Dundalk determined to produce the goods against the Kingdom

Dundalk FC remain firmly grounded, insisting they are taking each fixture as it comes, despite opening up an eight-point cushion at the top of the SSE Airtricity League First Division with only eight games left on the calendar.

Their emphatic 7-0 dismantling of Treaty United in Limerick on Friday night, combined with Cobh Ramblers’ 2-2 home stalemate against UCD, has left The Lilywhites requiring just 17 points from the 24 still on offer to mathematically seal an immediate return to the Premier Division.

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Yet, while Dundalk appear overwhelming favourites to lift the First Division crown, manager Ciaran Kilduff has urged restraint, mindful that a potentially decisive trip to second-placed Cobh looms on the final day of the season, October 17th.

“I never judged it as eight, because Cobh will always think they just need to get to within three and then it’s a shootout,” he said. “We’ll go one game at a time, and we’ll keep chipping away. Obviously, the more you can stretch it at this pivotal moment, the better. If we stretch it, it’s great news, but if you drop points next week, they can gain them back.

“We’re eight now; we’ve never been more than seven, so this is the biggest the gap has ever been, which is a nice time for it. But there’s a lot of work to be done.

“There’s nothing won,” he added. “We were seven points clear at one stage and ended up a point clear then, about three weeks later. We’re eight now; every week is one game at a time.”

Dundalk’s next assignment comes this Friday night at Oriel Park (kick-off, 7:45pm), where they host Kerry.

While The Lilywhites will be strong favourites, the League of Ireland’s newest club have found their stride under Colin Healy since his arrival in May, earning an FAI Cup quarter-final berth and keeping themselves firmly in contention for a First Division playoff spot.

“All of a sudden, different pressure comes on when you have young lads in the dressing room—how you are expected to win certain games,” said Kilduff. “You’re going for a league, and you’ll hear groans and oohs. Oriel can get like that; every ground in world football can be like that. So we just need to make sure that we’re calm in every game at a time, and hopefully next week we can put on a good performance in our own backyard against Kerry.

“Colin is a great manager. He’s been around, he’s won this division with Cork. He has great experience and is a guy I have a lot of respect for. It’s only a matter of time until he turns them into a better unit. They’re in the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup as well, so they will have an eye on that, but confidence will be high in their camp.”

Dundalk and Kerry have already crossed paths three times this season, with The Lilywhites edging a 1-0 victory with 10 men at Mounthawk Park early in the campaign, before recording a 2-0 win at Oriel in May—a game that left Kilduff openly critical of his side’s display on the night.

Their most recent encounter came in Tralee at the start of last month, where Dundalk cruised to a 4-0 triumph, though two stoppage-time strikes added a flattering sheen to the scoreline.

“Every team in this division, you can see, goes through peaks and troughs,” remarked the Dundalk manager. “We went through one ourselves, and maybe down there we got them at the right time, when they were probably in a low, but they seem to be coming strong now. Confidence is growing; the manager is getting a stamp on things.

“You have followed us to every game. Generally, you don’t get an easy one. I was really annoyed with Kerry at home earlier in the season when I made three changes at half-time. We weren’t good at home to Kerry, and we were lucky to win that game, you would consider, so we’ll make sure that we won’t be dependent on luck, hopefully, next Friday.”

With Leo Gaxha and Ethen Vaughan still long-term absentees, Dundalk are also expected to be without Shane Tracey for Kerry’s visit, although Luke Mulligan is set to return to full training this week and may come back into contention, while Sean McHale remains a doubt.

Dundalk remain unbeaten on home soil in the league this season—a proud record they will be determined to preserve when they welcome a Kerry side still searching for their first away victory since May.

Reflecting on the return to Oriel after a three-week absence, Kilduff paid tribute to the supporters: “They’ve been brilliant in recent weeks, in particular. The travelling support have always been there, but you can feel a difference at home now. We took a lot of confidence from the Athlone game, finishing so strong, scoring six goals, new players getting their first goals. The place was electric, and we are calling for it now.

“We need the place to be electric. Everyone’s going to say you’re eight clear. No—we’re five clear, or we have to go down to Cobh and they can beat us. So everything matters now; every point matters.

“They dropped points, but it could be us next week and it closes again. Everyone locally who’s been around this club for the last couple of decades has to realise how bad it was only 10 months ago. And now, leading into this, we’re going to need everyone rowing in behind each other, because we are on the home stretch. But it can be a long stretch too, and we need to add every one of those points.”