With Bohs having finished the debut League of Ireland season in 2nd place we were hoping to go one better the following year and secure the club’s first ever league title. The challenge would be all the greater as the league had swelled from an initial eight teams to twelve, which included the first non-Dublin side in the form of Athlone Town.

Also added to the league were Midland Athletic (associated with the Midland Great Western Railway company), Pioneers, Shelbourne United (no relation to the other Shelbourne, but you see how this can be confusing), Shamrock Rovers, and finally Rathmines Athletic. The Rathmines side were a late addition, initially UCD were going to enter a side but pulled out just before the beginning of the season, allowing Rathmines the chance to play their one and only season of LOI football. It was an inglorious season for the Southsiders as they finished bottom of the table, pulling out of the league even before they’d played their final fixture against Dublin United.

At the other end of the table, it was a three-way fight for supremacy between Bohemians, Shelbourne and newcomers Shamrock Rovers. While Bohs were table toppers at the halfway point, and ran up some spectacular scorelines, including a 7-0 win over Pioneers and an 8-0 drubbing of Olympia, costly defeats to the likes of Shelbourne and Midland Athletic at crucial points in the season meant Bohs had to settle for 3rd place.

The title went to Shamrock Rovers in their debut LOI season, fired to victory by the goals of Bob Fullam, banned at the start of the season for his part in the previous season’s Cup final fracas, Fullam scored 27 times as Rovers lifted the league title.

In the Cup there was a huge surprise win when Alton United, a Belfast team affiliated to the Dublin based FAI, defeated heavy favourites Shelbourne in the final with former Belfast Celtic forward Andy McSherry grabbing the winning goal.

Two weeks later Bohemians played their first match against Continental opposition, drawing 1-1 with French side Club Athletic Paris Gallia, who became the first European team to visit Dublin since the split from the IFA. While it was a season that ultimately ended without a trophy Bohs were putting together a talented squad which now included South African midfielder Billy Otto, the talented and tricky inside forward Christy Robinson and a new striker from England named Dave Roberts allied to a core of experienced players such as Harry Willets, Johnny Murray and Johnny McIllroy, they’d have reason to be optimistic.

For the summary of the 1923-24 season click here.