Ebbe sparks Dundalk’s dramatic turnaround

Dundalk FC’s leading scorer, Dean Ebbe, has underlined the team’s steady focus, stating that The Lilywhites are taking each fixture as it comes while they enjoy a six-point lead at the top of the SSE Airtricity League First Division heading into the mid-season break.

In a dramatic clash against Wexford at Ferrycarrig Park on Friday night, and trailing 2-1, Dundalk looked set for their first loss of the campaign until Clondalkin native Ebbe struck his seventh league goal in the 70th minute to draw level, before Luke Mulligan secured a late winner in the 87th.

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Ebbe also registered an assist for Leo Gaxha’s 13th-minute opener, bringing his total goal involvements this season to nine—just one short of his tally at the same point last year, when he finished as the division’s top scorer with Athlone Town.

“We started off well and then got complacent in the first half, but three points is massive going into the break, and still unbeaten, so we’re delighted,” Ebbe told The Democrat in Wexford, reflecting on Dundalk’s hard-earned victory, which marked their 12th win in 17 matches this season.

“You couldn’t ask for a better season so far, but there’s still a long way to go,” added the 30-year-old. “We just need to keep pushing. We’ll enjoy a good week off now to reset, and then it’s back in on the Sunday. It’ll be a tough game against UCD—there are no easy games.

“It’s probably a good thing—the break—because it resets everyone: little niggles that you have, especially me, that I’m a bit older now, I’m feeling a few things,” he laughed.

In the clash against Wexford, Ebbe was deployed not in his usual centre-forward role but playing just behind fellow striker Gbemi Arubi, a strategic shift by manager Ciaran Kilduff that paid dividends, as Ebbe—having been sidelined for the previous three games—both scored and assisted during the match.

“It only took 30 years to find me a new position,” he joked. “I enjoyed it, to be honest; I enjoyed getting little touches of the ball.

“The manager asked me early on in the week if I can do a role in there. I’ll play anywhere, it doesn’t bother me. Obviously, I want to score goals, but if the manager asks me to play somewhere, I’ll play for him.

“Lucky enough I was able to get on the end of one, it just rolled at me again, so I was able to stumble it across. They’re the best ones, I think! I’m delighted to get the goal to bring us back into it.”

As has so often been the case this season, The Lilywhites were once again required to dig deep against Wexford to secure all three points—a display of resilience that Ebbe believes will serve them well when the second half of the campaign begins against UCD at Oriel Park on Friday week.

“It’s massive,” he said. “It’s a whole new squad, no one has played with each other. The manager has done well, picking each player, each personnel.

“There’s great characters in the dressing room, a mixture of young lads with old lads. I think he’s got it spot on, to be honest, but as I said, it’s still early in the season. We just need to keep kicking on.

“It’s a long way, and the manager—he’s the same—we take it one game at a time. Until we win it, or are in the playoffs, or whatever it is, we won’t say anything until it’s done. We’ll just take it one game at a time, each week at a time, but we’ll enjoy this week anyway.”