Kilduff declares his intent to stay at Dundalk after fans’ post-match plea

Ciaran Kilduff has sought to quell speculation that his inaugural season as Dundalk FC manager might also be his last, following a 2–1 away victory over Cobh Ramblers on the final night of the SSE Airtricity League First Division season, which saw The Lilywhites finish the campaign 10 points clear of their nearest rivals.

Though Dundalk had already secured the First Division title with a 3–0 home triumph over Finn Harps in their penultimate fixture, Kilduff’s post-match remarks had previously sparked questions about his future in the Oriel Park dugout.

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However, after the final whistle in Cobh, as players and staff acknowledged the strong travelling support, chants of “Ciaran Kilduff, we want you to stay” rang out, with Kilduff himself taking a moment to address the supporters.

“I want to stay too,” Kilduff told The Democrat shortly afterwards. “There’s nothing other than that. It’s just we’ve to figure a few things out. We’re after getting promoted.

“I’m not trying to play any games or anything like that. I love this club. I took the job. The people behind the scenes, John (Temple), Chris (Clinton), everyone who’s contributed to me being here, they’ve delivered too. I think the club is just in a really nice place, but we have to figure out the next step now, as do I.

“Last week, I probably didn’t expect it to go like it did. It just kind of caught on, that there’s a little bit of uncertainty, but at the end of every season, the same as some of my players, we reassess.

“There was still a game left; the season wasn’t actually over yet, so I wasn’t thinking about next season just yet, but I suppose now, after a great night like tonight and to finish the season in such a convincing way, I’m already looking forward to next year.”

The Dundalk boss then reflected on his team’s unwavering support throughout the season, singling out the fans who had journeyed across the length and breadth of the country, with some 250 travelling to Cobh for a fixture that was, in the grand scheme, merely academic.

“You’d be emotional thinking about it,” he said. “I mentioned them in the pre-match chat. It was people coming down here, giving their money—their hard-earned cash—for a game that, if we’re not going to take it seriously, if we’re not going to come after it and realise that it was an opportunity to beat our closest rivals four times, to top the table and win with a 10-point lead, it was a huge incentive. I wanted to finish on a positive, and I couldn’t be prouder.

“I suppose the message (to supporters) is thank you. They stuck with us; they supported us. I would argue last week was probably the best night of my career—the proudest anyway. To have an atmosphere like that in front of our fans, to win, it feels like a dream.

“Then we come down here tonight, we really mix things up, and I’m seeing young players get hugged by their parents as we’re speaking. It means so much. I remember my debut.

“I think, passionately, as a club we have to take pride in this season but also have an understanding that next year is going to be a different test. Now we are probably ahead of schedule, but it’s a good headache.”

Looking ahead to next season’s Premier Division campaign, Kilduff does not anticipate much of a respite, with his focus firmly on consolidating The Lilywhites’ place at the pinnacle of the League of Ireland.

“48 hours,” he joked when asked about the length of his break. “I don’t know if I ever get a break in these jobs. I love it too much. You get tired—a lot of travel and stuff like that—it’s what hurts. We’re still standing here in Cobh in October, but I probably need to catch up on a little bit of time at home, stuff like that.

“The mind is never far away; it’s always tuned in or making phone calls and planning, and we have a lot to be excited about, we really do. If that is how we wrap up 2025—it obviously is the end of our league campaign—I probably couldn’t have scripted it.

“I’m very proud of us all, even yourself and everyone who supported us all year. It’s been a hard year to support, but we knew what we were signing up for, and we’re out the other side of it now, which is great.”