Commentary Box: Dundalk boss Ciaran Kilduff busy preparing for next season

Kilduff has been busy seeking out new signings, as he bids to considerably strengthen his squad for the 2027 season, which starts from the middle of February. The manager has already signed 14 players, many from the season gone by.

In effect, it means that he will be adding another 10 players to his first team panel. Some of these will most likely come from last season's squad, but who are out of contract.

The 11 out of contract were Conor O'Keeffe, Mayowa, Harry Groome, Leo Gaxha, Keith Buckley, Tyreke Wilson and JR Wilson. Rob Cornwall, Enda Minogue, and Norman Garbett also saw their contracts run out.

Danny Mullen was named in an article as being out of contract. But it's my understanding he had his contract extended earlier last season, in a short time before he picked up a serious injury against Bohemians.

Tyreke Wilson is rejoining Bohemians as mentioned last week. His brother JR is returning to part-time football with Lucan United FC. Goalkeeper Enda Minogue is also being released by the club.

Thus, it's a guessing game as to who of the remaining squad the manager will keep. Conor O'Keeffe hardly featured last season. This was because of injury. He is a good player. He is a person who Kilduff has great respect for.

It's really unfortunate the injury goes back to the season before. At any rate, it's doubtful if Conor himself would probably want to continue. That's just my own opinion. He is an excellent player.

It's a pity his connection with the club has not gone as well as it could have. But Conor will always be remembered for the role he played as centre-half in Dundalk's charge for promotion and winning the Division One title.

Mayowa surely is a must-have signing for Kilduff. I was surprised up in Sligo three weeks ago, when I found out that at that stage he had not been given a new contract. Mayowa wants to stay at Oriel. Surely the manager will get him on board again for the club.

Mayowa is a top-class defender. He is from Dundalk. He signed for the senior ranks at Dundalk in 2023. He spent a season in the North with Dungannon Swifts. He was a member of the 2024 team that struggled badly in the league.

But Mayowa was one of the few players who came out of that season being able to hold his head high. He led Dundalk back to the Premier Division by helping them dominate the First Division.

In the season gone by, Mayowa played a key role in helping Dundalk pick up the early points that were sufficient to ensure Dundalk would not be caught up in a relegation or play-off place battle.

Mayowa is a young man with great ability. He did suffer from injuries at times. But he gave everything for the club.

Mayowa won a number of player of the matches last season. With four Dundalk players departing the club for the UK, I was very surprised he was not snapped up by someone across the water last season. I am convinced it will happen in the next twelve months.

Harry Groome and Leo Gaxha were some of the first new signings Ciaran Kilduff made when he took over in November 2024. Groome had a good season in 2025. Gaxha was banging the goals in as well.

It was a huge pity Leo picked up such a bad injury while Dundalk were in the First Division. It took him almost 12 months before he returned to game time in 2026. He did not really impress in the few games he did play this season.

But in the last game of the season, he was outstanding. He made two of Dundalk's three goals against Shamrock Rovers at Oriel in the last game of the season. It must be a major headache for the manager as to whether he will keep Gaxha.

You can't renew a contract on the basis of one good game. But you can on potential. Leo has the potential. I just do not know if the manager will keep him.

Harry Groome might miss out on a contract. He is a good player. But he failed to get himself a regular first-team place from the start of league games. Norman Garbett is another player I see who will struggle to get a contract next season.

The 22-year-old New Zealander joined Dundalk in July 2024. But Norman's time at Oriel has been beset with injuries from the time he started at Oriel. Norman played only a handful of games in 2024 when he picked up a serious injury.

He returned to the first team in late 2026. He did feature in the Shamrock Rovers match in what was the last game of the season. Norman has good talent.

He has the potential to be a very good player. However, although it's a hard decision for Ciaran Kilduff, I would be very surprised that he would decide to keep him.

Keith Buckley was signed for his vast experience that he had mainly with Bohemians. He is a former captain of the now wealthy northside Dublin club. Keith is 33. He picked up a bad injury in his last season with Bohemians.

It was so bad that the Dublin man was going to retire from football altogether. Along came Ciaran Kilduff, who persuaded Keith to sign for Dundalk. He snapped at the chance. He has had a good season and made 28 league appearances for the Oriel Park side.

I would think that despite the fact that he has missed games through injury, Ciaran Kilduff will see Buckley still has quite a lot of fuel in his tank. He would be a good utility player for Dundalk next season. I would be surprised if he is not there for another season.

Rob Cornwall also came to Dundalk in January 2026. Rob is a centre-half who can also play as a full-back. Rob is aged 32. He played well in a lot of games for Dundalk last season.

As is the case with Keith Buckley, Rob would be a good utility player for Dundalk to have for another season.

Former Dundalk centre-half Paddy Barrett has been strongly linked as possibly returning to his old club. Paddy is an excellent player. During his time with Dundalk last time he made 42 appearances between 2015 and 2017.

He scored three goals for Dundalk. Paddy has been with a lot of clubs since then. He joined Shelbourne in 2023 and made 94 appearances.

He also scored four goals for Shelbourne. Paddy won two league titles with Dundalk in 2015 and 2016. He also won an FAI Cup medal with Dundalk in 2016.

Paddy won a Premier Division medal with Shelbourne in 2024. That was the Damian Duff team that broke Shamrock Rovers hold as kingpins of Irish soccer. But Rovers became kingpins again in 2025 and 2026, winning the premier Division with little difficulty.

Paddy has been strongly linked with a return to Oriel. Personally I do not see that happening. Paddy won an FAI cup winners medal with Pats in 2021. This was another great achievement.

I would say that the Dundalk manager will be looking for a younger centre half in his 20's. But who knows. Paddy Barrett could be back.

Sean Gannon has also been linked to return to Dundalk. Sean always played as a full back with Dundalk. He won five league titles and two FAI Cups during his time at Oriel from 2014-20. He is aged 35.

He made 190 first-team appearances with Dundalk and scored 7 goals. Sean won four Premier League medals with Shamrock Rovers in 2011, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

He also won a Premier League medal with Pats in 2013. Thus, Sean has 10 league winners medals with three clubs. I just do not think he will be coming to Dundalk.

Ciaran Kilduff, I am sure, knows what players he intends to use from the club's academy. His philosophy has always been to use youth where suitable.

This is what he did in 2025 to get the club promoted. The future is use as much youth as possible, along with a good balance of senior players.

Dundalk have put a complete lid of silence as to who they are signing. However, I do know are looking at signing a goalkeeper in the UK. There may be something more concrete on this in the coming days.

Former midfielder and striker with Dundalk, Eoin Kenny was called up to the senior Northern Ireland international squad last week. Eoin is from Blackrock. He was born in Derry.

He was transferred from Dundalk to English Championship club Portsmouth in July for a mere 45,000 euros. Eoin has played regularly with the Northern Ireland under-age international teams.

He is now in the big time, being called up to the senior team. The North's manager, Michael O'Neill, knows how the League of Ireland clicks only too well.

He was manager of the great Shamrock Rovers team that won the league in 2010 and 2011. Former Dundalk Sporting Director Jim Magilton was his assistant.

Speaking to the Irish News newspaper, O'Neill says he is not concerned about who Eoin Kenny's father is. Of course it is Stephen Kenny.

He, of course, also managed the Republic of Ireland senior team for a number of years. Eoin's first league goal for Dundalk was in 2024 against Pats. They were and are managed by Stephen Kenny.

Michael O'Neill told the Irish News he is not concerned about who the father of one of his latest call-ups happens to be. "Look, the background is not really is not really all that important to me. If I'm honest, I have not really to go into that. I just look at the player.

It was not me that brought him in. It was Tommy Wright who initially brought him into the under-21s. I would envisage that he is here because he wants to be here. I think that the most important thing is that Eoin has the chance to play international football.

He has been through that trajectory of being in the League of Ireland. I think Eoin is where he is, because he clearly has got a very good attitude to the game and that shines through when you watch him play."

Eoin has impressed on the international scene, with his opportunities limited so far at his new club, Portsmouth.

"I know that if you look at the Portsmouth situation, they have a very strong squad. It's hard to break into that team at this minute in time. I just look at the lad as a player.

He has really enjoyed being in the Northern Ireland set-up. Off the back of a really strong under-21 campaign, Eoin deserves to be in the senior squad."

The Northern Ireland manager says he does not plan to speak to Stephen Kenny. "Well, I do not need to because Stephen does not manage him. He is a 20-year-old boy. So I have not had any conversations with Stephen regarding Eoin."

The Northern Ireland manager also told the Irish News that the thing for him was that he had communication with Eoin and then obviously his performances with the under-21s and with Tommy Wright.

He said these are the most important things for him. Michael O'Neill told the Irish News that Eoin had done extremely well in the under-21 games. He said he has obviously watched the games back.

Northern Ireland play Ukraine at home in Windsor Park this coming Saturday evening at 7.45. They are away to Hungary the following Tuesday. Kick-off is also at 7.45. The North are currently top of their Nations League group section.

They are a point ahead of Hungary, who are second. Third is Ukraine with four points. The bottom side in the group is Georgia, who have two points.

I really hope all goes well for Eoin in the coming ten days. His career has really taken off in 2026. He has had a great year. He deserves it. He is a fantastic young person. His attitude is so good. Let us hope he has a great career ahead of him.

There was a massive shock in the League of Ireland relegation -promotion play off game at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday night. UCD are back in the Premier Division for the first time in 3 years.

They beat Premier Division giants Drogheda United by two goals to one. Drogheda went into the game as overwhelming favourites. They had a shaky enough start to the game. They led with a well-taken goal from Mark Doyle.

Drogheda had won four of their last seven games. But UCD had won their last five games in a row also. The game was played in front of a crowd of 3,212.

Drogheda were successful in their last relegation play-off game, just two years ago. They had won the FAI Cup just four days earlier. This time there was no escape from relegation.

UCD levelled when Ciaran Dignam scored with a magnificent strike from a free. Ciaran Behan got the winner for the University side. The shock relegation of Drogheda has huge financial implications for the club.

Many of their players are on two-year contracts. They will more than likely want to move on to Premier Division teams. Attendances at their home games will also take a hammering.

Travel expenses for the club will also be much costlier. With journeys to Tralee, Limerick, Donegal and Sligo ahead of them, among others, it will not be easy.

It was clear from his post-match interview that manager Kieran Doherty had every intention to stay on despite the defeat. He also said he did not want any of his players on two-year contracts leaving.

But when the dust settles, it may not be that simple for the Drogheda boss. The owners of the club will have to balance their books. There are bound to be cutbacks.

With Sligo also in the First Division next season, the Drogs will find it more difficult to try and get automatic promotion. Thus, two well-established clubs drop to the First Division.

We are now faced with the ridiculous situation of five of the ten Premier Division teams being from Dublin. I am very happy for UCD being back. My opinion on there being too many teams in the top tier from Dublin is not being directed at them.

It is directed at the FAI for having a ten-team Premier Division. It needs to be returned to its former format of having 12 teams in the top flight. The situation is becoming a running joke where half your teams playing in the top Division are from Dublin.

There needs to be a balance in the top flight. The Premier Division is becoming, or has become, the Dublin League of Ireland Premier Division. 12 teams would get rid of this craziness.

Many people living in Dublin seem to think that everything revolves around the capital. There's a lot more to this country than just Dublin. And to have a Dublin Premier diviFirstsion in all but name only chokes the development of the game throughout the country.

As I said, there should be 12 teams in the Premier Division. One automatically goes down. One team comes up from the first Division automatically. The promotion/relegation play-off should also continue.

But the situation as is has left the Premier Division to be a bruising and cutthroat league. It places the teams in the bottom half of the league under enormous pressure.

That could have been Dundalk playing UCD in Tallaght on Saturday. Their implosion in form sent them rocketing down the division. In the second half of the season. It all came right for them in the end. A lot of people I spoke to did not seem to be that phased if Dundalk had to go to the playoffs. They felt that it was the automatic relegation place was the one to be avoided. Lucky for them, Dundalk did not end up in the playoffs. I think that UCD team would have been

more than capable of beating a Dundalk team that had the second worst defence in the Premier division. All of this is conjecture. Of course Dundalk could beat UCD in a playoff. But no team wants to face a situation where your fate is decided in 90 minutes.

I kept hammering that home in the latter part of the season. I said here before that I would not have had a great amount of confidence that Dundalk would win a play-off. That was when their form was so poor.

In fairness, Ciaran Kilduff guided Dundalk away from any trouble. He is a top-class manager. He may also be a manager where some of the top clubs could come looking to Oriel for him. Who knows. I hope that does not happen. He is such a major asset.

Derry City won their seventh FAI Cup on Sunday, when they beat Waterford United by one goal to nil at the Aviva. I am delighted for Derry. But I was really hoping that Waterford would win.

They have been the story of the season, coming from nine points behind the second from bottom team in the league in mid-season to go clear of the relegation and play off zone completely with three games left.

Their manager, Graham Coughlan, came in and brought his team on a remarkable 13-game unbeaten run. It started with a 3-2 win over Dundalk in Oriel.

Ciaran Kilduff's side led two nil with around 20 minutes left. Dundalk conceded goals they should never have. Waterford got the winner three minutes into injury time.

On Sunday, the decisive goal came 20 minutes from time when Dara Burns struck home a top-class goal for Derry. Waterford have not won the cup since 1980 and the league since around 1970

Derry have a strong defence and coped with whatever was thrown at them. City now qualify for the Europa League, which will earn the club potentially a lot of money. The rule to allow the cup winners into the Europa League was only introduced last year.

Shamrock Rovers did the double. Thus, no Irish club went into the Europa League via the cup. Rovers went into the Champions League.

There were 35,000 people at the Aviva on Sunday. Waterford will be back. Graham Coughlan has signed a two-year contract extension.

Former Louth TD Dermot Ahern has been awarded an Honorary Life Membership award of the FAI. Dermot was nominated for the award by Dundalk FC at the AGM of the FAI on Saturday. Dermot has been a lifelong supporter of the club.

He also played a key role in negotiations to save Dundalk FC in 2024 when the club was on the verge of going out of football. Dermot did play a pivotal role at that time in helping to save Dundalk FC. For that alone, he deserves the FAI award.

Have a great week. Hopefully there will be news of new signings this week. Look after yourselves. And remember, please be careful out there.