Dundalk FC have announced the loan signing of Bobby Faulkner

The 19-year-old centre-back will wear the number 28 shirt at Oriel Park and, pending international clearance, is in line to make his debut for the club against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday night.

“I reached out to Doncaster’s assistant manager Cliff Byrne, who is an ex-centre back himself, to see if they had anybody available and he mentioned Bobby, so we looked into him,” said Dundalk FC manager Jon Daly.

“He's got experience in League Two football so he's coming in with that experience under his belt, which is fantastic for us because you don't always get that with loan signings.

“He's aggressive, he likes to compete and he's brave so we're looking forward to getting to work with him. 

“He was hungry to come over. He wants to do well and he's desperate to play. He'll have to fight his way to get into the team and make sure he stays in it but we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do.” 

A graduate of the Doncaster Rovers academy, Faulker made his first-team debut for his hometown club in August 2022 and was named man of the match for his display against Northampton Town. 

Loan spells at Spennymoor Town and Frickley Athletic followed before he returned to Doncaster where he has gone on to make over 20 first-team appearances in League Two.

“My manager at Doncaster rang me about a week ago and said that Dundalk were interested and it's something that I liked the sound of straight away,” said Faulkner.

“I’ve played a good handful of games at men's football now, and I'm ready to kick on and get more games under my belt and I think that Dundalk is going to be a great place for me to improve my game.

“It's my first time moving away from home so as well as being vital for my career, I know it will be a good experience for me away from football.”

Faulkner played alongside former St Patrick’s Athletic defender Jay McGrath at his parent club and he said the 2023 FAI Cup winner gave the League of Ireland, and Daly, a glowing recommendation.

“I’ve been doing a lot of research on the league and speaking to lads that have been over here and Jay said he loved it. 

“He said there’s a lot of eyes on the league and he also worked under the manager here and said that he's a brilliant person so I can't wait to get it going.

“I love the art of defending,” he added. “When it comes to my team, the manager, the fans, I’ll run through brick walls for them, so that’s what I hope to show when I’m here for the rest of the season.”