, become captain, played himself into an Ireland squad and continued performing after his debut.

If that still isn’t enough to remain in the conversation, is the League of Ireland really being taken seriously?