Kilduff rules out Shels move as Dundalk eye promotion push

Dundalk FC manager Ciaran Kilduff has formally ruled himself out of contention for the vacant Shelbourne managerial position following Damien Duff’s unexpected resignation from the reigning SSE Airtricity League Premier Division champions.

Kilduff, who assumed the helm at Dundalk only last November, was previously on the books at Shels as a player between 2019 and 2020, and had been mooted as a potential successor at Tolka Park.

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His name entered the conversation after he led The Lilywhites to the summit of the First Division table, despite navigating persistent financial challenges at Oriel Park.

However, speaking to The Democrat, Kilduff swiftly dismissed any such links, reaffirming that his full attention remains on leading The Lilywhites back to the top flight.

“Without a doubt,” he affirmed, when asked if his commitment lay with Dundalk, before quipping: “Put a tenner on and you’ll lose a tenner. No, I’m here.”

Dundalk returned to winning ways last Friday night with a crucial 1-0 victory over Cobh Ramblers in a top-of-the-table clash at Oriel, opening up a four-point lead after 21 games.

The result came just four days after their first defeat of the season—a 1-0 loss to Finn Harps in Ballybofey—with Kilduff pleased by his side’s response, particularly the standout display of Aodh Dervin, who overcame an injury scare to deliver a commanding 90-minute performance in midfield.

Speaking after the match, the Dundalk boss reflected on the week’s challenges, stating: “On the back of Monday night, which hurt—really hurt—we’ve lost Leo Gaxha for the season, we lost Aodh Dervin at half-time. I have to spend a minute on him because how he put himself out on that pitch tonight and put in the performance he did is remarkable.

“He’s an absolutely brilliant player, one of the most underrated players in the country in either division. What he does and puts his body through to be on the pitch there tonight and perform like he did is outstanding.

“We were up against it, but we knew who we were playing tonight. Since the break, we failed to win a game, and especially here, but coming out tonight and winning a game like that speaks volumes for the character.”

Kilduff suggests that the defeat at Finn Park the Monday before last may have ultimately benefited his young squad against Cobh, freeing them from the burden of preserving an unbeaten run and allowing them to play with greater freedom and expression.

“That’s what I was hoping people would realise, especially with the young players,” he said. “Every week, when you’re going, ‘I can’t lose, can’t lose,’ I know most teams do that anyway. But when you haven’t lost for so long—that was the first loss in a league game for half the dressing room, for this club—and no one knew what that felt like. And now they know, and they’ve got to respond—and they did—so I’m delighted with the response from the young players in particular.”

Dundalk will look to preserve—and perhaps even extend—their lead at the top of the First Division table this Friday night as they embark on the long journey to Tralee to take on Kerry at Mounthawk Park (kick-off, 7:45pm).

Leo Gaxha will miss out on a return to face his former club, with the winger expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury, while Conor O’Keeffe also remains sidelined, still recovering from a head injury sustained nearly two months ago.

Dean Ebbe is a doubt after rolling his ankle in the win over Cobh, but Dundalk may be boosted by the potential debuts of new signings John Ross Wilson and Declan McDaid, both of whom are eligible for selection in Tralee.

“We went down there early in the season with 10 players and hung on for a big 1-0 win,” previewed Kilduff. “I don’t think we’re going to get an easy game. We haven’t had an easy one yet. Tonight, we’re going to the death; on other nights, we were going to the death and we got hurt. Treaty hurt us, then we went to Harps and lost, and then you’re coming out tonight with a win, so you can pick up points, or you can lose points very quickly.

“Colin Healy has them playing,” he added. “If you remember the game here, we were lucky to win it. I know we won 2-0, but it wasn’t our best stuff, and they were really at it—that was his first game. I watched them play Cobh last week in preparation for Cobh and saw what Kerry are about. They could have easily got a result in Cobh last week, so we’ll have our work cut out next week.”