Johnson says it's all about “keeping momentum going”
Dundalk defender put in superb effort to keep another clean sheet
A superb display from 19-year-old Dundalk FC defender Zak Johnson ensured it was an unhappy homecoming for Patrick Hoban in Friday night’s 0-0 draw with Derry City.
In his first return to Oriel Park since quitting the club in acrimony at the end of last season, Derry forward Hoban cut an anonymous figure throughout the 90 minutes as Derry failed to close the gap on SSE Airtricity League Premier Division leaders Shelbourne.
That was thanks to magnificent displays from captain Andy Boyle, as well as Johnson – the only centre-back to have started in all of Dundalk’s last seven matches at Oriel, a run which has seen The Lilywhites set a new club-record for consecutive home clean sheets.
“He’s a good player,” said Johnson after marking Hoban out of the game. “I heard from a few of the lads that he likes to pin players and he’s very strong and he’s very good at that.
“I think it was just more focusing about what I’m going to do as an individual. If you start focusing on other players and oppositions and how they play, you can kind of lose track of what you should do, which is just the basics.
“I think I played well,” he added. “I’m happy with my performance, but my whole backline’s allowed me to do that. We were so compact, so organised.
"Even turning defence into attack, I feel like our whole midfield was so organised, our frontline was so organised. That just allowed me to play my own game, which I feel like I ended up doing really well.”
Johnson was Dundalk’s 11th signing of the winter when he joined on loan from English Championship side Sunderland, where he had been on the fringes of the first-team squad.
New manager Jon Daly will be anxious to extend his time at Oriel, with the big defender due to report back to the Stadium of Light for their pre-season a month from now on July 6th.
“I haven’t spoken to (Sunderland) yet,” updated Johnson. “I’ve told them, can I just play my games. I would like to (stay on) if that was the case of where there’s no opportunity for me to go higher.
"Obviously as a player, I want to try and play at the highest level and play at the best level I can. But if it doesn’t look like that and this is the best I can do for now and I’ve got a really good bond with the team, then I don’t see why not.
“I think obviously playing with Andy Boyle has been really good for me and my development. He’s an experienced player who’s brought me on very well and we have a really good relationship together, so I think we’re creating a good bond. We have a good relationship together, so I think it’s just building on that and keeping momentum going forward.”