It’s time for Dundalk to reward Nathan Sheppard with an extended contract

Dundalk collected three very precious points when they beat Drogheda United in the Louth Derby last week at Weaver Park. A Conor Malley goal on 66 minutes was enough to give the visitors a hugely precious victory.

But the win hides the fact that this was a game that Drogheda should have won. Dundalk were only able to muster three shots on target for the entire game.

It was a highly significant result. Last season Dundalk could only manage five wins away from home. They beat Derry City and Finn Harps twice.

The fifth win came when they were awarded the points in a game that Sligo won. But the result was overturned when it was discovered Sligo had played an ineligible player by accident. 

Drogheda had 54 percent of the possession in the game. They had 13 shots on the Dundalk goal. Six were on target. Seven were off target. Dundalk had three shots on target and none off target.

This shows the almost complete dominance that the home team had. But they failed to take their chances, including a late penalty. Dundalk took their one chance and scored.

To be fair, you have to say that Drogheda deserved something from the game, given their dominance. But in the end, it was Dundalk who were able to soak up all the pressure and get the killer goal.

You always get at least one chance in a game, and Dundalk certainly took it. They punished Drogheda United severely. Nathan Shepperd was a hero in the Dundalk goal, taking on save after save, including the penalty. He is the best keeper playing on the island of Ireland.

The Drogs Game

Stephen O'Donnell made two changes to the team that did so well to get a point away to Derry. Daniel Kelly was out through injury. Hayden Muller was out of the first 11 after he felt unwell before the game.

Wasiri Williams replaced Muller. Cameon Eliott replaced Daniel Kelly. From the start Drogheda just tore through Dundalk. The Oriel Park side's midfield had an off night in some ways. Drogheda were given almost complete freedom in this sector for much of the game.

Greg Sloggett did start for Dundalk in this area. The defence was top class, thwarting Drogheda for much of the time. The midfield players were forced right back and to be fair they were very good at protecting the Dundalk goal.

One player who also stood high in the rankings was centre back Williams. He was excellent. Any fears Hayden Muller would be missed proved to be unfounded as Wasiri was just simply top class. He linked in very well with Andy Boyle, who was playing his 601st game for Dundalk.

Archie Stokes and Darragh Leahy were top class. Rayhaan Tulloch, Johannes Yi-Koko, Conor Malley and Greg Sloggett were all midfielders. Cameron Elliott and Pat Hoban were the two strikers, with Hoban playing a much deeper role in front of the midfield.

At times Elliott played out on the wing. The strikers got no ball supply whatsoever. There was just one time Dundalk got an opening. This was for the Conor Malley goal.

Ryan Brennan went close for Drogheda early on. Drogheda continued to press. Dale Rooney saw his 25-yard shot saved superbly by Shepperd. On the half hour a Rooney effort was saved again by Shepperd.

The Dundalk defence were able to keep Drogheda confined to long range efforts. But the chance of the night for Drogheda came on 33 minutes when Darragh Markey was put through in the box.

All he had to do was direct the ball goalward and Drogheda would have been in front. Instead, he shot over. It was as bad a miss that anyone could make.

The home side began the second half as they did the first.  But Dundalk were able to contain them. Alfie Lewis replaced Cameron Elliott while Ryan O'Kane re[laced Johannes Yi-Kokko in the 55th minute.

The double substitution seemed to work for a while and interrupted the home side’s rhythm. Just 11 minutes after the substitutions Dundalk got the winning goal.

Andy Boyle went on a towering run  through the middle. He slipped the ball to Rayhaan Tulloch. He saw Conor Malley in the clear in the box. Malley sent a curving shot that beat the Drogheda keeper. It was the one piece of magic Dundalk produced all night.

But in fairness it was the knockout punch that won the game. Dale Rooney continued to be a thorn in the side of Dundalk. He had one or two great efforts that went very close. With 14 minutes left John Martin replaced Pat Hoban. Minutes later Robbie Benson replaced Tulloch. 

Drogheda got a penalty with three minutes remaining. Three Drogheda players were in the penalty area. They seemed to be debating who was taking the spot kick. In the end Freddie Draper took it. Shepperd positioned himself so well that he was able to save it on the line.

It really was a magnificent save. Minutes later Draper was stretchered off in an accidental clash of heads with Greg Sloggett. Both players were on the ground for some time. Sloggett was able to walk off. 

Right at the death Dundalk nearly got a second. A Robbie Benson bullet took a wicked deflection off Drogheda defender Conor Keeley. The ball seemed destined for the net. Instead, it came crashing off the crossbar and out for a corner.

Referee Paul McLoughlin blew the final whistle. The celebrations among the Dundalk team and management said it all. The 600 Dundalk fans were in delight. Dundalk sub keeper Mark Byrne carried hero Nathan Shepherd around on his shoulders in front of the celebrating away fans.

Dundalk won this game because they were so smart defensively. The previous week Derry could find no way through. Last Friday Drogheda did but failed to take their chances.

To a man the defence was excellent. The first half tactic of using Pat Hoban in a split striker’s role with Cameron Elliott as the target man just simply never worked. Once again it was the defence that got Dundalk out of trouble.

But this Dundalk team really are not going to continue to get results away from home, like they have done over the past two weeks, if they allow the home teams to dominate the games in the hope that feeding on scraps will allow them to sneak a winning goal or even get a point.

They must not get into the pattern they had last year where they went out to win at home at all costs and then let their opponents dominate them when they play away from home. But in the overall context of things, it's results that are important.

It's points on the board that matter. Weaver Park has been a very difficult place for teams to play in this season, as it was last year. Drogheda will take the scalps of many of the best teams in the league this season. I have no doubt about that.

But think back to the pre-season. Drogheda offered to play the Jim Malone Cup at Oriel even though it was due to be played in Weaver Park.

Dundalk boss Stephen O'Donnell wanted the game in Drogheda. He wanted his new players to see what it was like to play in a typical League of Ireland ground away from home. Smartly too he knew last night's game was coming up early.

The whole Dundalk team learned what it was like to play in Weaver Park in that pre-season game. They knew what to expect they would get from Drogheda and they clicked. Perhaps too O'Donnell will have learned the way he used Hoban and Elliott just does not work.  It's highly unlikely he will do it again.

Stephen O’Donnell

The boss was full of praise for his keeper Nathan Shepherd's performance, who in his words was outstanding throughout the game. Stephen said he thought Drogheda's penalty was well taken.

But Nathan is such an agile and sprightly keeper that you would always fancy him to pull off the penalty save in the way he did.

I then raised the question with the Dundalk boss as to why the club had failed to give Nathan Shepperd a new two-year contract in pre-season. They did trigger a clause in his old contract that ensured he would be staying in Oriel for one more season.

But the fact that Dundalk have not tied Nathan down with a proper contract ensures that he can walk away from Oriel at the end of the season. I do not think most Dundalk fans realise this, even though I am raising the issue every week in this column.

I said to the Dundalk boss that the club needs to get Nathan to sign on the dotted line immediately. I asked him what was the problem. He said there was none. I said that I heard that he was not going to be with Dundalk next season.

Stephen said then that it seemed I knew more than him on this issue and he could not understand why we had ended up talking about this issue after only five games.

The Galwegian exclaimed that he is a great keeper and that the club love having him at Oriel. He said Nathan has a great mentality and that he brings it with him to every game. His performances for such a young keeper have been excellent.

I asked Stephen why Nathan had not been offered a new two-year contract pre-season considering the amount of top-class players Dundalk have lost to other clubs through pre contract deals.

Stephen said that side of things will be taken care of by the club and the bridge of offering Nathan a new deal will be crossed when they come to it.

I did ask the manager had he spoken to Nathan about his contractual situation at the club. He said he was not getting into this. I can fully understand his reluctance not to speak about the matter any further.

But unless Dundalk get this young keeper's contractual situation sorted, clubs will be queuing up to get his signature.

Shamrock Rovers had Gavin Bazunu fully signed up professionally at the age of 16. They knew he would be in high demand. The Irish senior international keeper was duly signed by Manchester City for €1 million.

There were add-ons if he was transferred to another club, where Rovers would get a percentage fee of the transfer, as they did when he was signed by Southampton. Rovers also get payments each time he plays for the Republic of Ireland.

Nathan Shepperd  

I did get talking to Nathan after the game. He said the match against Drogheda was not the most attractive to watch, but the most important thing was that Dundalk had got the points.

It was a busy time for him, dealing with both shots and crosses, especially in and around the penalty area. He said the fact that Dundalk went into the game scoreless at halftime gave them a good launching pad for the second half.

The Welshman stressed that Dundalk showed in the game with Derry that they can defend the penalty box very well, just as they did against Drogheda United on Thursday night.

Nathan says he trusts in his team 100 per cent, but he added that he would obviously prefer if Dundalk were doing the attacking. I suggested to Nathan that he was after having an excellent game.

He said it was his job to protect and defend the Dundalk penalty area and that simply was what he had done. He said the penalty given to Drogheda was one of those things that can be given

He tried to delay things as much as possible before the penalty kick. Nathan said that he was trying to get into the striker's head who was taking the spot kick.

He agreed that it seemed that three of the Drogheda players were arguing among themselves as to who was going to take the penalty and said the delay that there was obviously helped him as he prepared to face the penalty.

Shepperd noted how penalty takers do get nervous if there is a delay in the taking of a penalty. He said he just slowed things down and then picked the side he was going to go for.

Nathan had no idea where Frederick Draper was going to place the penalty. He thought he was just going to play it down the middle, just because of the delay. Nathan made up his mind to go from middle to left and he went with that. 

His decision proved crucial as he had pulled off a dramatic save. The in-form keeper says the 1-0 win was magnificent. He said Dundalk had two defeats there last year and it was great for the team to win.  

He also enjoyed the celebrations at the final whistle. Nathan confirmed that it was the substitute keeper Mark Byrne who carried him across the pitch in front of the Dundalk fans.

Stephen O'Donnell went down to the 600 fans who travelled. He punched the air in joy. He was walking away from the fans when he repeated his celebrations gesture.

Alfie Lewis hopeful Dundalk can reach a higher level and compete for league title

Stephen O'Donnell reflects on Dundalk's start to the season

I spoke to Nathan on his contractual situation at Dundalk. Nathan said he was a Dundalk player and that he wants to play in Europe. He says ambitions on leaving will only occur after the talks happen further down the line. He adds he is very happy being a Dundalk player.

When asked would he like to stay on as a Lilywhite if the terms of a new contract are right, he said yes. He always wanted to come back this season because he is settled at the club. He says he is very grateful of the great praise he has been getting from the fans

Speaking about his future, he talked about still being young. He again states that all he wants to do is to play games. If he can stay at Dundalk and play games, he is over the moon to do that.

Nathan says he does not really like deal with the business of contract talks. He says he would rather let the people at the club and his representatives deal with the issue of contract negotiations. Nathan says he is here to play football and that is where his focus is.

Shepperd is a highly intelligent young man. He is right to say he will leave it to the club and his own reps to deal with the contract side of his career. He is settled at the club and indeed the area, I would say that maybe he will be at the club next season if the owners deal with the situation now.

Come the end of June he will have many clubs from Ireland and cross channel who would like to do a pre-contract deal with him.

The club has lost a huge amount of talent in the final year of their contracts over the years. The owners must deal with this possible contract debacle sooner rather than later. 

Next up for Dundalk is round one of the Leinster Senior Cup against Shelbourne at Oriel Park later tonight. The following week the league campaign resumes with a bang when Dundalk take on champions Shamrock Rovers at Oriel Park. Rovers will be hoping to kick start their season on Friday week as they have yet to win a single league game this season.

Have a great week. Please look after yourselves. And most importantly, be careful out there.