The Commentary Box: Gbemi might be Dundalk's solution in front of goals

Dundalk boss Ciaran Kilduff says Gbemi Arubi's equaliser against Bray Wanderers two minutes into injury time, and the excitement it ignited brought him back to the glory days at Oriel in the Kenny era seven years ago when the Oriel Park side were winning everything in their path.

Dundalk went behind to 10 man Bray with the game ebbing away from them. A Sean Keogh corner on the right was met with a bullet like header from Gbemi two minutes into injury time.

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The atmosphere and the celebrations when the goal went in really touched the manager in a way he has only felt when Dundalk beat Drogheda in the Malone cup in pre-season.

The goal from Arubi had its own message to Kilduff though in the cold light of day. He came on as a substitute on 88 minutes after Bray had got what looked like their winner. But Gbemi has yet to start a game for Dundalk this season.

He showed he may be the solution Dundalk have had in weeks, as they have continually failed to penetrate the defences of the opposition.

The manager had said in his post match conferences weekly after every game since the second round of the league began, that the opposition had learned the way Dundalk played and were cramming their defences.

That may be true in one sense. But the Oriel Park side did not appear to have the ability,to open up defences. Gbemi unlocked the Bray defence with a great goal. He must be given a chance to start.

Neither Eoin Kenny or Dean Ebbe really ever came close to scoring during the game. Ebbe was left on the bench and did come on as a substitute in the second half.

He did nearly score when his header looked a certain goal. It was dramatically headed off the line,with the Bray keeper beaten.
It was Killian Cantwell who headed off the line.

Bray played the game with 10 men for the last 25 minutes of the game when Cian Doyle was sent off for a second bookable offence.

It looked a very harsh decision by referee Daniel Murphy. He denied Dundalk two stone wall penalties and was very card happy throughout the game. This spoiled the game as a spectacle.

Sean McHale got a bad knock on 60 minutes. It was a terrible tackle. The young on loan St Pat's player sustained an ankle injury.

He was to have a scan on Saturday. At the time of writing, I do not know the extent of the injury. Thus it's difficult to say how long the 18 year old will be missing.

Sean was having a terrific game for Dundalk up to that at left full. He scored a terrific goal for Dundalk on 19 minutes. He volleyed home a cracker from the left hand edge of the box.

It was the first time Dundalk scored in the first half in eight games. Dundalk were missing the suspended Aodh Dervin and the injured Harry Groome.

They also left Dean Ebbe on the bench. In came Eoin Kenny, Sean McHale and Shane Tracey. Shane had a magnificent game in the centre of midfield. The 17 year old had a magnificent game.

Harry Groome was also due a scan last Saturday. He is expected to resume training next week and but he will still not be fit for the Cobh game next Friday night.

Goalkeeper Enda Minogue has been out injured for two months with a broken finger. He was back on the bench on Friday night.

He played in goals for the under 20's on Saturday to help improve his match fitness. It was good thinking by the boss to let him play on Saturday, before throwing him back into the deep end of First Division football.

But Enda will be fit for the top of the table game against Cobh on Friday in Cobh. Peter Cherrie has done superbly this season since he came in for the injured Minogue. It's a headache for Kilduff. But I get the impression he will return for the Cobh game.

Enda is an excellent keeper. So is Peter. But I think the much younger keeper will play. Peter is also Enda's goalkeeping coach.

He has described Enda as being highly talented and a top class keeper. Peter has served Dundalk well as he always does and will continue to do so as part of Kieran Kilduff's very good management team.

16 year old TJ Molloy came on as a sub on 88 minutes for Shane Tracey when Dundalk were in dire trouble. TJ is Dundalk's youngest ever goal scorer at aged 15.

Ironically the club's previous ever youngest scorer was the late Peter McParland who died two weeks ago. He was only 16 when he scored against Bohemians at aged 16 in 1950.

This was in the Leinster Senior Cup. He scored twice in a 5-2 win. A minute's silence was held in Peter's memory before the game as well as for life long supporter, Marty Callan who died last week.

Pete McParland went to Leeds United on trial. But he was homesick and returned home. He was set up with a job in the local Great Northern Railway in Dundalk.

Under the eagle eye of the late Sam Prole he made sure that Peter kept to the right diets. He played most of the time for the Dundalk reserves.

He scored six goals in Dundalk's 8-4 defeat of Grangegorman. He also scored a goal in a friendly in 1951 against Leeds United.
He became a first team regular in the team of 1951-52. Peter lost his place during the 1951-52 cup winning run.

He departed Dundalk and went on a trip with his local club Newry Shamrocks. He impressed so much that he signed for Aston Villa.

Over the next ten seasons he became a Villa hero. He scored two goals for Villa in the FA cup final against Manchester United at Wembley. Villa won the cup.

He was a huge success at international level with the North. By the time he retired, he played over 700 games and scored 226 goals. Let's hope TJ Molloy can have the same success as the great Peter McParland.

Peter played 23 times for the Dundalk first team. He scored 8 goals. He made 340 appearances for Aston Villa and scored 120 goals for them.

When TJ Molloy and Gbemi Arubi came on as subs on 88 minutes, they had the immediate impact with Gbemi equalisning by rising high above the Bray defence to head home.

Dean Ebbe seemed to spend a lot of time in the middle of the park and not up front when he came on as a sub in the second half.

In one way it seemed at times as if Dundalk had no strikers in the Bray penalty area. They would have been better off to play with two strikers.

Sean Keogh was my man of the match. He was superb playing on the left wing and caused Bray constant trouble. He was hacked down in the box early in the first half.

It was a definite penalty. The referee was right beside the incident. He totally ignored it. The Dundalk team that lined out on Friday was Peter Cherrie in goals.

Left Full Sean McHale. Right Full Conor O Keeffe. Two centre halves Vinnie Leonard and Mayowa. Left wing Sean keogh. Right wing Leo Gaxha. Two centre midfielders. Shane Tracey Keith Ward.

Daryl Horgan played just ahead of the four midfielders. He had a roving role.Eoin Kenny was the sole striker.

Subs Dean Ebbe for Eoin Kenny Half time. Andy Parashiv for Sean Mchale 59 minutes. Gbemi Arubi for Keith ward 89 minutes. TJ Molloy for Shane Tracey 89 minutes.

This was the 77th game between Dundalk and Bray Wanderers. Eoin Kenny and Sean Keogh got two early crosses in to Daryl Horgan.

His two efforts were not far away. Leo Gaxha got a cross in on fifteen minutes. There was nobody there to finish the ball off.

Ciaran Kilduff's tactic of pushing Sean Keogh out to the left wing and Sean McHale to full back was a master stroke by the manager. Dundalk started by far the best of the sides.

They took the lead in the 19th minute when a cross by Keith Ward was headed clear.only to go straight to Sean McHale. He fired home a cracking volley to the right hand corner of the net to give Dundalk a deserved lead.

They should have got a penalty after just 13 minutes when Sean Keogh was clearly taken down in the box. Bray gradually got back into the game after Dundalk got the first goal.

But Dundalk gifted Bray a goal on 31 minutes when Max Murphy's free was not dealt with as a result of terrible defending in the Dundalk box.

Killian Cantwell totally unmarked rose high to beat Cherrie and head the ball to the net. It was not Cherrie's fault. He was let down by poor defending.

Six minutes from the break Cian Doyle picked up the first of two yellow cards which would see him sent off in the second half. Sean Keogh got a cross in from the left Leo Gaxha's effort was not far away.

Dundalk went in at half time knowing they should have been in front.But they conceeded yet again from yet another set piece and would do so again in the second half.

Dundalk had clear appeals for a penalty waved away when one of the Bray defenders clearly handled in the box. This was the second time the referee had denied Dundalk the chance of a penalty which was definite.

The sooner a VAR system is brought into the League of Ireland the better. It will clearly show up how poor many of the decisions are.

A wrong decision by a referee could cause a team promotion or being relegated to the new second division. That does not come into play until the end of next season in 2026.

I presume whoever finishes bottom of the first Division will automatically be relegated to the new Division.

Second from bottom of the first division will mean a play off with a team who finishes in the promotion play off spot in the second division.

But Bray came right back at Dundalk after they had been denied a penalty. Harvey Warren had a fabulous header that looked to be on it's way to the Dundalk net. Peter Cherrie took off an outstanding save.

Sean McHale then picked up his bad ankle injury in the 60 the minute. He could be out for some time. But hopefully not Leo Gaxha was excellent throughout the night.

He fired in a cross from the right. The ball could easily have gone in. It hit off the top of the crossbar.
Cian Doyle got a second yellow card and was sent off for a foul on Mayowa. It was a very harsh decision. He should never have been sent off.

Shane Tracey was a hero in the centre of midfield. He had a 25 yard effort that was very close. Dean Ebbe had a shot in the box blocked by Max Murphy. But 10 man Bray were defending well as Dundalk could simply not score.

It was the same old story that has resulted in Dundalk drawing four of their last five games. There was just nobody there who seemed capable of putting the ball in the net.

Dean Ebbe suddenly looked to have put Dundalk ahead, with five minutes remaining. His header in the centre of the Bray box was going in for what seemed a certain goal. Somehow Killian Cantwell got back to head the ball of the line.

Bray looked to have won the game with two minutes remaining. Costello's free from the edge of the penalty area. Peter Cherrie got a hand to the ball pushing it onto the cross bar.

The inrushing Harvey Wilson was quick to pounce and drill the ball into the bottom left hand corner corner of the net. Again it was slack defending from Dundalk defenders that gave Wilson the freedom to crash the ball home.

As far as I was concerned that was it and Dundalk were going down to their first defeat. I even tweeted that on social media.

Well young Gbemi Arubi certainly had an answer for me. Dundalk won a corner on 91 minutes. Sean Keogh pumped a high corner into the box. Aruba rose high in a crowded defence to head a blockbuster to the net.

It was the first time in weeks that I saw any Dundalk player penetrate an opposition defence so well from a set piece.
Oriel was alive again with mass celebrations.

The electric atmosphere as a result of the goal brought the manager back to the halcyon glory days of Stephen Kenny and Vinny Perth.

Ciaran Kilduff was emotional. Many others were as well. Dundalk had nothing else left to offer nor had Bray. It had been a titanic struggle between the first Division's top two.

But ominously the result has had profound implications. Cobh Ramblers won their game by two goals to nil and are now in second place, just three points behind Dundalk.

Bray drop to third place still four points behind the leaders. But it's Cobh I fear are the biggest threat to Dundalk getting the automatic promotion spot.

Managed by former Glentoran manager Mick McDermott, Ramblers has undergone huge changed since the end of last season.

With new investors who have invested a considerable amount of money in the club, Cobh are seen as a club that intend to get promotion within the next two seasons.

Their first indication of this was the intention to take on Mick McDermott. He has won leagues and cups in the north. He has led teams from the north for years into Europe on many occasions.

Ramblers did not have the best of starts to their league campaign this season. But as the dust has settled,they are now just three points behind Dundalk and have only a slightly worse goal difference than Dundalk.

Should they beat Dundalk on Friday, they could go top on goal difference with the long term leaders.

With Dundalk drawing four of their last five games, Ramblers have closed the gap on Ciaran Killduff's side. They are a very strong team.Dundalk did beat them at Oriel at the start of the season.

But now things are changing. Dundalk remain the only unbeaten side in Division One. But they have lost the habit of winning and are becoming the draw specialists.They are dropping very valuable points in almost every one of their recent games.

On paper Cobh may also have a stronger and more experienced team. They also have a much deeper squad to draw upon. Dundalk have some experienced players. But they also have a very young team, some of whom are sitting their Leaving Certificate this year.

This shows how good a job Ciaran Killduff has done, with such a small squad. Dundalk did not even have a licence to play in the League in December, because of the mess the club was left in. It came so close to going out of football.

But with a very limited budget and the practical spending on experience and the amalgamation of youth into his team, Ciaran Kilduff has ensured that Dundalk have a good chance of being promoted at the end of the season. But Dundalk will have to spend money at the end of the season if they are promoted.

Do they have that capital to invest in players? Most media and supporters feel Dundalk will come straight back down if they are promoted.

I can not answer this question as I do not know if they will have the finances to sign a team for the Premier Division if they are promoted.

What I do know that this season is probably their best chance, as the Division is at it's weakest for many seasons.

There is no Galway United, Waterford or Cork City in the First Division this season. Next season there will be at least one strong team coming down if not two.

With Cobh getting stronger by the month, Dundalk need to get the automatic promotion place this season. If they do not get that, then I fear there is a strong possibility of them being in Division for some years.

This would be a disaster. But the team and club can only take each game as it comes. Next week it is the Ramblers.

Their home ground is very similar to United Park. It is a very narrow pitch,where the home supporters are almost on top of the teams.

Saint Coleman's Park has been a graveyard for many Dundalk teams over the years. Dundalk first met Cobh in the FAI cup away from home in 1983.

Cobh were a non league side at the time. Jim McLaughlin was still Dundalk's manager at the time. Dundalk had won the league the year before in 1982.

But season 1982/83 was not going as well as other seasons. They were in third place in the league when they came up against Cobh. The non league Cork side caused a major shock and knocked the reigning league champions out of the cup.

The Ramblers took two other Premier Division scalps before they were eventually knocked out of the cup in the semi final. But such was the stir they caused, Ramblers became a League of Ireland club in the mid 1980's.

For the record Dundalk lost out on Europe in 1983 when they could only finish third in the league. In their last league game against Sligo, a missed penalty in the Showgrounds in Sligo saw Dundalk failing to qualify for Europe. Jim McLoughlin stood down as boss and went on to weave his magic with Shamrock Rovers.

After Friday's draw with Bray, Ciaran Kilduff said he was relieved to get the late point. But he told the media after the game that he was very disappointed with the result as a whole.

“I was left with a feeling of a lot of soul searching after the game. It was almost like snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. We were in front for a time. Then a set piece saw the game level and left me in a feeling of taking the paint off the walls.

“In the second half they were down to 10 men. Then they looked as though they had won it with two minutes remaining. We did get the draw in injury time.

“When things settle we are top and unbeaten, with nine wins and five draws. I would have taken that at the start of the season.

“We did make some changes to the team coming into the game and I agree we played some of our best football for some time in the first half. Seven of our starting eleven tonight are aged 22 or a lot younger. Five of the 11 are teenagers.

“I am probably putting a lot of expectation on these young shoulders as we have started the league so well. Shane Tracey was exceptional in the middle of the park. He is a local boy who has been playing for the under 20's.

“Gbemi was so good tonight, coming on after they had taken the lead on 88 minutes. He made his own luck and scored a great goal. He has been unlucky not getting into the side earlier. He has had his own injury issues.

“I do not think Sean McHale is great after sustaining his injury. His ankle was fairly swollen. So he will need a scan. We should have had a penalty in the first half.

“I was not happy with some of the refereeing decisions. We were getting yellow cards. Bray were getting yellow cards. Then they eventually had a player sent off.

“But look we should have won the game. I never come out and blame officials. Yes there were one or two decisions that went against us. But look I am not going to dwell on it.

“We have Cobh next week. It will be the second week in a row of top versus second. Tonight it was Bray. But this is where we want to be. And we want to win games.

“It certainly will not be easy in Cobh next week. I left Dean out of the first 11 as we are trying to shake things up in the final attacking side.

“He did not train on Monday and then he had problems with his foot. We then just a look at a few things in training. Dean has been great. It was just a matter of freshening things up.

“Enda was never really in contention for a place, even though he was on the bench. He just was not fully fit. He will be next week. We will look at that, as the week goes on.

“The place was electric tonight after Gbemi's late equaliser. It has not been like that since the Drogheda game in pre season. People have to remember most of the players are not used to playing in front of a crowd of 2,000 as it was tonight.

“That can force these young players to make some mistakes. They have up until recently been used to playing in front of support of 20 people.

“You could feel the electricity tonight when we got the late equaliser. Those young players have got to be able to experience this more and more.

“Gbemi's equaliser was probably the first weird feeling of ecstasy how I have felt since the Drogheda game here at Oriel. The passion that came out of the fans and players was unreal. We need to create more of those moments for the fans.

“We were hoping Harry Groome would be fit tonight. But he is seeing a specialist tomorrow. We will get that report before the end of the weekend.

“We will then assess the situation. He still has an issue with his knee. So he still has some time to go before he comes back into the team.”

On rumours that Ryan O'Kane was being linked to a loan move back to Dundalk, the manager says it's the first he heard of it. He says he does not do rumours.

Friday night's game against Cobh is huge. It could well be the first place where Dundalk will suffer a defeat this season.I think it will be.

Finally at long last congratulations to Louth for winning the Leinster Senior Football Championship. I never thought that I would see it.

First time in my life time, Louth have won the title. This is fantastic news. There is a God in Heaven. Sweet revenge on Meath, who robbed Louth of the Leinster title in 2010.

This evening as I write this, the late Charlie McCalllister comes into my mind. He was an icon of Louth football in his day. I am sure he is looking down on the people of Louth this evening.

Congratulations also to Frank Lynch, a retired local accountant from Dundalk. He was on the last Louth team to win a Leinster title in 1957. He went on to win Sam Maguire.

Congratulations too to player Conall McKeever for winning a senior medal. Conall played soccer for me in Colaiste Ris in his day.

He was a top class soccer player. But he loved Gaelic football. He went on to train as a primary school teacher. Conall is a very talented sports man.

Congratulations too to Joe Carroll of the Dundalk Democrat. I'd say Joe never thought he see say a Leinster tittle ever returning to Louth. Joe congratulations.

Congrats too to Shane Lennon. Shane was also a student at Colaiste Ris. He went on to play for Louth and retired a few small years ago. Shane went on to be part of the coaching staff of successive Louth teams.

The Lennon Cup, which is a local inter schools competition was named after his uncle. He died suddenly, many years ago.

I never knew him. But even today I meet people who were there the day he died so suddenly. They still shed many tears in his memory.

Take good care of each other. And please remember to look after each other. It's great to end my column on a very happy note. Let us hope we can get Dundalk back to the top of the pile in soccer.