Kilduff slams ‘farcical rules’ as Dundalk hit by international call-ups

Ciaran Kilduff has branded it “a disgrace” that Dundalk FC must contest a pivotal SSE Airtricity League First Division fixture away to Wexford on tonight (kick-off, 7:45pm) without several first-team regulars, the international break stripping his side of key personnel at a crucial stage of the campaign.

Player of the Month Eoin Kenny has been called into the Northern Ireland U21 squad, while Vinnie Leonard, Sean Spaight and possibly Luke Mulligan will be on duty with the Republic of Ireland at underage level over the international weekend.

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Compounding matters, Mayowa Animasahun was withdrawn at half-time during the 3-3 draw with Kerry, with Harry Groome—an unused substitute that night—also to be assessed early this week.

Sean McHale and Leo Gaxha remain long-term absentees, Ethen Vaughan is still short of full fitness, though there is some encouragement with Shane Tracey expected to return to training in the coming days.

Dundalk could face a similar shortage during the October international window, with their penultimate fixture against Finn Harps set for Oriel Park on October 10th.

“To be honest, it’s an absolute disgrace what we have to do next week,” said Kilduff. “We have to go down, play a game in the run-in for a league title without Vinnie Leonard, without Eoin Kenny, without Sean Spaight, potentially without Luke Mulligan.

“If Sean Keogh was still our player, we’d be there without him, so we could have been going down there with five players missing.

“There’s nothing you can do about it. We wrote to the league the last time it happened here. I don’t think we got a reply. I’ve been told that Sean Spaight has been called in, and Sean we had in our heads as maybe a reaction to Vinnie not being there, so now even our replacements are being taken.

“Those league rules and regulations are absolutely farcical at this rate. The Premier Division don’t play, but the First Division—there’s no rules when you’re missing players.

“To be fair, the players are leaving reluctantly. Some of them are going on international duty now thinking I’ll lose my place back in Dundalk because I’m not here, that I have to miss a game, and if someone takes my place and keeps a clean sheet or scores, I’m out.”

When asked whether there was any chance of the fixture being postponed, the Dundalk manager admitted: “We’ve enquired, but it’s within the league regulations that the First Division clubs don’t get the international break this week because they voted for it a couple of years ago. But the reality of it is the league has changed. All the young players are still here.

“The Ireland team shouldn’t feel guilty for taking my players, but I shouldn’t have to play big, important games without some of my most important players.

“I mean, Luke Mulligan, Eoin Kenny and Vinnie Leonard started (against Kerry), and now they’re just gone for 12 days and we can’t do anything about it. We have to play a pivotal game in our run-in without them.

“The rule makes no sense. Enough people, though, in the room know it makes no sense, but it’s one of those decisions where no one wants to make a decision and make a hard decision, and we just have to get on with it.”

Dundalk’s PTSB Leinster Senior Cup semi-final clash with Bohemians has been postponed and, while no date had ever been confirmed, The Democrat understands the tie will not be rearranged.

As a result, The Lilywhites are expected to progress directly to the final, where they will face the winners of Friday’s St Patrick’s Athletic versus Drogheda United encounter, or St Mochta’s.

Next on Dundalk’s promotion quest in the First Division is a trip to Ferrycarrig Park, where they will meet Wexford—a side they have already beaten three times this season.

The record between the clubs leaves little doubt as to Dundalk’s dominance: since Wexford’s entry into the League of Ireland in 2007, the teams have met 17 times in competitive action, with The Lilywhites winning 15 of those encounters, including the last nine in succession.

On their last visit to Ferrycarrig Park in May, Dundalk required a late Mulligan goal to claim victory, and they return south with Wexford buoyed by a spirited comeback at Longford Town on Saturday, where they fought from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw that keeps their playoff hopes alive.

“We’ll have to approach that game as well as we can,” previewed Kilduff. “They’re a good team with quality players. We were lucky to beat them down there, all things considered.

“I’m aware of what happened down there last time. We’ll do everything right and prepare, and hopefully we’ll be able to put on a good performance.”