Dundalk’s position on and off the field showcasing contrasting positions

Dundalk staged a Houdini type recovery to beat second from bottom Cork City at Oriel Park on Friday night with a 2-1 win. 90 minutes of this game was utter agony for Dundalk supporters as they saw their side serve up a dour and struggling performance.

But the eight minutes of injury time added by referee Damian McGrath, where Cork had a second player sent off, was enough to spur the Oriel Park men on to a win of Lazarus type proportions. Coming back from the dead to get two goals on 91 and 97 minutes to collect all three points.

Ironically the winning goal came from the boot of Pat Hoban, the only connection on the pitch from the days when Dundalk and Cork battled it out for league and cup honours in the golden years of the Stephen Kenny and John Caulfield era.

The home side went in with one change to the side that won in Sligo last Saturday week. Keith Ward was included in the first 11 with Johannes Yli-Kokko being left on the subs bench.

But it was City who were the better of the sides for long periods of this game and but for Nathan Shepperd the visitors could’ve been home and hosed by half time.

The Welshman was in goals as usual, with Archie Davis, Darragh Leahy, Hayden Muller and Wasiri Williams making up the back four. Keith Ward, Conor Malley, Rayhaan Tulloch, Allfie Lewis and Ryan O'Kane were the five midfield players, while Pat Hoban was the lone striker.

How different it was to be in the eight minutes of injury time, with Dundalk converting to playing three up front. Cameron Elliott, Hoban and John Martin. Two of the three strikers got the goals that won the game for Dundalk.

To me it was Stephen O'Donnell who was the Lilywhites hero, because as he saw the game slipping away from him he made the critical surgical changes to his side that finally got them motoring toward victory.

Dundalk lost Tulloch just three minutes into the second half through injury. The midfielder went down with nobody near him. Stephen O'Donnell said after the game that it was still too early to assess the injury and whether he will miss any upcoming games. He confirmed it was a groin injury.

John Martin replaced him. Cameron Elliott came on in place of Muller on 67 minutes as Dundalk switched to a 3-4-3 formation. Darragh Leahy, Archie Davis and Wasiri Williams made up the back three.

Johannes Yli-Kokko came on at this time in place of Keith Ward, as the manager continued to make the changes. Paul Doyle was brought in on 76 minutes in place of Alfie Lewis, as well as Daniel Kelly coming in for Conor Malley.

It was these five changes that swung the game for Dundalk and got the three dramatic points. Dundalk finally took a full grip on things and staged their dramatic comeback. The bookies were giving 10/1 for a Dundalk win with eight minutes remaining. I'm sure there were very few, if any takers.

Dundalk looked very shaky at the back in the first half and into the second. They simply lacked the physical strength in the centre of midfield. Up front it was always difficult for Pat Hoban as he dropped back in search of a supply.

Ryan O'Kane was once again a player who did well. He was the one who always looked capable of unlocking the Cork defence. Wasiri Williams was a tower of strength in the centre back position. Hayden Muller has been top class this season, as has Archie Davis. Both had a decent performance.

Cameron Eliott was only back from an injury that has seen him sidelined for weeks. He did so well for the equaliser, one that that left his boss purring in praise for him after the game.

Cork seemed to be quicker and hungrier for the ball from the start. They came into the game having won only won two league games this season. One of those games was against Dundalk in Turners Cross. 

Tunde Owolabi was magnificent for City. His runs at the Dundalk defence always caused problems. He created a great chance for himself on five minutes, managing to get Nathan Shepperd in his sights. His good effort was saved so well by the Dundalk keeper.

It was Sheperd's string of fine saves that kept Dundalk in the game against Sligo last Saturday week. It allowed them to get the late winning goal from Keith Ward. It was the same against Cork on Friday. 

A bad mistake on 19 minutes in the Dundalk defence allowed Owolabi in for his goal. A mix up in communication in the defence allowed the Cork striker in on goals. Nathan came out to try and address the situation.

But the Dundalk keeper was rounded by the Belgian, who placed the ball in the empty net. It was the Cork City man's fourth league goal against Dundalk. He has only been brought into the Cork first 11 in recent weeks and has done a magnificent job for them. He arrived from St Pats.

Josh Honohan was nearly in for a second for Cork on 28 minutes. Again, only for a fine save by Shepperd Dundalk would’ve been dead and buried.

Ryan O'Kane had a couple of good efforts for Dundalk in the half. Pat Hoban was very unlucky not to level for the home side eight minutes from the break when he saw his header come back out after striking the underside of the crossbar.

But Cork nearly got a second just before the break when Owolabi broke clear in the Dundalk box. It looked certain it was going to be a goal. Hayden Muller cut him off with a perfectly timed tackle in the box.

Cork had the Dundalk defence beaten again in the second minute of injury time. Ruairi Keating had the goals at his mercy. He shot into the side netting.

The Lilywhites just never really seemed to get going until the last 15 minutes of the game and the eight minutes of injury time. Cork were reduced to 10 men with three minutes of normal time left when Josh Honohan was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Dundalk levelled four minutes into injury time when Daniel Kelly put in a great cross. Cameron Elliott met it with a spectacular overhead kick that gave the Cork keeper Jimmy Corcoran no chance.

Cork captain Cian Coleman then joined Honohan as the second Cork player to be red carded after a lunging tackle on Paul Doyle. To be fair to the Cork player, it did seem to be a very unfair sending off as he did get the ball in the tackle.

The tackle and sending off sparked a scuffle between both benches. Dundalk coach Liam Burns got a yellow card as a result. That booking was harsh because if he was going to book one coach, then the referee should’ve booked everybody from both benches. This of course was never going to happen.

As things settled Dundalk got their winner. Pat Hoban latched on to a loose ball in the box. He skilfully made room at the back post and squeezed the ball under the body of Jimmy Corcoran and into the net. The Hobanator, as so often before, was the hero.

Cork City can feel very hard done by. They deserved something from a game against a much below par Dundalk team. But the sign of a good side is when they win playing badly. That sums up Dundalk last Friday.

Stephen O’Donnell

Manager Stephen O'Donnell would take no praise for the gaining of the three points on Friday, despite it being put to him that it was his energy from the bench and his changes that won it.

The Galwegian told us in his usual post-match press conference that it's all up to the players when they go onto the pitch. I do not agree. If a team goes into a slump in results, it's the manager who gets the slack.

I watched O'Donnell last Friday night like a hawk. He never sat down once during the game. He was always giving out his instructions to his team. The energy levels were never higher in the manager's area, as when he made the decisions to change the side around completely.

They worked and It's O'Donnell who must deservedly get the acclaim. Daniel Kelly, Paul Doyle and Cameron Elliott returning was great to see. And Pat Hoban is on song again. Make no mistake about that. The chase for the European spot will be so competitive.

Stephen confirmed that Tulloch picked up a possible groin injury. His situation will be assessed and only then will it be known how long he may be out.

The Dundalk boss says that Andy Boyle and Greg Sloggett are very close to returning. But he would not put a precise date on it. Louie Annesley is still a little bit of time away from playing again.

The goal scorer Cameron Elliott says that the feeling from getting his first goal was magnificent, even more so as it contributed to the win. He says the scenes at the end when Pat Hoban scored were ones that he has never seen before.

Cameron told the Dundalk club website that he hopes to kick on now, having been out with an injury for the past two months. On the evidence as to how Elliott and Hoban played up front at the end, it will be interesting if Stephen O'Donnell goes with that duo up front now.

He may even go with three up front, with Martin joining them. The manager says he has yet to make his mind up on these options.

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Nathan Shepperd

Nathan Shepperd told me the Cork goal was very disappointing, especially the way it went in. He says the goal came about from a long ball into the box and some misjudgement from the players at the back.

It allowed Tunde in to get his goal. He says the team never gave up after that and despite the fact that it took until injury time for them to win it, he was not surprised.

He accepted his saves were vital and kept Dundalk in the game It helped the team to push on in the later stages, when the ti was still in the melting pot.

The players who came on as subs, as Keith Ward showed In Sligo, will always have a key role to play in any game. Cameron Elliott's goal was top drawer, the Dundalk keeper says. Pat Hoban's goal was unbelievable, especially the way Darragh Leahy headed the ball down in the box and Hoban finished it.

Nathan says he did not see what happened that led to the two sendings off. Referees get a lot of stick. But if players do something that gives the referees a reason to send them off, then they must go.

The Welshman feels that sometimes a referee may send off one player on a team if he already red carded someone on the other team. But in general, If it's a sending off offence, then the player must go.

Nathan stressed that when referees do well, they should be praised. He says the injury time at the end was warranted as there were a lot of hold ups, including substitutions, injuries and time wasting.

The Dundalk keeper says they really wanted to win the game as they felt they could push on from the good winning sequence they were now in.

The changes Stephen O'Donnell made were so crucial the Dundalk in his eyes. This added to those players who were on the pitch for the entire game and made such a difference to the outcome. He finished by saying that it was really amazing to see Dundalk getting the win.

Ryan O’Kane

Dundalk's notched up four wins in a row since Ryan O'Kane returned to the side. It does not count last night's game at the Brandywell. Ryan believes Dundalk should have been leading at the break, considering the chances the team had.

The Ardee Road native says it was the side's belief in themselves that got them over the line. He felt the Cork goalscorer was highlighted as a target who could score before the game.

Ryan says that Cork only really had the one chance and that was the goal. He always felt that Dundalk were going to score despite, it being injury time in the second half before they got one.

He says Stephen O'Donnell's philosophy, that the side must keep their self-belief, even if they go a goal down, was a great inspiration to the team. Ryan was very confident the goals would come, especially when the board went up at the end that there was to be eight minutes of injury time.

The midfielder stressed that the decisions Stephen O'Donnell makes are always top dollar. There were plenty of decisions to make during Friday night's game at Oriel. The decisions the manager made were very brave. That is what the big sides always have to do.

It was always going to be tough to get in behind their five at the back, according to Ryan. He believed Dundalk had a great chance of scoring when the game went into the long injury time.

Cameron Elliott scored a top-class goal. and Ryan says the icing on the cake was captain Pat Hoban's great goal, which won the game. He says as long as Dundalk players believe they can score, they will score.

Financial Realties

Dundalk's financial situation for the tax year 2022 shows the club made a loss of €1 million. One could go into some detail about this figure. But it's enough to say for now it does give testimony to the reports a number of months ago that the club did make a substantial loss in that tax year.

It's clear the club needs another investor in and soon. The current owners and the ones before have never really engaged in any significant public fund raising for the club. This has amazed me.

In the past there were a sequence of weekly or monthly draws that culminated in a grand prize of a top-class car. The club could have golf classics to bring much needed money in. Poker Classics are another way of raising money. The list is endless.

But for some reason the club's owners have stayed away from any public fundraising bar the weekly lotto. This too could be relaunched to try and gain a wider target market.

It's easy to criticise and I am not doing that. The owners have taken on the ownership of the club and there is always a risk when one takes on any venture of this scale. 

The club needs to replace the current pitch, most likely in time for next season. The cost of going for the artificial turf surface would be approximately €1 million. For me, the only game in town is surely the return of the grass pitch.

The artificial pitch is suspected of causing more injuries than grass pitches. And an EU directive is imminent, banning all current artificial pitches used by professional football clubs within six years. 

The full redevelopment of Oriel can also no longer be put on the backburner. The facilities for spectators are not up to standard and Dundalk are losing some who would attend games as a result.

Have the owners gotten any advice from the council as to what to do. I simply do not know. The local authority is the only way to go in regards to development.

Dundalk's attendances are surprisingly the third lowest in the league. Only Drogheda and UCD have worse. And Drogheda's ground has a lower maximum capacity than Oriel. UCD have very little support.

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Final Thoughts

Drogheda United issued a statement on Saturday that they were very proud of one of their young first team players, Ben Curtis, for having the bravery to speak about his mental health struggles.

The club say that they fully understand and support Ben's decision to step away from football. The club wished him all the best and made it clear that he is always welcome at Drogheda United.

Having seen this story, I found out that seven or eight Premier Division clubs now have a chaplain who is there to be someone that players can speak to in confidence about any issue affecting them.

Drogheda United have their own chaplain. He is Liam McGrath, who has been a great support to players at the club.

Tentative steps are being made to have a VAR system installed at League of Ireland grounds next season. At first the FAI were hoping to have a central location for all games. But as there are so many games on during the same day, this idea has been ditched. The VAR system will have to be located at each ground for each game.

On a final note, former Dundalk star Daryl Horgan is being released by Wycombe Wanderers at the end of June. He has been out on loan to Wycombe Wanderers, who won promotion from their Division.

But Daryl has been strongly linked to a return to Oriel during the transfer window in July. He will of course look at any offers he may get from other UK clubs. He is also bound to look at offers from Irish clubs, who would of course be interested in his services. I hope he returns to Oriel. Only time will tell.

This Friday Dundalk play Bohemians at Oriel Park. Anyway I hope you have a wonderful week. Please look after each other and remember to be careful out there.