Rohan Vaughan vows to be ‘animal on the pitch’ for Dundalk

Dundalk FC forward Rohan Vaughan has declared his intention to become Dundalk’s “animal on the pitch” as The Lilywhites strive to secure automatic promotion from the SSE Airtricity League First Division.

The 19-year-old Englishman arrived on loan from Queens Park Rangers until the end of the season, becoming manager Ciaran Kilduff’s third and final acquisition of the summer transfer window.

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Eager to contribute to the league leaders’ promotion bid, Vaughan hopes his presence can translate into crucial goals in the run-in.

Yet with Gbemi Arubi in a rich vein of form—finding the net three times in his last five league games—Vaughan acknowledges that he may need to wait patiently for his chance to make a meaningful impression.

“To get on the pitch, whether it’s starting or coming off the bench,” he told The Democrat when asked about his ambitions for the months ahead.

“I want to make sure I’m ruthless and relentless, and score goals when I get on the pitch, and hit the target, put pressure on defenders, and be an absolute animal on the pitch.”

Vaughan has so far made impactful appearances off the bench, first entering in the 78th minute during a 3-2 triumph over Wexford at Oriel Park, and doing the same on Friday night in a hard-fought 1-0 victory against UCD in the capital.

In both brief cameos, he impressed with his vigour and physical presence in attack, injecting energy and purpose when it was needed most.

“I was raring to go and well excited to get on,” he added. “I want to thank the gaffer for giving me the opportunity, for getting me over here and getting me in on time. It’s always hard coming on, but it’s a good feeling to get the three points.”

His tenacity was most vividly displayed just seven minutes into his debut at Oriel, when he received a yellow card for a full-blooded challenge on Wexford goalkeeper Paul Martin, having relentlessly pursued a kick-out from Enda Minogue.

“I wasn’t going to, but I got halfway there and I thought, I can’t not smash the keeper,” he laughed, reflecting on the moment with a grin. “I know the fans are going to love that. You’re going to come on, and you want to make an impact.”

Aside from his brother Ethen signing with Dundalk earlier this year, Vaughan—whose only previous first-team experience came during a loan spell with Oxford City—admits that his understanding of the League of Ireland was limited before his arrival just over two weeks ago.

“The gaffer just rang my brother and was like, what’s Rohan’s situation this season?” he recalled, reflecting on how the move initially came about. “Obviously, I met QPR and told them I needed men’s experience, so for both parties it worked out, so I was happy to get the deal sorted.

“It’s not something (the league) that gets talked about, but you come over and you see the players, and it’s a great league. This league, for Dundalk, is meant to be won.

“We have a promise with the gaffer to win this league, so that’s what we want to do, and that’s what I’ve come here to do: get men’s experience, hopefully win the league, which helps me with my career.”

Undoubtedly, a significant source of support for Vaughan—a young player adjusting to life away from home—has been the presence of his older brother, whose own time with The Lilywhites since joining from Brighouse Town in January has unfortunately been hampered by injury.

“Ethen has got his arm around me here, really helping me out, and it’s a dream we’ve had to play together, so to have the opportunity to actually do it—we didn’t think we’d ever be able to do it. It’s incredible, and I can’t wait to get on the pitch with him.

“He needs to make sure he gets that (injury) right because if not, it can lead to other things, but he’s got the right head on it, he’ll make it right, so hopefully we’ll be playing together soon.”