Super-sub Arubi eager to catch the eye of Dundalk boss

Dundalk FC’s Gbemi Arubi was left with a mix of elation and reflection after making a memorable impact from the bench, scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to earn a 2-2 draw against Bray Wanderers in the SSE Airtricity League First Division — his first-ever goal in the League of Ireland.

Moments after Dundalk fell 2-1 behind in a high-stakes clash against second-placed Bray, the 20-year-old forward was introduced in the 89th minute, replacing the experienced Keith Ward.

Three minutes later, Oriel Park burst into jubilation as Arubi connected with Sean Keogh’s inch-perfect corner, guiding a commanding header into the net before wheeling away in pure elation to the roar of the home faithful.

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His late heroics rescued a vital point for the league leaders, kept their unbeaten run intact, and etched his name into the evening’s defining moment.

“I’m happy to come on and score, but just disappointed with the result at the end of the day,” Arubi said shortly after the final whistle.

“I’ve struggled a bit with little niggles and injuries, but I’m just working hard in training every day. The lads are working as well, pushing me to come back and make an impact like I did tonight.

“It was good to grasp it at the end. If we didn’t win that there, Bray have closed in on us, so it was just good to get the point at least, if not the win.

“It just shows, in the dying end of things, we’re always fighting to get a result no matter what.”

The point earned keeps Bray four points behind The Lilywhites, while Cobh Ramblers, who defeated Wexford on the same night, leapfrogged into second, now just three points off the top ahead of their clash with Dundalk this Friday night at St Colman’s Park (kick-off, 7:45pm).

“We are only looking at ourselves, just take it game by game, push ourselves and pick up as much points as we can along the road,” added the former Republic of Ireland U19 international.

“Cobh is a very hard place to go to, but we’ll be working hard in training and we’ll prepare right. We’ll go down and we’ll try to do the fans proud.”

A former schoolboy at Cherry Orchard in Dublin, Arubi made his League of Ireland debut with Shelbourne in 2023 before spending the 2024 season with Waterford.

He joined Ciaran Kilduff’s rebuilding project at Dundalk last December, and while he has made 10 appearances off the bench, he has yet to start a league match for the club, not helped by a recent groin injury.

“It’s a very professional place,” said Arubi. “All the lads are super. Everyone’s working hard, everyone’s pushing. We’re trying to get back up to the Premier Division where we belong, but we’re just taking it step by step.

“Coming on today is just a little glimpse of what I can do if I’m on the pitch, so I’m just trying to show the gaffer every week, week in, week out, what I can do.

“I’ll just keep putting in the work, and hopefully the minutes will come along with that.

“I had a groin injury, but I’m back now. Like I said, I’m trying to work hard every day in training and catch the manager’s eye.”

And catch the manager’s eye he did, prompting the following remarks after the match: “Gbemi coming on and having a moment like that, he needed it. We need players to step up now.

“I’m not just going to give opportunities; they need to be earned, and that comes from everything they do around this place. In fairness, Gbemi has probably got a little bit unfortunate in previous weeks with the injuries and stuff like that.

“He was due to start a previous game, and the Thursday he got hurt in training. He probably hasn’t had much luck going his way, but he made his own luck there tonight, and now he’s after coming up with a big moment for us that might be a catalyst for him and for us to get back to winning ways maybe next week in Cobh.”