The Commentary Box: Dundalk will face stern opposition on Friday

Dundalk have nine games standing between themselves and automatic promotion. They start the final round of the league with an away game against Treaty United in Limerick next Friday.

It's never an easy venue to go to. It's been made even harder by the fact that Dundalk have failed to beat Treaty in the three games they have played against them this season.

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The two at Oriel finished in draws, while the other game at the Market's Field ended in a draw also. Treaty looked dead and buried going into the final minutes of the first game between the sides at Oriel, when the Limerick side were losing two-nil with three minutes remaining.

Dundalk looked sure of the points. But Treaty pulled one goal back in the 87th minute. They dramatically levelled a minute into injury time.

Dundalk were forced to hang on desperately for a late draw. They were on the ropes. Treaty had a great chance to win the game, but blew it right at the death.

Treaty have everything to play for as they are in one of the four playoff positions in the table. They have thirty-five points and occupy fifth place. They will have to battle for every point to hold that position.

This is why Dundalk will face stern opposition on Friday. Dundalk are six points clear at the top of the table. Cobh are their closest rivals and will provide stern competition for the men from Oriel Park for the precious automatic promotion spot.

They will be ready to pounce on any slip-ups Dundalk make in the final nine games. They were knocked out of the cup by fellow First Division side Kerry FC by two goals to nil.

I doubt if they will be that bothered by the result, as it now allows them to fully concentrate on the chase for automatic promotion.

Cobh also have the added incentive knowing they have Dundalk in the final league game of the season at home.

Thus, if Dundalk are to get automatic promotion, they must ensure they are four points clear of their southern rivals going into the last game.

On Friday night, Cobh had two players sent off, which must mean they will be suspended for their own game on Friday night. John O'Donovan was red-carded after just a minute.

League form means nothing in the cup. Kerry are in eighth position in the league. They have won just one of their last five league games. Yet they are now in the quarter finals of the cup.

To make things worse for Cobh, they lost their captain, Shane Griffin, for diving in injury time in the first half. Kerry were 1-0 in front at the break. They added a second midway through the second half.

They are now into their first cup quarter-finals after being a league side for just two seasons.

Ramblers manager Mick McDermott has conceded that, as far as the league race is concerned, he is happy to see his side stay within shooting distance of Dundalk until the latter stages of the league campaign.

He has no problem seeing the race for automatic promotion go down to the final day against Dundalk at Saint Colman's Park on October 17th.

The former Glentoran boss is a very confident man that his County Cork side can catch Dundalk at the death. Last Friday week they went to the Carlisle Grounds and beat Bray Wanderers.

That result has all but condemned Bray to the playoffs. McDermott's confidence stems from the club overcoming off-field upheaval and being able to retain his squad. He has also been able to strengthen it.

US-based group Digital Athlete Ventures stepped in a month ago to take a 90 per cent stake of Cobh Ramblers. This ended the uncertainty created by the withdrawal of another former group, FC32.

Failure to land suitable backers would have put Cobh out of football. It's as simple as that. Cobh have been helped by having the team's backbone composed of Cork City's 2024 First Division title winners.

Jonas Hakkinen and new signing Dylan McGlade were part of the Cork City team that won the First Division in 2024. Cian Coleman and Cian Murphy were also part of the Cork City set-up.

They have brought much confidence and stability to Ramblers. Defender Cian Coleman is a massive asset to Ramblers. Dundalk are in a great position going into the final round. Their new signings in July have been a great boost to the side.

TJ Wilson at right full has been top class. Declan McDaid at midfield has really strengthened this area. Rohan Reilly has been top class coming on as a striker. In the last game against Athlone, he was just superb.

He got two goals in the dying minutes of the game. It looks like a position that has been so badly needed to be filled has now been. Of course, Gbemi Arubi is also scoring the goals regularly.

The competition for places is a very healthy headache for manager Ciaran Kilduff to have. Dundalk have been linked to former Bohs left-back Paddy Kirk. I asked the Dundalk boss was this true.

He confirmed the reports. But he said a deal was far from being done and that time was running out. Kirk is a free agent and would have to be signed before the end of the month.

The manager made it clear that Kirk had to sort out a number of issues before he could sign. The delay was on his side.

Hopefully, the issues can be sorted and Paddy can be signed as a Dundalk player. He has made 118 appearances for Bohemians. 40 for Sligo Rovers and 30 for Longford Town.

Paddy dropped out of the soccer scene for a while. He became a photographer who specialised in men's fashion and on coffee shops. He is due to bring out a book later in October in conjunction with  Lilliput Press.

He has become a successful photographer in his own right. But he obviously has decided that he wants to come back to soccer as well.

He is an excellent player. He would certainly be a player worth keeping, should Dundalk get promoted. Hopefully, he will sign.

All season, the Dundalk manager has been saying that when Norman Garbett returns from injury, he would be a great asset. Last Friday week he came off the bench for the last five minutes.

As said earlier, he made two goals. Norman was terrific. I am always sceptical of what managers say when they praise players who have failed to line out for a team for nearly a year.

I was sceptical what Kilduff said of Norman's talent, too. Well, if what I saw in the final minutes of the Athlone game can be repeated, then I have no hesitation in saying that Norman is the real deal. He was terrific.

Norman was signed in the window on July 24. He made his debut against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght at the end of July. He had a great game. However, he sustained an injury against Shamrock Rovers at Oriel Park, which finished his season.

Norman is from Wellington in New Zealand. He returned home at the end of last season. But he was determined to return to Dundalk. He made contact with Ciaran Kilduff when he became new manager.

Norman returned for pre-season training in February 2025. He came through that fine. But just a short time into the season, he picked up another injury. It was his hamstring injury again.

Norman spent time in hospital. He was determined to get back on the pitch when he was fit. The youngster felt guilty that he had let the fans down last season when the team were relegated.

That's why he made the long journey from New Zealand to return to Dundalk and right the wrongs of last season.
Norman played no part in Dundalk going down last season, nor did any of the players.

That can be traced to the many years as to how the club was run. Norman told me that it's been a long journey for him to get back to full fitness and to being able to play again.

"It's been tough. There has been so many ups and downs. It's been so long ago now since my debut in Tallaght. Everything went off so well that day. I picked up a serious injury against Shamrock Rovers at Oriel in the last round of the league.

"It was the second last game of the season. I remember the day. It was October 27th last season. I will always remember that day. It will be forever etched in my mind. I do not know how I got the injury. It was a freak incident, I think.

"There were lots of factors going into it. Maybe stress levels played their part after we were relegated the week before in the game against Derry. There were lots of things. I do not think it was down to any one factor.

"It was just a bad chance of luck. Everybody gets injuries. Players throughout their whole careers get them. I just happened to get mine in the early years of my professional career.

"I just came to accept that, and obviously, the second time I got injured here against Treaty was even tougher. The game against Athlone last Friday week was the first game I finished at Oriel Park, which is a funny stat.

"I came back to Dundalk in January from New Zealand, because I felt a little bit responsible for what happened here at Oriel Park. That's maybe my ego and my pride. Every player has that.

"I wanted to play football. I wanted to play a lot more football last year than I did. I never got the opportunity. Indeed, I never got the chance. To be honest, I did not get a look-in last season.

"But I wanted to play football. I knew that the manager here now had a good recruitment system. I wanted to talk to Ciaran. He said he wanted me back. I had a lot of confidence after that, coming off an injury.

"He must have seen a lot of potential in me and much confidence. Then coming back and getting injured so early was very tough. I was injured against Treaty. It was the third game of the season.

"It was the sixth of March. I remember all the dates. I have always been able to walk off when I am injured. But this time I needed surgery after that on the same hamstring I got injured on last season. It was almost the same problem.

"It is what it is. It was a very hard struggle for me, and obviously, I am so far away from home. My home is in Wellington, New Zealand. My mum and dad just can not fly over here. It costs a lot of money to fly over here.

"But I have met some great people here in Dundalk. I also stay with a great family. I want to give a big shout-out to Helen Devely and Gavin Ward. They are the family I am staying with.

"Without them, I probably could not have kept going. The kids were great in the house as well. I want to give massive credit to Mathew Freeman and Fearghal Kerin, who looked after my rehabilitation.

"Fearghal is obviously a well-known professional. Mathew is excellent also. Matthew has been with me every day; to be honest, I would not probably be here without Matt. It would have been so much harder without him.

"He has been so kind to me. But I have to say I do not know if I would be on the pitch today if it were not for Fearghal and Matt. I have a lot of respect and appreciation for both of them.

"I told Matt today, before the game, I was so thankful to him for the journey we have been on together.. And it has been five months since I had the surgery. It's been long. It's been long.

"It's so good to be back. I am here to help the team. The manager invested in me as well. Sadly, me missing so much of this season was beyond my control. But I now want to give back to him for having that confidence in me.

"I want to give back to the team what I can as well. The team have all had confidence in me. Honestly, this team has been so fantastic. The boys have all been unreal. They are such a supportive group of people.

"I want to get these last nine games and simply drive home the aim is to win the First Division League. We play Treaty on Friday. It's a little mental win for me because I got the last injury against them.

"This will be just my second game playing this season. It's a massive game for me. I am not afraid of playing. I just want to show the fans what I can do.

"Many of the fans saw what I can do when I played in Tallaght last season. I just want to give a little back to the fans and myself. I have worked hard, and it's been a long journey.

"The town of Dundalk is lovely. It's nice. It's such a homely town. It's like a second home. The club have been looking after me so well, all through my difficulties.

"Liam Burns, our first team coach, has been magnificent. The manager's support and understanding has been fantastic. I could not have received much more than I got.

"Ken, our assistant manager, has been fantastic as well. They talk to me all the time. They have all been so good to me. There is a lot of emotion for me. It's so good to be back.

"It's great being back. So many people at the club have been supportive. They talk to me all the time, which is so important. I hope I am here to stay at Dundalk. Yes, I am here to stay at Dundalk."

Norman is only 21 years of age. To have travelled from Wellington in New Zealand to Dundalk to further his football career shows how brave a young man he is.

It's so encouraging to see all the support Norman has got, from both inside and outside the club. The support inside the club for Norman has been fantastic. I am not just referring to care for his injuries.

I mean support for him as a human being. Ciaran Kilduff has been fantastic in his care and encouragement for Norman. Ciaran manages the support along with his assistant manager, Ken Kiernan.

They apply the same care and positive atmosphere among all of the players, no matter what age they are. But because the squad is so young, it is so important that there is a positive mental health feeling among the entire group.

From what I can see, it is there in abundance. And it was Kieran and Ken who encouraged Norman to come back to Dundalk.

For the short time he was on the pitch against Athlone, Norman had a huge impact. He was directly involved in the creation of the last two goals.

Eoin Kenny is a young man who has been grabbing all the headlines with the way he has been playing for Dundalk. He was man of the match for both the Longford and the Athlone games.

"I am very happy at the way things are going. Wardy has been great with me. He has been encouraging me to have a go whenever I see an opening.

"That is what has happened in the last two games. This has yielded three goals for me, so it's great. When I get the ball now, I aim for the net. I linked up very well with Dean Ebbe in the Longford game. He scored twice in that game.

"He is our leading scorer. There is a lot I can learn from him as well. He is a pleasure to play for. And he is getting a lot of goals. We never like to concede goals. And if a team is really pressing us, it's always great to hit them on the break.

"I am really delighted for Declan McDaid.He has been doing really well since he has come in. His family were in Oriel for the Longford game. They would have been really proud of the way he played.

"I want to start every game. But that is obviously what every player wants. At the end of the day, it is the manager's decision. He has been great to me. I am ambitious. I want to play. But that's up to the manager.

"He has given me starts in the last two games. I have taken my chances in these games. I have played in every game this season, whether starting or coming on as a sub.

"All I can do is give 100 per cent for the team when I get the chance. Most people say we would have no problem in beating Athlone, because they are bottom. But we had only scored once against them in the run-up to the last game in Oriel.

"They pushed us all the way in that game. They went ahead. We did come back. We did get the points and score six goals. But there are no easy games in this division, and you have to be at your very best to get three points in any match.

"The morale among the squad is great. The minutes are being shared among the squad. And we have won our last four games in a row. We have to try and keep that going as long as we can. There is fierce competition in this division among the teams.

"We may be six points clear of Cobh at the moment. But if we hit a bad spell, both they and Bray will be just waiting to pounce. We can't rely on any other teams to do us a favour and take points from Cobh or Bray.

"We have to go out and do things for ourselves. We just have to focus on getting three points every time we step out. Our destiny is in our hands. And we do go looking for three points every week in order to realise our goal."

Eoin and Vinny  Leonard will be getting their Leaving Cert results in the coming days. Sean Keogh will also be getting his results as well. Sean, now with Brighton, will have to look up his results online.

Eoin and Vinny will be calling in to their respective schools to get their results. They can, of course, get them online as well. I wish all Leaving Cert students throughout the Dundalk area the very best when the results do come out.

I especially want to wish all the sixth-year students in Coláiste Ris here in Dundalk the very best. I was a guidance counsellor in the Coláiste for 30 years. It is a very pressurising time for all the students.

Rohan Vaughan says he is buzzing at Dundalk since he came off the bench against Athlone  and scored two late goals. "Coming off the bench and getting two late goals was even better for me. To come on as a sub, I will give all the time I have.

"Norman did so well to set me up for my second goal. He was able to get the ball around the keeper and set me up. I made no mistake getting the goal.

"I am hoping now that I can do to Treaty on Friday night exactly what I did against Athlone last Friday week. I just want to keep going and keep going. This team has great character. And it is flowing throughout the team.

"Eoin Kenny is doing so well at the moment. I take my hat off to him for his performances, especially for the two recent games against both Athlone and Longford. The competition we have for places in the squad is so healthy.

"I love the competition. It is building up my confidence no end. All of the lads are working very hard for the Treaty game in Limerick on Friday. We will be ready for that game.

We will prepare very well. We will know exactly what to do to the best of our ability. We now have a big last round of nine games. Everybody has confidence in us.

The players have the confidence in themselves. We are going to give it everything. We are going to do everything we can to keep a healthy distance between ourselves and Cobh.

"We will try to ensure that the last game against Cobh is meaningless by getting the automatic promotion before we go to Saint Coleman's Park."

Two of the Dundalk squad were in action for the Republic of Ireland under-17s for the Teilki Cup in Hungary during the week.TJ Molloy scored both goals in the 2-2 draw with Turkey. Sean Spaight also did well in the game.

Dundalk were beaten 1-0 in a friendly by Newry City at the Showgrounds on Friday. The game got no publicity, and I presume it was played behind closed doors.

The winning goal came on 29 minutes from the boot of Newry's Lee Newell. Newry plays in the lowest of the Irish League Divisions. They were relegated from the Premier Division of the Irish League two years ago.

Last season, they were relegated again. Thus, one wonders what type of side did Dundalk lined out with against them. Cobh and Bray were knocked out of the cup on Friday by Longford and Finn Harps.

Dundalk face a 360-mile return trip on Friday against Treaty United to Limerick in three days' time. Have a safe week. Be very careful out there. And please look after yourselves and others around you.