King confident of Dundalk survival

New Dundalk FC manager Noel King has prioritized staying in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division as his primary objective this season.

It was announced at the weekend that the former Republic of Ireland U21 manager would take over the hot-seat at Oriel Park in an effort to turn things around and move up from bottom of the league table.

When speaking on his aim for the duration of this campaign, King said: “The first thing is not to be relegated.

“People can say anything, that Dundalk are a great team who’ll play their way out of it, but it’s difficult when you’re bottom of the league.

“They’re adrift and certain things get in people’s heads that can be a problem. It’s not a given that you’ll just escape, and I think that’s why a change has been made.

The Lilywhites are without a win this season after eleven attempts and the Dubliner acknowledged the challenge ahead but is confident of achieving his target of Premier Division survival.

“I've seen the last couple of games, and they've played quite well,” said King who has previously worked with Dundalk players Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle at international level.

“There's a certain confidence in the group, there seems to be good players in the group, and I don't know some of the players in the group, from England and Scotland, I'm not quite sure about them.

“I'm confident of giving it everything I have; I'll be fully fledged to go and try and achieve it. There's enough games left to make an impact without being panicky,” he added.

The 67-year-old explained his joy when being offered the role and how the process was wrapped up quickly when Dundalk owner Brian Ainscough called him. It happened “all in the space of an hour or two, that’s all,” he said.

“Brian approached me. My instant reaction was I’m delighted you rang; I’d love the job. I have to pass it by Maria , my wife, that gave me a few minutes to think about it.

“I didn’t apply. It was 100 percent unexpected. I saw the number and thought maybe. It was very, very quick,” King continued. 

“I had no hesitation at all. I was surprised at the offer because I know Brian a long time. No hesitation because it's a great club, one of the best clubs in Ireland success-wise.

“It's a challenge and I'd love to try and make it a success. The owner wanted to progress things and feels I can do the job. And I don’t say no.”