St Patrick’s Athletic’s Cup-winning goalkeeper Dean Lyness a possibility to replace James Talbot at Bohemians

And ex-Saint Jake Carroll could also land at Dalymount Park as the 32-year-old is on trial with the Gypsies, aiming to relaunch his career after a lengthy absence due to injury.

While Bohs have goalkeeper Luke Dennison on the books, as well as highly rated teenager Joe Collins, the decision by former Sunderland man Talbot to step back from the game for a spell to address mental health issues means they need to add to the squad in that position.

Today's Sport News in 90 Seconds - 10th January

Speaking on Tuesday, boss Declan Devine pledged his support to Talbot in his recovery process from those mental health challenges and said the door remained open for him to return if and when he felt the time was right to play again.

"In all my time in the professional game, he’s one of the best people I have ever met,” Devine said. “He’s very honest and straight, a very talented guy and he deserves huge praise for addressing the issues that were discussed.

"I find it very brave of James to come out and address his issues, everybody connected with the club will give him their full support. He has been an outstanding player for Bohemians, he’s an outstanding person to work with on a daily basis and he’s shown great courage and leadership over the last year or two, especially with his injury."

And that could see Lyness stay in Ireland despite his plan to return to the UK. The 32-year-old, capped at youth level by England, was a huge success with St Pat's last season, arriving from Airdrie after the start of the campaign as Tim Clancy’s team struggled, but after a short spell on the bench, he worked his way into the side and then played every minute of every game, assisting in a run which landed an FAI Cup medal and a runner-up spot in the league.

As his family remained in Scotland, it was expected that he would return to Britain and Pat’s signed Brazilian keeper Marcelo Pitaluga on loan from Liverpool to challenge Danny Rogers, while the Saints also had the option of recalling David Odumosu from his loan spell with Cliftonville. But Lyness is now reportedly considering a second stint in Ireland, which could lead to a move to Dalymount Park.

Bohs boss Declan Devine is running his eye over the versatile Jake Carroll. A title winner with St Pat’s in 2013, he has been in Britain for a decade, with spells at Huddersfield Town, Bury, Partick, Hartlepool, Cambridge and Motherwell. But he has been out of action since July 2022, having suffered a serious knee injury, and is now a free agent, training with Bohs with a view to winning a contract. Carroll has clocked up over 250 first-team appearances in England and Scotland.