In-form Dundalk face ‘really tough’ Sligo challenge

Dundalk FC manager Ciaran Kilduff has played down his side’s strong start to the season ahead of Saturday night’s SSE Airtricity League Premier Division trip to Sligo Rovers, insisting their current points tally “guarantees nothing” as the campaign continues to unfold.

The Lilywhites travel to The Showgrounds (kick-off, 7:45pm) on the back of a 2-1 win over Galway United that lifted them into the top three. After being relegated in 2024 with 26 points, Dundalk already have 21 from just 12 games, but Kilduff is reluctant to read too much into the early standings.

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“It’s irrelevant,” he said. “You can pick up no points in the next round if it goes badly. You might get a bit of bad luck. I think the level of performance has been good, and the points tally is impressive. But does it guarantee anything? No.

“Someone said to me we were third. If the league was over, I’d maybe be delighted, but it’s not. No, the points tally in the league table right now is irrelevant. It’s the next game that’s important.

“And probably since the day I came to the club, that’s been the way — it’s just the next game, and it’s all about three more in Sligo if we can get them.”

While Dundalk have emerged as early contenders for a European place, Kilduff also urged caution about drawing conclusions at this stage of the season, pointing to the unpredictable nature of both individual matches and the broader campaign.

“If we get to the 36th game, I’ll have a look. I’ll get a bit excited then,” he said. “I’ve been around football long enough. At 2–0 tonight, I thought we were nearly there. And then at 2–1 I was thinking this could go…

“We threw one away here last year against Treaty — 2–0 and looking like it was curtains — but it never is. So that’s the micro scale, game to game, but on the macro scale, as much as we’re near the top now, there are teams coming and teams getting stronger.

“People will recruit, we’ll recruit, we’ll lose players, injuries, bad runs of form, confidence — all of those things — but it’s been a good start.”

Saturday’s opponents arrive in improved form, having won their last two matches — away to Bohemians and at home to Waterford — and Kilduff expects another demanding encounter in the north-west.

“It’s a really tough game,” he said. “If I’m totally honest, with the Sligo game here last time, we maybe didn’t shade it. If anyone did, they did, but we found a way to win it. They’re winning games themselves now. They’ve picked up a lot of points and they’ll be a strong team.

“There hasn’t been an easy game in this division. Sligo is definitely not going to become that, or anything like it. We’ll have to be ready next Saturday.”

Dundalk are boosted by the return of Aodh Dervin from suspension, adding options in midfield. However, Kilduff will again be without several players through injury.

Vinnie Leonard remains around two weeks away from fitness, while Conor O’Keeffe is expected to miss at least another week. Defender Rob Cornwall is also nearing a return, with a timeframe of up to two weeks.