Dundalk FC put six past Athlone to edge closer to promotion

Dundalk FC edged ever closer to promotion from the SSE Airtricity League First Division with a ruthless 6-1 demolition of bottom-placed Athlone Town at Oriel Park.

The evening began with an unexpected twist as Athlone stunned the home crowd after just eight minutes. Gideon Tetteh danced through the challenge of Mayowa Animasahun and JR Wilson before squaring for Jason Oyenuga, who applied the simplest of finishes at the far post.

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Their advantage was short-lived. Barely three minutes later, Daryl Horgan’s right-sided corner found Eoin Kenny rising highest, his header parried into the path of the alert Gbemi Arubi, who converted from close range to level the contest.

Dundalk’s appeals for a penalty soon after — when Arubi’s cross appeared to strike the arm of Stanislav Gulidov — were waved away by referee John Sconnie Walsh.

Athlone, undeterred, almost restored their lead when Oyenuga cut inside Conor O’Keeffe and unleashed a low drive from the edge of the box, only for Enda Minogue to acrobatically tip it over.

From the resulting corner, Cole Omorehiomwan’s powerful header forced another save from the Dundalk goalkeeper.

The Lilywhites weathered the storm and struck again on 27 minutes. Declan McDaid’s quick throw released Kenny, who skipped past both Gulidov and Daniel McKenna in the area before calmly slotting past Lee Axworthy.

A golden chance to extend the lead followed when McDaid was brought down by Kyle O’Connor, but Horgan’s spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Axworthy, diving low to his right.

The reprieve breathed life into Athlone. Ben Feeney glanced a header narrowly wide from O’Connor’s corner, before Oyenuga once again tested Minogue with a close-range effort.

After the restart, McDaid — once of Athlone — surged clear down the left but was denied by Axworthy’s outstretched foot.

For a spell, the hosts looked nervy as McKenna’s crisp strike from distance was gathered by Minogue.

But Dundalk’s class soon told. On 58 minutes, Harry Groome robbed O’Connor and fed Kenny, whose first attempt was blocked by Omorehiomwan before he tucked away the rebound for his second of the night.

Horgan blazed over soon after, while Aodh Dervin delivered a free-kick that Animasahun headed wide.

With 15 minutes to go, Vinnie Leonard came agonisingly close to adding a fourth, his towering header from a corner cannoning off the post, before substitute Andy Paraschiv was denied by Axworthy.

The fourth finally came on 80 minutes. Paraschiv and Rohan Vaughan combined beautifully, the latter finishing the move he had initiated to score his first goal for the club.

Keith Ward then stepped up to curl a sublime free-kick into the net for Dundalk’s fifth, and Vaughan completed the rout in stoppage time with his second of the evening, the assist coming from the returning Norman Garbett.

Four days after dismantling Longford Town 4-1, Ciaran Kilduff’s men once again underlined their promotion credentials — and with performances of this calibre, the return to the Premier Division is drawing ever nearer.

Dundalk FC: Enda Minogue; Conor O’Keeffe, Mayowa Animasahun, Vinnie Leonard, JR Wilson; Aodh Dervin, Harry Groome (Andy Paraschiv 65); Eoin Kenny (Keith Ward 84), Declan McDaid (Dean Ebbe 65), Daryl Horgan (Norman Garbett 84); Gbemi Arubi (Rohan Vaughan 65)

Subs not used: Peter Cherrie (gk), Sean Spaight, TJ Molloy, Shane Tracey

Athlone Town: Lee Axworthy; Reece Webb, Cole Omorehiomwan, Stanislav Gulidov (Dylan Hand HT), Kyle O’Connor; Junior Thiam, Daniel McKenna (Billy Gilmore 66); Gideon Tetteh (Derinsola Adewale 66), Will Smith (Dean Williams 73), Jason Oyenuga; Ben Feeney

Subs not used: Andrew Stuart Trainor (gk), Eoin Sheeran, Noe Baba, Oisin Duffy, Adam Lennon

Referee: John Sconnie Walsh (Waterford)

Attendance: 1,611