Bohemians 1 Bradford City 4

The photo in the board room isn’t what you’d usually expect to find at a football ground – especially one whose best days look to be long behind them.

But Dalymount Park, where City wound up their week in Ireland, boasts an illustrious piece of history.

Once known as the home of Irish football, the oldest ground in Dublin staged internationals as recently as 1990.

Unfortunately, plans to rebuild a new ground were put on permanent hold a few years ago after the Irish economy collapsed and the old stadium has predictably suffered for it.

It is, though, an iconic venue for music fans – as the stage where Bob Marley held what was believed to be his final outdoor concert. Hence the picture of the reggae legend beneath the main stand.

There were no such headline-making performers in Saturday’s friendly. But with the way pre-season is building, City’s travelling fans could be excused for feeling that “every little thing’s gonna be all right” ...

The training break in Ireland has become a tried and trusted means of preparation. It built the fitness and tight-knit bond which forged last season and the signs now are just as encouraging.

James Meredith and trialist Raffaele De Vita were spared duty with minor niggles and they were joined on the sidelines by Ricky Ravenhill, after he felt a slight stiffness in the warm-up. He should be okay for tomorrow’s trip to his old club Grimsby.

The late reshuffle of an already reshuffled side saw Jason Kennedy joined in central midfield by Jack Stock-dill, whose youth-team duties are usually at right back or centre half.

And the second-year apprentice seized his opportunity, making his mark early with a crunching challenge that brought a loud cheer from the contingent of travelling fans.

Parkinson highlighted the energy of Stockdill, defender Niall Heaton and striker Louie Swain as the youngsters made the most of their day in the sun.

The surface did not help anyone. Tinder dry and bobbly, it made attempts to run any distance in possession very difficult – as Kyel Reid found when one surge into the Bohs box ended with the ball bouncing around his shins.

Reid saw plenty of action – and came in for some pretty direct treatment from a makeshift home side.

Bohs had won an important league game the night before at Bray – their first victory for two months – and only two of that squad featured 15 hours later against City.

But the replacements set about the visitors in a feisty manner, which saw Reid trade a few verbals with Dave Scully and Michael Barker after one slightly unnecessary lunge on the touchline.

Any rough stuff was water off a duck’s back for Andrew Davies, making his first appearance since owning Northampton’s target men at Wembley.

Davies cruised through the first 45 minutes, although he did find himself in a posse of City shirts outjumped at the back post from a corner for the Bohemians goal.

Michael Scott met Conor Murphy’s header with one of his own but Jason Kennedy looked to have matters under control as he cleared off the line. Assistant referee Wayne McDonnell thought otherwise and flagged for the goal.

As with Athlone four days earlier, City did not trail for long as Kennedy’s corner picked out Garry Thompson for a near-post nodder ten minutes later.

Thompson could have had another but a heavy touch ruined Alan Connell’s delicate through pass and Swain clattered the bar from a Davies knock-down.

A second goal arrived right on half-time again from a Kennedy set-piece. This one was hit deeper, where Michael Nelson netted for the first time since joining City in January.

Kennedy’s impressive delivery suggested there could be plenty of healthy competition with Gary Jones and Mark Yeates on corners and free-kicks.

After stints at full back and in midfield, Swain was enjoying an afternoon in his natural attacking role. And his persistence got its reward soon after the restart with an angled finish from Connell’s ball over the top.

Parkinson wheeled out the big guns for the closing stages and Wells – the man with 30-30 vision this season – once again demonstrated that his sights are spot on right now with a third goal in as many friendlies.

CITY: McLaughlin, Heaton, Davies (trialist 46), Nelson (McArdle 61), McHugh (Darby 61), Thompson (Doyle 61), Stockdill, Kennedy (Jones 61), Reid (Yeates 61), Connell (Wells 61), Swain (Hanson 61).