What supporting Bohemians means to me.

Shane Saunders
Twitter: @ShaneSaunders88

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I'm only a relatively recent convert to the League Of Ireland and in particular, a little club named Bohemians. In my two years of supporting this team, I've grown ever so slightly obsessed with them.

My first game at Dalymount was a Europa League tie against Slovenian outfit Olimpija Ljubljana. A friend of mine mentioned the game was on to and given the Premier League season had finished, I figured I'd go along given I'd nothing else to do.

All in all, it was a strange experience for me. It felt very alien to me sitting in the stands watching players whose names I didn't even know with fans cheering and singing about a club I had never watched before.

I'm not sure what enticed me to go back and try again but I plucked up the courage and went by myself to a league game that following Friday. Derry City were in town and Bohs lost 0-1 in the closing minutes of the game. After the game, a section of disgruntled fans were moaning and I left with the result going in one ear and right out the other.

I had bought a match programme that night and was reading about upcoming home fixtures. I sporadically returned to Dalymount for the duration of that season and looked ahead to the following season and was looking forward to starting anew from the very beginning.

The following season, I went to the first home game of the season against Shelbourne. A 2-0 loss was a tad disappointing but I continued to go back a bit more frequently. It wasn't until a certain date in July 2012 did I start to feel something for the club. My first derby against Shamrock Rovers was greeted with my first Bohemians jersey that day. I'd never seen or heard an atmosphere quite like it in Dalymount that day. A four nil thrashing of fierce rivals is something special and I found myself jumping and screaming like a lunatic for every goal. The full time whistle saw me chanting songs I'd only picked up that day and loved every minute of it. It was this moment when I felt like I belonged to something.

Fast forward to the 2013 season. I introduced my wallet to a Bohemians season ticket and the first time I've started going to away games.
I still follow Newcastle United and have done for years but live football is something I just can't get enough of.

It's not just the games that I enjoy.

It's the craic in the bar beforehand and listening to stories about the history of Dalymount and the players that have come and gone that have left their mark.

It's the journey to and from away fixtures with warm beer, off key singing, spontaneous chants and cheering on your team regardless of the scoreline.

It's the ecstatic last minute winners/equalisers and the crushing defeats.

It's the things you don't see beyond the TV cameras. The jokes, the friendly banter with stewards etc.

That's only my experience. What's yours?