Dundalk FC prepared for the battle that took place in Ballybofey

Ciaran Kilduff praised the performance of Dundalk FC goalkeeper Enda Minogue after The Lilywhites defeated Finn Harps 1-0 in the SSE Airtricity League First Division.

Knocklyon-native Minogue, who switched Athlone Town for Dundalk during the close season, has achieved two clean sheets in as many league appearances for his new club.

His debut, a 1-0 triumph over Athlone at Oriel Park, saw little action for the 23-year-old.

However, he showed his worth throughout the victorious encounter against Harps on Friday night in Ballybofey – making a string of fine saves to help Dundalk to a 1-0 win.

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“I’m delighted for him,” manager Kilduff told The Democrat afterwards. “That’s why we brought him here, I know he’s a top ‘keeper.

“I’ve seen him first-hand, and not only is he a great ‘keeper, but he’s also a great person to have around the place. He’s a pro, he wants to push on in his career and he knows how great it is to be at Dundalk.

“He was one of the first people I sat down with in the off-season and to see him help us win a game was huge. We hadn’t conceded any goals before tonight, but we hadn’t conceded many shots on target.

“Tonight, we did, and we needed him tonight. He stepped up and I’m delighted for him. He deserves a good night and this was one of them.”

At the other end, the game’s decisive moment came within the first two minutes, with Sean Keogh scoring his first-ever goal, curling a free-kick into the bottom corner.

“Sean has all the quality and technical ability to do stuff like that,” Kilduff enthused. “We talked about having a fast start and I thought we started the game quite well. Free-kick on the edge of the box – obviously it’s a moment of quality that wins you a game.

“When you score early, you’re not thinking that’s going to be the only goal of the game, but it was, and I thought we defended well. It was a battle, I don’t think any players enjoyed the game, but they enjoyed the result.

“We prepared for exactly what we thought it would be, which was a battle and a war, and it was hard-fought. This is the division as well.

“You have to come to places, weather storms and maybe take your chances when they come. We created some chances on what was a very difficult night.

“We were saying it ourselves from the sideline, the pitch looked not great, but it was even worse on the pitch. It was unplayable to be honest, but we came down and we dealt with it. We knew what we were signing up for here.

“You’re never getting an easy game in Ballybofey. Ballybofey in February in particular can be a tough place to come to get three points.”