The Commentary Box: Dundalk people are always so proud of their own

Last Friday night, the soccer media had their annual get-together for their soccer awards for the season for both men and women. The Dublin media were there with a near full turnout.

But the Irish Soccer Writers from all over the country were there, along with famous stars and personalities. The event was held in the beautiful Clontarf Castle Hotel.

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Dundalk used to dominate the soccer awards in the glory days of Stephen Kenny and Vinny Perth. The event in the men's category was once again dominated by Shamrock Rovers. Their players collected two awards.

But there was a huge icon from Dundalk, Stephen Staunton, who was presented with a very special award. It was great to know that the town of Dundalk had an icon winning an award again, voted for by the Irish Soccer Writers.

But there was also another Dundalk factor to the awards. The Goalkeeper of the Year award is named after the late great Des Casey, who was a titan on the FAI Executive for so many years.

This included the great days when the Republic qualified for the World Cup finals three times in a row.

Des came up with the idea of having an award for the Goalkeeper of the Year. It was a great idea. Des went for it as he always saw the role of a good keeper in any side.

He firmly believed that if a team had bundles of talent that it would never win anything unless they had a good keeper. He would have seen this at Dundalk. His family own Oriel Park.

Des of course served on the Oriel Park board for many years. He would have seen possibly two of the best keepers to ever play League of Ireland Football. They were the great Richie Blackmore and, of course, Alan O'Neill.

Richie came to Oriel in August 1973 and played with the club for 11 seasons. Alan O'Neill had the very difficult task of following in the shoes of Blackmore. But he did and was equally as good as Richie.

To me, Richie was magnificent. He ensured Dundalk won the league under Jim McLaughlin in 1976,1979, and 1982.

He was also the key link in Dundalk winning the FAI Cup in 1977,1979, and 1981. He was a key member of the Dundalk team that won their first double in 1979.

Alan O'Neill won the league with Dundalk in 1988 and 1991 under Turlough O'Connor. He also won the FAI Cup in 1988. It was the second time Dundalk had done the double.

Thus, when Des Casey was asked by the soccer writers who he would want to see the award being given to, I am sure he was strongly influenced by Richie Blackmore and Alan O'Neill.

In those days, many people just did not realise how key keepers were. It was clearly shown when Richie Blackmore was injured in a European Cup game against PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. In 1976, Richie missed 11 games.

The normally tough Dundalk defence just melted and conceded goal after goal. The reserve keeper, Eddie Mahon, could just not cope with the onslaught from the opposition.

In his first game, Eddie conceded four goals against Sligo Rovers. When Richie arrived back to the Dundalk team, Jim McLaughlin's side were well out of the league race.

But as the year switched to 1977 and with Richie back in goals, Dundalk went on to win the FAI Cup for the first time since 1958. He was the stabilising force in the Dundalk defence.

When Dessie Casey worked on the idea of what type of trophy to get, he was helped by another Dundalk man, Gerry McDermott. Gerry was on the Irish Soccer Writers executive at the time.

He was a great help to Des at the time of deciding what type of trophy to get, and even sounded Gerry out as to the name of the trophy. Gerry ensured that the trophy would have Des Casey's name engraved on it.

Thus, his name would live on as long as there was a Soccer Writers organisation. Shamrock Rovers keeper Ed McGinty won the award this season. The goalkeeper of the year thoroughly deserved the award.

He played a key role in Shamrock Rovers winning their fifth league title in six years. Rovers also won the double for the first time since 1987. Dermot Keeley was the manager that season. They won it by beating Dundalk in the FAI Cup final.

Dundalk man Steve Staunton was presented with the International Achievement award. This was in recognition of his becoming the first player to reach a century of caps for his country.

Steve also played in every game Ireland were involved in the World Cup finals in Italy in 1990, the United States in 1994 and in South Korea in 2002. Steve went on, of course, to become Irish manager.

Sadly, that did not work out for the Dundalk man. Stephen went on to Dundalk's books in 1985-86. It's believed he may have played for half a game.

The Merseysiders were interested in him while Stephen was in fifth year at the De La Salle Secondary School. He played soccer for the local junior team, Redeemer Celtic. Stephen wanted to join Liverpool on finishing his fifth year at school.

But he wisely stayed on to sit his Leaving Cert in June 1986. He was on Dundalk's books for the season 1985-86.

It's reported Liverpool, for some reason, wanted him to become a Dundalk player before they moved for Staunton. They also wanted him to do his Leaving Cert. Dundalk did really well out of the Staunton move to Liverpool.

They got a sizeable transfer deal, along with add-ons such as appearances on the Liverpool first-team, international appearances and a percentage of any transfer fee if he moved to another club.

Stephen 65 made appearances for Liverpool between 1986 to 1991. He moved to Aston Villa in 1991, where he stayed until 1998. He made 208 first-team appearances. He scored 16 goals for them in that period.

He returned to Liverpool in 1998 and was there until 2000. He made 44 first-team appearances. He returned to Aston Villa in 2000 and was there for three seasons. Stephen made 73 first-team appearances for Villa in that period.

He moved to Coventry City in 2003 and was there for two seasons. He made 73 first-team appearances. Stephen played for the Irish senior team 102 times.

Stephen was the youngest member of Jack Charlton's Italia 1990 World Cup team that went to the quarter finals. They were beaten in the quarter-finals by Italy.

The team won the hearts and minds of the people of Ireland. The people of Dundalk looked on in amazement as they played in every game in Italia 1990 until they were knocked out. He was a left back and attracted all the attention.

Stephen was in the Irish side that went to America for the World Cup in 1994. Ireland did so well to get to the knockout stages. They were beaten by the Netherlands in the last 16.

Stephen did help guide Ireland to the World Cup finals in 2002. They beat Iran in a two-legged playoff. Roy Keane was supposed to be the captain of the team. But after he departed the squad in Saipan, Steve became captain.

He led Ireland to the last 16 of the competition, where Ireland went out on penalties. Steve became the first Irish player to earn 100 caps when the Republic played Germany in the 2002 World Cup.

Steve announced his retirement from the Irish team after Ireland were knocked out of the World Cup by Spain in Korea in 2002. Staunton scored directly from two corner kicks. The first came on 7th June 1992 during a USA Cup game in Boston.

The second came in 1993 in Lansdowne Road against the north. It was in a World Cup qualifying game on  31st March 1993. against the North. Ireland won 3-0.

My path has crossed with Steve Staunton a number of times. The first time was when he arrived home to a hero's welcome after Italia '90. Dundalk people are always so proud of their own.

Steve had his own parade around the town. He went from the Fair Green through the whole town. He was overwhelmed by the welcome he got. Young children, men and women mobbed the young Dundalk man.

But the people were given their chance to see their hero. Steve responded well and gave the fans what they wanted. He signed autographs on books, arms, and copies. It was amazing.

The next day, I got my interview with the young Dundalk man. The interview was arranged at his home on the Carrick Road. I did the interview in the living room of his parents' home. It was a beautiful house.

Steve walked into the room. I knew I was going to speak to a legend. But I was not in any way overawed by who I was interviewing. I had a job to do. It was for the LMFM news and lunchtime sports programme.

I was struck immediately by the humility of Stephen. Here was a young man who was an international soccer star. He had every reason to boast about his achievement.

But he did not. He was a very down-to-earth young man who saw what he did in Italy as part of his job. He spoke about his manager, the late Jack Charlton.

He said that Jack was a real leader who inspired his players to such an extent that they would nearly die on the pitch for him. Jack had full respect for his players once these same players had the same respect for him.

He spoke about the visit to the Vatican and the audience the squad had with Pope John Paul II. It was a very special experience for the entire squad.

The team played Italy the following Saturday in the quarter-final of the World Cup. The game was won by an early goal from Salvatore Schilachi. It was a mix-up in the Irish defence that allowed Italy to score.

Toto, as the goalscorer was fondly called by the Italian supporters, scored six goals for Italy in the Italia '90 World Cup. Tragically, he passed away as a result of having cancer at the age of 59. Toto died sadly on the 18th September 2024.

In the early morning. It was just 34 years after his goal put Ireland out of the World Cup. I was shocked to discover this.

The media in Ireland have never really highlighted this. To me, it was another sign of just how fragile life is and how short it is as well. My next time I met Steve Staunton was in August 1991.

Dundalk were playing Liverpool in a friendly at Oriel. Liverpool were managed by Graeme Souness. Rumours were rampant that Steve Staunton was on his way out of the Merseyside club. He was being linked to Aston Villa.

After the Liverpool game, I was lucky to get an interview with Graeme Souness. Reporters were searching Oriel, looking for him. But I knew where he would be. He told me to just wait and that there was no problem in him giving me an interview.

I wanted to find out if it was true that Stephen Staunton was indeed on his way out of Anfield. The manager confirmed that it was a possibility that the Dundalk man would be going to Villa.

Souness was an excellent person to interview. He spoke about his playing time with a club he loved. He had no hesitation to leave Rangers and become the boss at Anfield when Liverpool came calling.

Next morning, I was at Dublin Airport. I was there to get a comment from Steve on what Souness had said the night before, that he could leave Liverpool. Then, sports editor Gerry McDermott wanted a comment from Steve.

I saw the Liverpool team get off the bus and walk into the airport. I went straight over to Steve and asked him for a quick word on the speculation that he was leaving Liverpool.

It was not a nice job asking a Dundalk hero if he was going to Villa. Stephen kept walking with his Liverpool team, and I walked with him, asking him about his future at Liverpool. Steve stopped for about 30 seconds.

He turned and said the following. "You are just like all the rest of the media." I knew I was. But although having great sympathy for Steve, I had a job to do and I did it. It was clear from the great Dundalk man that he was on his way to Villa.

I met Stephen again at the schoolboys league pitch in Dundalk, some five years later. I was there to get an interview with him. We shook hands, and he had no problem talking. He spoke about his past, present and future.

He was a great person to interview. He answered any question I asked. The interview went out on LMFM on Sunday Sport that afternoon. I always remember that interview as three weeks later, my own dad passed away.

The first award at the Soccer Writers' night was a presentation to Kelly Brady for winning the double last season with Athlone Town.

She scored 27 goals, including a hat-trick, in the FAI Cup final. It would be great in the near future if Dundalk had a senior women's team and had a player picking up this award.

Dundalk, meanwhile, completed the signing of former Bohemians captain Keith Buckley this week. The 33-year-old midfielder will bring a lot of experience. And that will be needed in this young Dundalk team.

Keith has been very unlucky with injury in the recent period of his career. He is hoping to kick-start it again at Oriel Park. He will be a good asset in Ciaran Kilduff's team.

"I can't wait to get started in the next week. It's a fresh start and a new challenge for me. I am looking forward to the new season and can not wait to get going."

If Keith can remain injury-free this season, there is no doubt that he will be able to stamp his authority in league games and help Dundalk to a successful season.

Buckley's leadership will be very important for Dundalk. He has this from being the captain of Bohemians. The coming season will be his 15th in the League of Ireland.

Dundalk also brought in Ronan Teehan from Kerry FC. He is seen to be an excellent prospect. The 21-year-old came through the academy system in Tralee. Teehan has decided that it was time to move on from Kerry.

He wanted to play in the Premier Division, which he will now do with Dundalk. He has been on Ciaran Killduff's radar for some time. He played 30 times for Kerry FC last season.

He scored four goals and had five assists last season. Teehan says it did not take much convincing for him to sign for Dundalk. He said Dundalk was a huge club and a really good squad at Oriel. Ronan says it really was very easy for him to make up his mind.

On Friday, Dundalk announced that 16-year-old TJ Molloy has signed a new one-year deal with the club. Last season, TJ became the youngest player ever to score for Dundalk.

TJ says last season was great, helping Dundalk win the First Division. He is really looking forward to next season. No doubt the 16-year-old will feature in the Dundalk team at some stage.

He is a hugely talented player. And with players becoming younger playing at senior level, do not be surprised to see TJ play for the first team on a more regular basis than last season.

I am amazed to see Bray keeper Jimmy Corcoran still on the transfer list. Jimmy was one of the best keepers I saw in the First Division last season. I said it three weeks ago that Dundalk should move for him.

Ciaran Kilduff is on the hunt for a first-team keeper. Kilduff has been linked to former Bohemians keeper James Talbot and Shelbourne veteran keeper Conor Kearns. I do not think that Dundalk will be making any move for Talbot.

No disrespect to these two players. I think that Dundalk should be looking for a younger keeper like Jimmy Corcoran. Jimmy has made 52 appearances for Bray in total. His other clubs were Wexford and Cork City.

He is only 23 years of age. He started his career with Cherry Orchard and then moved to Preston North End. He was Dundalk's third keeper for a spell under Stephen Kenny. But he was very young at Dundalk then.

He made 25 appearances for Wexford and 41 for Cork City. Another keeper I saw in the First Division last season was Cobh's Timothy Martin. Timothy had 12 clean sheets last season over 36 league games.

He is a Luxembourg underage international. He's 24 years old. Personally, I would opt for Jimmy Corcoran.

His displays against Dundalk last season were top-class. But Timothy is also first class. Ciaran Kilduff is also looking for a centre half. That will be a key position to fill.

Mayowa, Conor O'Keeffe and Declan McDaid are expected to sign this week. Bobby Burns is also due to sign this week from Galway. He wants to come to Oriel. He is a young player, but yet he has a vast amount of experience.

Dundalk also extended 19-year-old Shane Tracey's contract during the week. The young local player made 22 appearances for the first team last season. He played a pivotal role in Dundalk securing promotion in 202.5hane is from the Avenue Road.

Dundalk owner Chris Clinton is believed to be looking for new investors to come on board at Oriel. This would be a great move by Chris. The club needs a stable ownership. It had this last season as well, under previous owner John Temple.

Without that stability, Dundalk would never have secured promotion. But now that the club are back in the Premier Division, it needs much more investment to keep it on the right track.

Dundalk launched their new home and away kits for the men's senior team by means of a viral video. It featured well-known local musician Reggie.

The club says the kit launch marks the club's return to the top flight of Irish football and the start of the club's historic 100th year in the league.

The new kit was crafted through a new parallel partnership with Macron and prominent future principal partner Zoma, alongside Blackstone Motors and UHY.

The club says the strips are steeped in the club's winning history, but built to embody the defiant fighting spirit of the town. The adult jerseys went on sale for supporters by Thursday.

There is that much interest in the new jerseys among supporters that a queue began to form outside the entrance to the ground at 2.30pm on Thursday, even though they did not go on sale until 4pm. This shows how much this club means to the people of Dundalk.

Work on the laying of the new pitch has begun in earnest in Oriel. The new astro turf carpet had been installed in around a quarter of the town, half of the pitch by last Thursday evening.

At a guess, I would say that it could be installed fully by the end of this week, if not before. Derry have announced that their artificial pitch at the Brandywell is to be lifted early into the new season.

The ground is owned by Derry and Strabane Council. It is they who are paying for the work. The pitch was installed at the Brandywell in 2018. It was due to be replaced if Derry wanted to continue playing in the Premier Division next season.

This was why Dundalk had to install a new pitch now, as the FAI had insisted that a new one be ready for the start of the new season.

Derry will have to play some home games at nearby Celtic Park, which is the County grounds for the Derry GAA County team. Derry will be installing a new grass pitch at the Brandywell.

Thus, Dundalk will be the only club to have an astro turf as their main pitch next season in the Premier Division.

I have had inquiries from some local fans living in America about what arrangements the club have in place for getting Dundalk jerseys to the States or any foreign country. How do fans abroad get their jersey?

Have a great week. Look after each other and be careful out there.