The Commentary Box: New faces at Dundalk

Dundalk boss Ciaran Kilduff has had a very busy week, as he continues to strengthen his squad in preparation for the new season, which begins in just over four weeks.

Conor Kearns signed for Dundalk last Thursday evening, thus solving the goalkeeping issue as far as the club is concerned. Dundalk have been chasing a number one keeper since they got their promotion licence from the FAI in mid-November.

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Kearns comes to Dundalk on loan from former League champions Shelbourne for the season. He is highly regarded as a top keeper.

He was the number one keeper for Shelbourne two years ago when they clinched their 14th league title a year ago.

Damian Duff was the manager at that time. However, his surprise departure also saw Conor lose his number one spot as Shelbourne keeper.

The signing of a League of Ireland keeper is a good move by Kilduff. In 2024, Dundalk had four keepers in the number one position. It was a total mess. The keepers signed were simply not good enough.

The problem of not having a keeper who could not hold down the number one slot ensured huge instability in the defence. It ensured Dundalk conceded goals so easily and left them at the bottom of the table, and were eventually relegated.

Of course, the goalkeepers who made up the team were not responsible for Dundalk's demise in 2024. That blame lies with an amount of people who were involved with the club both on and off the pitch, stretching back a number of seasons.

Dundalk had an excellent keeper on their books for seasons 22 and 23. Nathan Shepperd turned out to be a top-class keeper for the two years he was in Oriel.

But talks on a third year in 2024 for Nathan broke down, leaving Dundalk in crisis for a keeper. There are always two sides to a story. One said that Nathan walked away from the negotiations over a period of time as they were being discussed.

But another report muted that the difference in the cost of keeping Nathan at Oriel and money offered was very small in comparison to his previous contract, and this was what caused the talks to break down.

Nathan spoke to me in a number of interviews prior to contract negotiations and said that he wanted to stay at Oriel.

Dundalk should have moved heaven and earth to keep him. They did not, and the failure to keep a top keeper at Oriel came back to haunt Dundalk at the end of the season.

Conor Kearns is aged 27. His senior career began with UCD. He made 55 first-team appearances over a three-year spell. Conor moved to Galway United and in seasons 2021,2022 he made 55 first team appearances.

In 2023, Conor moved to Shelborne and spent three seasons playing for the Dublin side. He made 94 first-team appearances. He helped Shelbourne win a league title in season 2024.

The win equalled Dundalk's tally of 14 league title victories. Both clubs are the second most successful teams of winning the league. Shamrock Rovers have the most successful titles won, of course, by a mile. 

Conor was part of the UCD team that won promotion to the Premier Division in 2018. He was first team keeper with the Shelbourne team that won the Premier Division in 2024. He was on the PFAI Team of the Year of 2023.

This was an excellent achievement. If the Dublin native can win the confidence of his Dundalk defence, then this is an excellent signing by Ciaran Kilduff.

It will hopefully ensure that Dundalk's defence will give little away and make the Oriel Park side a difficult team to beat.

However, I would hope that Peter Cherrie is signed and registered as a player just in case Kearns sustains an injury during the season. The move would allow Dundalk to have a choice between Enda Minogue and Cherrie.

He was invaluable last season in Dundalk's promotion push. Peter played 18 games as first team keeper last season, while Enda also played 18 games.

I look forward to seeing how the number one position fares out this season for Dundalk. Conor will be under a lot of pressure from the start. But he must be given time to settle in. It's just great that Dundalk have signed an experienced League of Ireland keeper who has played at the very top.

It was muted in the media at the end of last week that Dundalk were on the lookout for a striker and a centre-half.
Less than 24 hours after signing Conor Kearns, came news that Dundalk had signed Derry City striker Danny Mullen.

He joined Derry City in 2023. He made  86 appearances for the Candystripes. Danny says that he was very excited about joining Dundalk. He felt it was a great time joining another club.

Danny was hopeful that the team will be a force in the League in the coming season. Manager Ciaran Kilduff says that Mullen will be another huge addition to the team. He says that Danny's record and CV speaks for itself.

Danny arrived at the Brandywell in the summer of 2023, having had spells with Livingston, St. Mirren, Dundee and Partick Thistle. He made 86 appearances for Derry City and got 21 goals for them.

Derry City manager Tiarnan Lynch gave Danny a glowing tribute on Friday evening. He says the new Dundalk striker gave everything to Derry City. Lynch said he wished Mullen every success in his career going forward.

There were great tributes to Danny on Derry's social media from their fans. All said the new Dundalk striker had given everything to Derry.

They said that he would be a great asset to Dundalk as his new club strove to find its feet again in the Premier Division.

There was a nice montage put together of the goals that Danny has scored for Derry in the past three seasons.

It's ironic that Dundalk signed a striker from Derry City when two years earlier they allowed Pat Hoban, their best goalscorer ever, to go to the same Northwest club.

New owner at the time, Brian Ainscough, inherited the problem where Pat Hoban was told towards the end of season 23 that he was no longer needed by the club.

He was told this by then manager, Stephen  O'Donnell. Well, on Saturday Pat struck six for his now club, Glentoran FC. I remember saying at the time Dundalk should never have let Hoban go.

He still had a year left on his contract. But after his disagreement with then manager Stephen O'Donnell, there was never going to be a reconciliation between the two.

The then outgoing owners, Andy Connolly and STATSports, backed O'Donnell in the dispute between the two. They could have backed Hoban. But they did not. But owners must always back their manager. They did.

However, Hoban remained a Dundalk player when Brian Ainscough took over. At the time, he told me he was leaving it up to the manager to resolve. It was the manager's call.

It's amazing that after eight games of the new season, Stephen O'Donnell was sacked by Brian Ainscough because of Dundalk's dreadful start. Hoban had gone to Derry at the end of January 2024.

Well, last Saturday, Pat was on fire, getting six goals for the first time in his career in a single game. He got the six in the space of 52 minutes.

The loss of Hoban for season 2024 and the failure to renew Nathan Shepherd's contract were two of the key reasons why Dundalk were relegated in 2024.

However, they would most likely have been relegated anyway, given the fact that they nearly went bankrupt at the end of season 2024.

Talking about strikers, I see that Cork City's Seanie Maguire could be on the move to Shamrock Rovers from Cork City. It would be a great capture by Rovers. Sean played five times for Dundalk in 2015.

He is a top-class striker. He could do a lot for the Hoops next season. Do not be surprised if he does not line out for Rovers in the first game of the new season at Tallaght Stadium against Dundalk.

Rumours on Wednesday were rife that it was Maguire that Ciaran Kilduff was after. But by last Friday,  there were reports that the Dundalk boss could be chasing Ruairi Keating, another Cork striker. He is 30.

Ruairi has played for Sligo Rovers, Finn Harps, Galway United, Torquay United, Gateshead and St Pats. Over two seasons at Cork City in 2022 and 2023, he scored 26 goals. Last season, he played 18 times for Cork. He scored eight goals.

I was very surprised to hear that Dundalk were in the market for another striker after they signed Danny Mullen. But if they can get another experienced striker, then all the better. It's not Sean Maguire. It may not even be Ruairi Keating.

They are also chasing a centre half. Whoever that is, it's being kept very much under wraps. As I write this column on a Saturday morning. Dundalk need an experienced centre-half for two reasons. One is to strengthen the defence if needed.

While the two young centre halves Dundalk have. Vinnie Leonard and Mayowa played a huge role in Dundalk winning promotion last season. They need an experienced centre half.

Mayowa has plenty of Premier Division experience. Vinnie also has some experience in the Premier Division from two seasons ago.

However, what's most important about the young Dundalk centre half is that he could well go in the Summer window. It's felt Dundalk will need to have an experienced central defender in the team, whatever happens.

Celtic are known to be keen on Vinnie, as are Italian Serie A club Genoa. It's felt that there will be a big step up in interest for Vinnie from this week, as there are just three weeks left in the January window.

It's felt that clubs who are keen on the young Dundalk centre half will try and seal a deal with both Vinnie and Dundalk before the end of the month.

For Dundalk, it's really important that they can get a deal done before the end of the January window for Vinnie. The next time he can be signed is the summer window.

At that stage, he would only have three months of his contract left with Oriel Park. Clubs, of course, would still pay a transfer fee. But it might well be reduced considerably, given that Vinnie has so little time left at Dundalk.

The Dundalk centre half, in monetary terms, is worth around two million euro. He is certainly worth much more than a six-figure sum. I've said before that foreign clubs have been signing Irish players for chicken feed.

Mason Melia linked up with Spurs last week. He was signed earlier last year for two million euro. The talented Pat's striker was worth a lot more than that.

Yet in terms of Irish transfer fees, it was the largest yet paid for an Irish player from the League of Ireland. But two million euro is only chicken feed to clubs like Spurs, as it would be for Celtic if that's what they pay for Vinnie.

But having said that, it would be a huge boost for Dundalk. With add-ons, Dundalk are set to do well financially one way or another from the transfer of Vinnie.

To me, what's most important is that Vinnie is happy with the deal, no matter what it is. It's vital he is going to the club he wants to go to and not where other people will want him to go to.

I hope he gets to a club that will give him the right playing opportunities. Vinnie is a future senior Irish international. There are not many players who make it when they head across mostly to the UK. Vinnie will make it.

But he will need the help and guidance of Dundalk FC as he prepares to make the big move to wherever that is.

Manager Ciaran Kilduff is confident that he will be able to keep Vinnie at Oriel until the end of the coming season. I think that would be a wise move by whoever the club Vinnie does move to.

Dundalk made a massive signing at the weekend, and 18-year-old Luke Mulligan is returning to the club for another season. The underage Republic of Ireland full-back and midfielder is very much a part of Ciaran Kilduff's plans.

Luke is a sixth-year student at Ballybay Community College. He played a huge role in Dundalk's road to promotion last season.

It's amazing to see some clubs that dropped out of the League of Ireland that are returning for the new Division Three. St Francis are returning, and their amazing and fine John Hyland Park stadium will also make a return.

As a non-League side in 1991, they got to the FAI Cup final, where they lost to Bray Wanderers. Dundalk played them at their stadium in Baldonnell quite a number of times when the Oriel Park side were in the First Division.

But the ground is at Baldonnell. Thus, St. Francis had much difficulty drawing supporters to the ground. Their natural hinterland for support is the Liberties.

Salthill Devon of Galway are in the new Division Three. They will play at Drom Soccer Park, Galway. Mervue United will return to their old ground, Fahy's Field, to play in Division Three.

They had to play at Eamonn Deacy Park when they were in the First Division. But they have now had their own ground upgraded and can play in their real home.

Home Farm FC of Dublin will play at the Whitehall Stadium. It was used mostly by them in the past. But Shelbourne and Dublin City also used it. It has a stadium capacity of 2,500.

Station Road in Newbridge, Kildare, was used by Kildare County when in the First Division. It will always be remembered by Dundalk fans as it was there that the club got promotion in October 2008.

They hammered Kildare County. That night, Station Road will now be used by Newbridge Town FC in Division Three. They have always owned the ground. One of the country's most historic grounds is the Mardyke in Cork.

It will be used by University College Cork. The Mardyke was used by quite a number of clubs, now long gone. Cork City played there. They, of course, play now at Turner's Cross.

Cork United, Cork FC  and Cork Athletic played at the Mardyke. It was also the first venue outside of Dublin to host an Irish men's Football senior l international. Ireland played Hungary there in 1939.

So now to all soccer supporters who think they have travelled to every League ground in the country. Think again. You have some to go to some of the above. And a lot more I have not even mentioned.

When I was at Dundalk's game in Kerry in the summer, I heard a lot of supporters say they had now been in all of the League of Ireland grounds. Well, you have not. So get travelling.

Shelbourne are reopening their new stand in March at Tolka Park. It's at the very front of the ground. Amazingly, it was closed because of a number of safety risks not long after it opened.

It comes back into use in March. It will bring Tolka Park up to an attendance capacity of 6,500. The construction of Finn Harp's new stadium will resume shortly. It stalled in 2014.

Meanwhile, Derry City's astro turf pitch will be replaced in April by a new state-of-the-art hybrid grass pitch.

Harps will move to nearby Celtic Park, the home of the Derry Gaa football team, for that month. It will be great to see that old pitch being removed. It was in as bad a condition that Oriel was in with their old pitch.

Cork City have been left stunned by the sudden death of their former Academy player Alan Nagle. In a statement, City say they have been left in total devastation by Alan's sudden passing.

Alan joined the Academy at Cork when he was just 15 in 2017. He spent four years at Cork. He also played for the Cork under-15 and under-19 teams.

Messages on social media to the club showed a huge outpouring of grief at the news of Alan's death. It is very, very sad. Anyway, have a safe week. Be careful out there. And look after yourselves and those around you.