The Commentary Box: Lilywhite Legend Andy Boyle keen to stay at Oriel

Andy Boyle is a centre half have who has contributed so much to the Dundalk success story, from the start of the Kenny era right up to the present time. This week Andy spoke to me about the latest achievement at Oriel.

He was talking about Dundalk qualifying for Europe. Interestingly, in his eyes it was right up there with any previous success Dundalk has had since the start of the Kenny era in 2012.

Andy has played for UCD and Shelbourne in the League of Ireland and also with English club Preston North End and Scottish club’s Dundee and Ross County. He was the Dundalk Vice captain for most of the Kenny era but, was also captain for long spells at Oriel Park.

He was part of the Dundalk team who were the first Irish side to reach the play-off round in the Champions League. The same team qualified for the Europa League group stages. They were also the first Irish side to ever get a result in the group stages of any European competition.

The Lilywhites got a draw and a win in the Europa League in 2016. Boyle led Dundalk back to the group stages of the Europa League in 2020. He played regularly for Dundalk in the 2020 season in the group stages. Sadly, it was to empty stadiums, as the COVID pandemic raged across the world.

Andy was born in the Palmerstown area of Dublin on March 7th, 1991. He played regularly for Cherry Orchard at underage level and also played for Crumlin United between 2006 to 2008 before starting his League of Ireland career with UCD in 2008. Andy made 38 appearances for UCD between 2009 and 2010.

In 2011 the Dubliner moved to Shelbourne, spending two seasons there. He made 52 appearances for the Tolka Park side.

He joined Dundalk in January 2013 with Stephen Kenny only in the manager’s job at Oriel for less than three weeks.  They had just survived staying in the Premier Division the previous season, beating Waterford over a two-legged play off.

The defender spent four years at Oriel in his first spell at the club from 2013 to 2016. He made 130 appearances and scored seven goals.

Andy moved to Preston North End in 2017 on a three-year contract. He spent most of that time on loan at Doncaster, Dundee and Ross County before returning to Dundalk in 2019 under manager Vinny Perth and led the team to a league title and the League Cup.

The Oriel Park men had just missed out on the FAI Cup and the elusive treble when they were beaten in the FAI Cup final on penalties by Shamrock Rovers.

In 2006 Andy played for the Republic of Ireland under 15 team, getting one cap. In 2009 he played for the under 18 international team and picked up four caps. He did make it into the Republic of Ireland senior squad in 2017, but did not make the team.

Early Career

Andy joined UCD in 2008. He featured in the clubs under 20’s in his first season and also played in the 2008 A championship team that won that title. He did not feature for the first team in 2008.

Instead, his senior debut for UCD in the League of Ireland came on the opening day of the 2009 season, just before his 18th birthday against Limerick. He went on to play in 30 of the team’s 33 games, winning the First Division with the club and earning promotion.

The following season Andy made 25 first team appearances in the Premier Division as UCD finished 7th. He scored his first ever goal against Sporting Fingal on June 25th 2010.

In January 2011 Andy moved to Shelbourne, who were in the First Division. He made 29 first team appearances with Shels that season in the league. The Tolka Park outfit finished second and won promotion back to the Premier Division.

The defender was part of Shels run to the Aviva where they reached the FAI Cup final. Shels played Sligo Rovers in that final. The Dubliner started for Shels from the off. Sadly for the Drumcondra side, they lost the cup on penalties as the trophy headed to the north west.

In Shelbourne’s first season back in the Premier Division, Andy made 22 league appearances, helping the club to finish 8th. Shels got to the cup semi-final for the second year in a row. A cup final was not to be for Andy, as Derry City knocked them out. The Foylesiders went on to win the cup itself.

First Dundalk Spell

Andy left Shelbourne in December and signed for Stephen Kenny’s Dundalk the following month in January 2013. The lilywhites amazingly finished 2nd in the league having nearly been relegated the previous season.

But Dundalk were now financially stable and had a top-class manager in charge. Andy signed a second one year contract with Dundalk in 2014. He spent most of that season as club captain, as injury kept Stephen O’Donnell out of the team.

He made 32 first team appearances in the league in the 2014 season. Dundalk clinched their first Premier Division title since 1995 and also won the League Cup. The defender then signed a two-year contract extension in October 2014.

He played in every league game in 2015. Dundalk retained the league and also won the FAI Cup. It was the club’s 3rd double and the first since 1988. Boyle was named the PFAI Player of the Year that season.

Andy played a pivotal role for Dundalk in Europe in 2016. They won their third league title in a row. But it was in Europe where the Lilywhites grabbed all the headlines. The magnificent win over Bate Borisov was the launch pad for their hit on Europe.

Dundalk’s wins in the Champions League saw them become the first Irish side to reach the play-off round for the group stages of the Champions League. They were very unlucky to be eliminated by Polish side Legia Warsaw.

The club dropped down to the group stages of the Europa League. They became the first Irish side to ever achieve a result in the group stages of a European competition. Dundalk drew with AZ Alkmaar and also beat Macabi Tel Aviv. Andy Boyle played a pivotal role in both games.

His contract ended with Dundalk in November 2016. He moved to Preston North End and signed a two-year contract. But Andy spent practically all of his time out on loan.

He won the Scottish Championship with Ross County while on loan from Preston. He also won the Scottish Challenge Cup with the same team.

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Dundalk Return

Andy returned to Dundalk in 2020 just before the COVID pandemic. The club were in turmoil after the season was put on hold following a few games.

When it resumed there were no fans allowed in to the grounds. Vinny Perth departed Dundalk after they were knocked out of the first qualifying round of the Champions League. It was a very strange season.

Dundalk got to the group stages of the Europa League that season under Perth’s successor Filippo Giovagnoli. They failed to get a result in any of the group stage games. But they did go on to beat Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup final. Andy was pivotal to that win.

In all the Dubliner won four league titles with Dundalk. He collected two cup medals in 2015 and 2020 and also has two League Cup medals, 2 Presidents Cup medals, one Leinster Senior Cup medal and a Champions Cup medal (a cross border competition where they accounted for Linfield). He was selected for the PFAI Premier Division team of the year in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Andy’s Thoughts

Andy spoke to me about Dundalk returning to the European stage. He said that the securing of a place in Europe was up there with all the achievements he experienced with the club, as its the aim of every player in the League of Ireland to play in Europe.

He stated that what Stephen O’Donnell had achieved at Oriel was nothing short of phenomenal. Andy recalled how there were only two players on Dundalk’s books when the new manager walked through the gates of Oriel. He was one of them.

Andy could see immediately how shrewd a manager Stephen O’Donnell was. He had just four weeks in which to build a team that would do well in the season and that he did. He says the manager operated with a limited budget to secure players.

He still got a good team of players together. Nathan Shepperd was an outstanding signing. Lewis Macari was a terrific defender, along with Darragh Leahy.

The loss of Mark Connolly to Derry was a blow, he did concede. But he said these things happen in football all the time. Andy says he just got on with his football after Mark departed.

The emergence of Ryan O’Kane in the team was a big plus for Dundalk, especially after the loss of eight players through injuries. But he says the team and the manager stood together in a unified and determined way that gave them the confidence to get over the line and get the Europa Conference place.

The Dundalk player said that his contract was now up at Oriel. The man who captained Dundalk to so many famous victories was adamant that he wanted to stay with Dundalk. He says he has such a close affinity with Dundalk that he could not see himself going to any other club.

The manager began the task yesterday of putting his new team together. He would know by now what his playing budget will be for next season.

To me there is no doubt Andy will be playing in a Dundalk Jersey next season. Andy says that Keith Ward was an excellent signing. He had a great influence in the dressing room. Not only that, Andy says he was a key player on the pitch.

He scored some vital goals that got Dundalk precious points. He also created a number of important moves which allowed Dundalk to get killer goals at vital times throughout the season.

The wily defender noted that the manager had told him that Dundalk being in Europe was up there with all the achievements Dundalk had in the Kenny and Perth era. Andy said he was in full agreement with this sentiment.

This was because there was a difficult atmosphere around Oriel in January given what had gone on last season. He said Stephen O’Donnell changed all that, along with the new owners. Quite quickly Andy said a buzz began to develop around Oriel. And this important buzz was the secret to Dundalk’s success.

Andy says that there is no doubt that Dundalk can do well again next season, both in Europe and on the domestic front. He said the fans were also the key to Dundalk’s success. Their support he says really lifted the team at such key moments.

He says the fans were leaders in making Oriel Park a fortress to visiting teams. Dundalk he pointed out had only lost one game in Oriel all season. This he feels was a terrific achievement.

Andy said the club means so much to the supporters, as do the supporters mean so much to the club. He pointed out that this was one of the reasons why the club suffered more than most during the pandemic.

The crowd at Oriel helped the team to hold onto a precious lead and get the win to get the precious points. He said when there were no fans around during the pandemic, there were no crowds there to get them over the line over such a crucial period in a game.

The Lilywhites legend noted that the fans have been fabulous all season. Andy Boyle has been such an ever-present member of the Dundalk team that there is no doubt he will continue to be a tower of strength next season.

Harry Taafe Programme

Off the field the Harry Taaffe Mental Health Well-Being Programme was launched on Thursday evening at the old Dundalk Gaol. The initiative was set up in memory of the club’s late groundsman and videographer Harry Taaffe, who passed away after tragically taking his own life.

The programme is designed to educate and increase awareness about mental health. It is being sponsored by local company Fyffes and will be coordinated by local man Derek Pepper. Derek has been working in the mental health sector for 20 years.

Members of Harry’s family were joined by a number of invited guests including Stephen Kenny, Stephen O’Donnell, John Mountney and Brian Gartland.

Representatives from the Dundalk Counselling Centre, Head in The Game, Women’s Aid and Turas were present. They spoke about the services they provide in the area.

Harry’s son Shane says it’s an honour to be associated with such a great cause. He told the gathering that if it could help one family and stop them from having to go through what they went through and help get the support that his family did not get, then it will have been worth it.

Plans are in place for staff from Dundalk FC to take part in a Safe Talk workshop. It is the HSE’s internationally recognised programme that shows participants how to identify and engage with people who may be having thoughts of suicide.

The course will be delivered by Derek Pepper who gave a powerful speech on mental health and suicide.

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Final Thoughts

Referees have voted to withdraw their services at all levels of football in Dublin over disciplinary matters regarding alleged assault and attempted assault on official.

The move will affect matches at FAI Junior and FAI intermediate level, as well as underage levels. The strike takes place between the 18th of November and the 2nd of December.

Finally I spoke to a good friend of Harry Taffe’s over the weekend about a great saying he had when people have a difficult experience. What’s done is done. Look forward to who can still be helped in the future.

This just summed Harry Taafe up exactly. He was always there to help people in whatever way he could. A man of his straight-forward talking, honesty and willingness to help others is sadly missed.

But Harry would have liked people to look forward, not back. He was a man who spoke his mind. He was so kind and was always there to help. He was a straight talker, but so kind. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain Harry’s family experience each day knowing the big man is gone.

Have a great week. Please be careful out there and look after each other.