Dundalk forward seeks redemption against former club

Tralee native Leo Gaxha will be seeking redemption this Friday night as SSE Airtricity League First Division leaders Dundalk FC welcome his former club, Kerry, to Oriel Park for what will be their first-ever visit to the Carrick Road venue (kick-off, 7:45pm).

The two sides have met only once before — a tightly contested encounter in February at Mounthawk Park, where Dundalk secured a narrow 1-0 victory.

READ NEXT: Louth Ladies win second Leinster JFC title in a row

That night, however, was marred for Gaxha, who received the first red card of his career following a reckless high-foot challenge on Niall Brookwell in front of his hometown crowd.

Crowned Kerry’s Player of the Year during their debut League of Ireland campaign in 2023, Gaxha now prepares to face familiar faces with steely resolve.

“It’s a big one for all of us,” he told The Democrat ahead of the anticipated reunion, this time under the lights at Oriel.

“It definitely kind of hurt me the last time I was down there, just in terms of everything. The reaction of the supporters down there — I thought it’d be better.

“Look, it was a red card, no complaining, but I just thought there was some nasty stuff said in the crowd. That’s football. For me, it’s another football match, and I play for Dundalk, so I just want to get three points against them.”

Now under the guidance of former Cork City boss Colin Healy, Kerry arrive in Dundalk unbeaten in three, sitting eighth in the table—just four points off the play-offs with a game in hand.

“They’ve got a great manager in now,” said Gaxha. “They have good players, they’ve improved their squad, and it will be a tough game.

“It’s not to say teams don’t try against other teams, but when teams in the First Division play against Dundalk, they give that bit more — you can see it in every other game.

“The way teams set up — I wouldn’t say it’s negative — but it’s to hold that result. A draw is a great result for anyone against us, but we just need to find a way. It’s about breaking teams down, and I thought we did that great (against Cobh Ramblers).”

In their most recent outing, The Lilywhites edged out fellow promotion contenders Cobh Ramblers 2-1 in a fiery clash by the harbour at St Colman’s Park.

The result opened up a six-point gap between Dundalk and Cobh in the promotion race, while Bray Wanderers climbed into second place—four points adrift of The Lilywhites—following their 3-1 victory over Athlone Town at the Carlisle Grounds that same evening.

“There were tackles flying in and there was a bit of nastiness about it,” reflected Gaxha afterwards. “That makes it better, a bit more of a rivalry.

“We know they’re going to be our rivals this season. We’ve played them twice already and we’ve got six points. Every time we play them, that’s our aim, and it’s the aim with everyone really. It was nice, though. It was nice to have a bit of nastiness.

“It was difficult because they were very direct,” he continued. “It’s always a tough game when you come up against a team like that, but the lads at the back and in midfield just showed how good they are. It starts from the front as well.

“Being honest, I don’t think anyone works as hard as us as a team on the pitch. If you work hard, you always give yourself a chance, and that’s what we did — we walked out with the three points, and we fully deserved it.”

The outcome in Cobh stretched Dundalk’s unbeaten streak in the League of Ireland to 16 matches across this season and the last, with The Lilywhites triumphing in 10 of their 15 encounters thus far in 2025.

“There’s going to be a time in the season where we go on a bit of a—I wouldn’t say a dip—but you might not get the results you want,” warned Gaxha.

“There’s a saying: if you don’t win, don’t lose. We’re unbeaten, but it’s not something we’re actually thinking about.

“We’re just going game by game, and we obviously wanted those draws to be wins, but we can’t really dwell on the past. It’s just about Kerry next week now.”