Dundalk seek Malone Cup retention in final dress rehearsal

Dundalk FC bring their pre-season preparations to a close on Friday night with a short trip across the county to face Louth neighbours Drogheda United in the latest edition of the Jim Malone Cup (kick-off, 7:45pm).

The Lilywhites, who lifted the trophy last year courtesy of a narrow 1–0 victory at Oriel Park, will be eager to retain local bragging rights in what represents their final outing before competitive action resumes.

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Attention will then turn to the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, which gets under way a week later with a challenging opening-night visit to Tallaght Stadium to take on Shamrock Rovers on February 6th.

Dundalk’s pre-season programme has offered a mixed examination so far, opening with an emphatic 5–1 away victory over UCD before a behind-closed-doors friendly defeat to Shelbourne last week ended 2–1, with Eoin Kenny scoring for The Lilywhites.

Their PTSB Leinster Senior Cup campaign opened with a 5–2 loss to non-league St Peter’s in Group A, but Dundalk have responded strongly since.

A 3–1 victory over Shelbourne at the Muirhevnamor Sports Centre was followed by a dominant 5–0 away triumph against Athlone Town on Saturday afternoon, a result which all but secured progression to the knockout stages.

The holders took the lead after 21 minutes when Gbemi Arubi converted from the penalty spot, before Harry Groome doubled the advantage five minutes before the interval.

Declan McDaid extended the lead on 76 minutes, and captain Daryl Horgan added a fourth seven minutes later, with McDaid completing the rout with his second of the afternoon on 84 minutes.

Dundalk’s position in Group A remains extremely strong, with the only scenario in which they could fall outside the top two requiring defeats for Athlone against both Shelbourne and St Peter’s, allied to exceptionally heavy winning margins of three goals for St Peter’s and six for Shels, underlining just how secure Dundalk’s qualification prospects remain.

On the eve of the Jim Malone Cup fixture, Dundalk will host their season launch night at the Lilywhite Lounge, with doors opening at 6pm ahead of a 7pm start.

The evening will feature updates on off-season infrastructure works and broader enhancements around Oriel Park, a club address from executive director Chris Clinton, who is expected to join via video link, as well as a discussion with manager Ciaran Kilduff, with several members of the first-team squad also set to be in attendance.

Meanwhile, while Dundalk’s off-season transfer business appears complete, Brighton & Hove Albion have emerged as the leading contenders to secure the signature of Vinnie Leonard, with fellow Premier League outfit Crystal Palace also entering the fray.

Scottish Premiership heavyweights Celtic and English Championship side Norwich City remain firmly in the race for the Meath native, who recently represented the Republic of Ireland at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.

Prior to that, he enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Dundalk, playing a key role in their First Division title success and earning selection in the PFAI First Division Team of the Year after scoring three goals from defence across 34 league appearances.

However, with the highly rated defender not turning 18 until March, he is unable to formally join a UK-based club until the opening of the summer transfer window in July, meaning that while a pre-agreement may be finalised, he will remain a Dundalk player until then, with The Lilywhites — who stand to receive a reported club-record fee of €400,000 plus add-ons — also hopeful of retaining his services on loan for the remainder of the season thereafter.

2026 Dundalk FC Squad (as of January 25th): Enda Minogue, Peter Cherrie, Conor Kearns; Conor O’Keeffe, Mayowa Animasahun, Luke Mulligan, Vinnie Leonard, Sean Spaight, JR Wilson, Harvey Warren, Bobby Burns, Rob Cornwall; Aodh Dervin, Daryl Horgan, Harry Groome, Leo Gaxha, Norman Garbett, Shane Tracey, Declan McDaid, Ronan Teahan, Keith Buckley; Gbemi Arubi, Eoin Kenny, TJ Molloy, and Danny Mullen.

Confirmed Departures: Sammy Safaei (Harland & Wolff Welders – loan); Sean McHale (St Patrick’s Athletic – end of loan), Ethen Vaughan (released); Andy Paraschiv (Longford Town); Dean Ebbe (Ballymena United), Rohan Vaughan (Queens Park Rangers – end of loan).