Dundalk lose again as Hoban hit a hat-trick for his new team Derry City

Gussie Hearty has been in the commentary box for nearly all of the Dundalk FM broadcasts I’ve heard from Oriel Park and other League of Ireland grounds throughout the country. He’d be alongside Ger Cunningham, or, in recent times, Ciarán Callan. His most enduring partnership, however, has been with his long-time buddy, John Murphy.

Gussie was marked absent for last Friday night’s game with St Patrick’s at Inchicore – earlier in the day his mother, Teresa, passed away at the wonderful age of 98. And was buried yesterday.

There’s a family friendship there that goes back to when my mother, in her pre-marriage days, lived across the road from the Hearty home in Anne Street.

John Murphy hasn’t been behind the mic for a while. He’s been in ill-health, but Gussie was saying on Sunday that he’s making progress.

In the two boys’ absence, Dan Pope, assisted by Orla Crilly, conveyed the news from Dublin. What they had to say wasn’t music to listeners’ ears.

This was another defeat for Dundalk, Stephen O’Donnell’s team going down by one goal to nil. And what it means is, the Lillies stay anchored at the bottom of the table, with just one point from a possible twelve.

And to think that draw came in an away match with winners of the competition for the past three years, Shamrock Rovers, in the opening round. But maybe that draw hadn’t the merit that most thought it had. Like Dundalk, Rovers have, at the time of writing, yet to win a match.

As they look elsewhere, supporters – and, no doubt, O’Donnell – can only lament the absence of Pat Hoban.
Since leaving Oriel last season for a reason that hasn’t been fully explained, Hoban’s been hitting the back of the net for fun in the Derry City colours, three of his goals coming last Friday night in the rout of Waterford. And providing much of the ammunition are another Dundalk players, Mickey Duffy and Will Patching.

It’s early to be talking about the relegation zone, but the longer Dundalk go without a win, the more difficult it will be for them to get away that dreaded area.