Dundalk's Kenny conquers Kerry to end goal drought

Eoin Kenny described it as a “relief” to finally find the net again, breaking his scoring drought in Dundalk FC’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Kerry in the SSE Airtricity League First Division on Friday night.

The 19-year-old forward, whose last goal had come in a 2-1 win against Longford Town at Oriel Park back in March, struck midway through the second half in Tralee to double Dundalk’s lead—his goal paving the way for what would become their most commanding win of the season.

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The goal brought a welcome sense of relief for Kenny, who entered the match at Mounthawk Park carrying the weight of a 15-game scoring drought.

Remarkably, despite featuring in all 22 of Dundalk’s league fixtures this season—one of only three players to do so—he has started as a centre-forward in just two of those games, having spent the majority of his time operating either on the wing or in a more withdrawn attacking role.

“It’s not a secret that I haven’t scored as many goals as I would’ve wanted to,” Kenny admitted to The Democrat after netting his third of the season. “I’ve had chances, particularly early on in the season, but you can’t get too hung up on that.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it was a relief to score today because it’s been a lot of games since I scored, but you just can’t lose belief, and that’s something the manager has instilled — you just keep going, going, going.

“I’ve featured in every single game for the team, and I think I’ve been involved positively in the attack. Obviously, I haven’t scored as many goals as I would’ve wanted to, so it was pleasing to get that tonight and a monkey off the back. Hopefully, I can continue it for the rest of the season.”

Kenny has been a shining presence in the Dundalk side in recent weeks, with his goal against Kerry coming just a week after he set up Gbemi Arubi’s match-winning strike in a crucial top-of-the-table clash against Cobh Ramblers at Oriel.

Reflecting on his versatility across the front line, he remarked: “I was in the ‘10’ for the start of the season, I’ve played two games up front, and now I’m playing on the right, but you have to be a team player. I’m happy to play wherever. We have such a competitive, talented squad, and as long as I’m helping the team win. Last week we only won 1-0, I didn’t score, but I still think I had a very positive contribution.”

Since their lone defeat of the season—a 1-0 loss to Finn Harps in Ballybofey—Dundalk have rediscovered their form with two consecutive wins, offering a timely response after a three-match winless spell following the mid-season break.

“Coming back from the break was probably the lowest point for us,” Kenny reflected. “We had two draws and a loss. It would’ve been easy for a squad of young players to cave, but since then we’ve had two great results against our rivals for the league—if we call a spade a spade—and a tough team tonight, and to put four past them, the reaction has been great.”

The Lilywhites now turn their attention to a trip to the Carlisle Grounds to face third-placed Bray Wanderers—a venue where Kenny delivered a standout performance in March, contributing a goal during a ruthless half-hour spell in which Dundalk netted three times en route to a 3-1 victory.

“Since then, they’ve improved drastically, the results speak for that,” warned the young forward. “We were better than them on that night, but they’ve really upped their game since then. We drew with them in Oriel, and they could have beat us that night.”

Reflecting on their last victory in Bray, he said: “That was one of our best performances, and I got myself a goal last time out there. We’re just fully focused on that now.

“That’s what we’re thinking about because they’re a really strong team, and we just hope that we can put together a good performance and continue the winning run.”

Manager Ciaran Kilduff then expressed his delight with Kenny’s recent contributions, offering high praise for the former Marist student and Rock Celtic schoolboy.

“Eoin is a 19-year-old kid with so many positive things and so much to learn, like all the other 19-year-old kids,” he said. “Eoin is a big man—he’s athletic, he’s fit, he’s strong—and he now has to bring that end product to his game, and I’m delighted for him tonight; he deserves it.

“Eoin is Stephen Kenny’s son, so there’s always an extra spotlight on him for that reason. He probably sometimes gets that unfair examining every time he does something wrong or something great, so it’s a double-edged sword. But Eoin is a very level-headed guy, and we don’t go easy on him at all—we demand from him. I’m delighted for him tonight, I really am.”