The Commentary Box: ​Dundalk progress in cup as Arubi sold to Burton Albion

It was a good win from a makeshift Dundalk side. Games against Leinster Senior League sides have caused Dundalk problems in the past. Portmarnock and Ashtown Villa shocked the Oriel Park side in the cup in recent history.

READ NEXT: Ten years on: Paddy Barrett says, "It was a privilege for me to be involved in that 2016 Dundalk FC team"

But there was never going to be a shock here. Dundalk had the game done and dusted before St Mochtas got a late goal to go down to a 3-1 defeat.

But all the talk at Oriel was about the transfer of Gbemi Arubi to English League One side Burton Albion.

I could not believe it when I heard the club had let Gbemi go with only 12 league games to go and Dundalk in fourth place in the league still in with a chance of getting into Europe next season.

Yes, defenders of the transfer can say that the club may have got good money for him. But to lose a striker of Gbemi's calibre is almost a decision by the club that they have given up on hopes of getting into Europe.

Yet, when one looks at all this in a calm and positive manner, it was the right decision to let Gbemi go, no matter how much money the club got for him. It's been clear for some time that Gbemi wanted to cross the Irish Sea.

He wanted the move and to go now in the window. Fans may criticise him for that, but he has to look after number one, as does everybody these days. Gbemi has given a lot to Dundalk.

His goal against Cobh in the latter stages of Division One last season won the game and, in effect, powered Dundalk to promotion.

Gbemi has a lot to thank Ciaran Kilduff for. The Dundalk boss has guided Arubi in his development. He has brought his potential to the top.

So much so that Gbemi very quickly came to the attention this season of clubs in Scotland, Belgium and England. In the end, Gbemi has settled on a three-year deal with English League 1 club Burton Albion. There is an option of a fourth year.

It's good to know that the Dundalk manager Ciaran Kilduff had the final say as to whether or not the deal be allowed to go through.

He could have blocked it. He could have said he needed Gbemi for the final push towards the end of the season and the fight to get into Europe.

The manager did not stop the move as he has good judgement. He has much better judgement than some, even at the top in Oriel. Kilduff knows his football. He is an excellent manager.

Sometimes I wonder if the powers that be in Oriel know as much as they should about football and what's needed to run a club. That's for another day.

But I was glad that owner Ciaran Clinton left the manager with the final say about Arubi's transfer. The money Dundalk got for Gbemi is considerably better than what they got for Eoin Kenny.

Kenny went for €150,000. Gbemi's fee was higher and gives the manager a chance to look around and search for a striker and a midfielder. News on Gbemi's move came at around 5pm on Friday evening.

But the deal was not finally finalised until 8.30 pm on Friday evening. It was a good day's work by the owner, but especially the manager. To the owner, I would ask him to sit down with Ciaran Kilduff now and hammer out a new contract with the Dundalk boss.

Ciaran Kilduff has done a great job at Oriel. When he came in, the club was flat broke, it had few players on the books and was in Division One. It also had no licence. In a season, the manager has guided Dundalk to the Premier Division.

He made them a powerful force in the Premier Division this season. They have slipped of late. I was fearful that the sale of Kenny and Arubi could see them slip down the table.

They are in fourth and have lost their last three games, having led them. This decline must be stopped. A soccer pundit on national radio months ago said he hoped Dundalk would stay up this season.

He said his biggest fear was that they could go down if they sell all their best players. That's what they are doing to one extent. But I would be hopeful they will bring in a striker and a midfielder shortly.

Vinny Leonard and Sean Keogh have also gone to the UK under the manager's charge. He has done a great job. There are at least three more players on that team who may also be on the move in the next 12 months. That would not surprise me.

Kilduff must now be tied down at Oriel by giving him a new contract. He is the key to success at Oriel. If I were Kilduff, there would be a lot to be disillusioned about at Oriel. But there are huge advantages and incentives for Kilduff to stay.

A manager needs to know he is wanted at the club. He needs the backing of those in charge of the club as well. He needs a good financial package to stay as well. Dundalk must move on this now.

There was no point in keeping Arubi if he did not want to stay. His performances would have suffered considerably if he had been blocked from joining Burton.

Many players who want to leave a club and are blocked from going will simply down tools and be a shadow of their real selves for the rest of the season. I am not suggesting Gbemi would have done this.

But no manager wants a player in their team who does not want to be there. The best thing is to let him go. And believe me, Dundalk have done very well financially from this deal considering Gbemi had only three months left at Oriel anyway.

Burton head coach Gary Bowyer says that the club are very happy to get Gbemi into the building. "He is a young striker with a lot of potential. We are really looking forward to working with him every day to help him develop as a player.''

Burton Sporting Director Richard Doman says that Gbemi has impressed for both club and country in Ireland.

"We are very pleased that he has chosen to come to Burton Albion Football Club. We look forward to working with him and giving him the opportunity to reach the next level."

Dundalk boss Ciaran Kilduff acknowledged that it was a hammer blow in Dundalk's quest for Europe next season on losing Gbemi. “This is where we are in football. This is the nature of the club.

“We have no entitlement to hold on to any players at any club. We got pillaged at the start of the season as well. That is the nature of the beast. We will just have to go again.

You have to remember we have to develop these players and turn them into the players they are. They can move on to other things. They are assets to the club. Gbemi scored the goal that got us into the Premier Division this season. He has also scored seven goals.

Eoin Kenny has scored and developed into a terrific player. He was player of the month for June with the soccer writers. Yes, it's a hammer blow to the club that they are gone. This is the price of success. But look, we just get up and go on.

Kilduff was adamant that he never felt like walking when he knew that Gbemi was going hot on the heels of Eoin Kenny moving to the UK. The Dundalk boss says there was no point in being emotional over Gbemi's departure.

"The move is not anyone's call. It is the stability of the club. The club was in a worse position when we had no licence. I should have walked then. We had lost 18 players then and we were in the first Division.

Now is the time for optimism, not pessimism. Of course I want to keep my best players, but there is also a reality check. I think it's a good reset. I think we are coming around the bend.

We are fourth in the table with 12 games left. We are in the last 16 of the cup. We have lost a few players. We still have the guts of the team that got us promoted and have also have us doing so well in the league.

"Look at the movement of the players; we have had our discussions. The outside clubs came in and made offers for the players who have left. It gave the club a good opportunity. Of course it's frustrating. I understand your frustration.

"I will be bringing in two or three new players. I am going to need a centre forward now. We obviously started the season with Gbemi and Danny Mullen as our strikers. Then our makeshift striker was Eoin Kenny. Danny is sidelined, and Gbemi and Eoin are gone.

"The positive news is that Danny Mullen may be back in the next four weeks. But signing a striker is a priority. I am working on this at the moment. When I am signing players, I do not like taking punts.

I want to be sure who I am taking in. I have known what I was going to get from any of the players I have signed for Dundalk since I came in.

"My signings are educated ones. They are not leaps of faith. The club has gone down other routes in the recent past, just taking players from other leagues.

“It does not always work. But look, within the next three to four days, we will have at least one, if not two players signed. Conor O'Keefe is not far away from returning. Harvey Warren is also just about a month away as well.

"Sean Spaight was excellent, as was young Igor, who we signed on loan this week and who came on as a sub. Sean Keogh's brother Aaron was great when he came on. It was not a token gesture. He is a top class player. He plays for our under 17s. He is a striker.

TJ is a striker; he is only 17 as well. We could have used him tonight. He trained earlier this week. He had a scan after developing a problem during training. It was not worth risking him. But if needs must, TJ could have started.

"The positives from tonight. I think we are in a better position than we were last Friday. Some of our regulars needed a break from playing tonight. Some could just not have played.

“We had young players who needed a reset and who have not had much first team game time this season. They got it and came out the other side."

Dundalk lined out as follows. Peter Cherrie 7. Back: 4. Mayowa 7. Luke Mulligan. Sean Spaight 7. Tyreke Wilson 7. Midfield: Aodh Dervin 8. Harry Groome 7. Leo Gaxha 8. Trevor Dunne 8. Shane Tracey 8.

Striker: Declan McDaid 7. Subs: Egor Vassenin for Mayowa 6. Bobby Burns 6 for Luke Mulligan. Aaron Keogh 7 for Trevor Clarke on 89 mins. Teahan for Gaxha 87 mins. Teahan not on long enough to give a performance grade.

Dundalk were dominant throughout the first half. They got their first goal on 15 minutes when Aodh Dervin set Shane Tracey up. He sent the ball crashing to the net. His lob sailed over the head of the Mochta’s keeper for the goal.

Goal number two for Dundalk came on 38 minutes. Leo Gaxha was playing his first full game in over a year. He set up Trevor Dunne, who unleashed a powerful drive to the net.

Dunne was very impressive throughout the game. Dundalk got their third goal on 64 minutes. Harry Groome positioned himself well and fired home an unstoppable shot to the net.

St Mochtas came more into the game after that. They struck for their only goal on 82 minutes. Dundalk are through to the last 16 of the cup.

They will know what their fate is for the next round when the draw was made on RTE Radio 1's Inside Sport programme last night between 6pm and 7pm. Ciaran Kilduff will be hoping for a home draw and possibly avoid a Premier Division team.

The one big shock in the competition came at Mounthawk Park in Tralee when Kerry beat high-flying Shelburne on penalties after extra time. Kerry took a big scalp in the cup last season too, when they beat Sligo Rovers also at home.

Ciaran Kilduff told me after the Mochtas game that all that mattered was that they won the game.

“That's all that ever matters. There is no easy way to win a football match. Last season we did not get to the last 16 of the cup as Sligo beat us at home.

“We will take as many positives as we can from tonight's game. Some players who needed a rest got it. Others who were badly in need of game time also got it.

You would hope when we wake up in the morning that we are in a better position than we were a week ago. The most pleasing thing for me about tonight's game is that we have no more injuries and that we are into the next round. As I said, players who badly needed game time got it.

Players who badly needed a break also got it. It was a balancing act. It is always a difficult one to navigate. Some of those who played tonight maybe had a point to prove as they are not in the team week in, week out. There are opportunities out there.

"I will watch the game back tomorrow as I always do. We had a lot of positive attacking play. I was disappointed to lose the clean sheet. That was something that we really wanted.

“But look, there were a lot of changes to the team tonight, and there were a lot of subs coming into the team tonight as well. There were also a couple of players who made their debuts. Look, we will take as many positives from the game as we can.

"Leo Gaxha was one of the real positives I took from tonight's game. He stood out. Trevor Clarke got his goal and had an excellent game. I thought the steel we had in the middle of the park with Shane Tracey, Leo Gaxha and Aodh Dervin was impressive.

“Peter deserved a clean sheet. He had very little to do. But what he had to do, he did well. The full backs were excellent. Luke Mulligan in particular stood out.

“He rolled over on his ankle at the end of the first half. He was replaced early in the second half. Quite a lot of our team that won the First Division last season were in that team tonight.

"But we have progressed since our promotion. We are now full-time. Some of our players have progressed onto the higher level such as Gbemi, Eoin and Vinny. We are beginning to progress now as a club. The fruits are coming through."

Gbemi's deal with Burton Albion officially went through at eight thirty pm on Friday night. Mayowa is another player who could be on his way very soon, but that will not be until the end of the current season.

Dundalk will not get a cent for the big centre half unless they can persuade him to sign for them for next season. He is a top-class centre half who has a lot of experience. Yet he is only 23. Mayowa deserves his chance of getting to the UK or Europe.

Another player who might not be with Dundalk is 16-year-old Aaron Keogh. Aaron impressed me a lot when he came on as a sub on Friday night. He had one effort from a free that was not far away. He is a prolific goal scorer with the under-17s.

Watch this space on this young Dundalk man. Sean Spaight was top class on Friday night. He was excellent in his role as centre half.

At 17, the Blackrock youngster has been keenly watched by UK clubs and those from Europe. I would be surprised if Sean is still a Dundalk player this time next year. He will find a club.

Shane Tracey was my man of the match on Friday night. He has built a fair amount of first team experience. Another season next year at Oriel would do him no harm.

Again, he is a player who I think will head to the UK or Europe within 15 months. TJ Molloy did not get a game on Friday as he was injured. He is seen as one of the best possible prospects who could make it in Europe or the UK.

He may well play a lead role in the Dundalk team as a striker for the rest of the season as well now that Gbemi is gone. But I have no doubt he will be going abroad or to the UK within a year or two as well.

Luke Mulligan is a player I have spoken about often. He is a 17 year old from Ballybay. He played his first game for the senior team since he picked up a bad injury in Wexford a year ago.

Luke had a very good game on Friday. He is highly thought of by the manager. He needs another couple of years at Oriel playing for the first team. He is good enough to make it abroad.

Leo Gaxha was superb on Friday night. It was his first game back in a year for the first team from injury. He will be a good asset to Dundalk going forward. New signing Trevor Dunne got a goal and had a good game on Friday night as well.

I agree with Ciaran Kilduff that this player could well turn out to be a good acquisition.

Kilduff has done it with players like Tyreke Wilson, JR Wilson, Conor O'Keeffe, and I could go on. Dunne showed great potential on Friday night. Let's wait and see what happens.

Meanwhile, Dundalk have had a bid of 20,000 pounds sterling turned down by Irish League side Crusaders for striker Fraser Braden. Chesterfield have had a similar bid for the Scot turned down also.

Sheffield Wednesday have put a six figure valuation sum on Braden. Crusaders agree that his value is a six figure sum. However, their figure is somewhat higher than what Sheffield Wednesday have him valued at.

Dundalk head to Inchicore on Friday to play Stephen Kenny's Pats. Pats are second in the table. Their last game saw them getting a late penalty against Waterford to snatch a point.

Last Friday, Pats just edged out first Division Wexford in the FAI Cup. Dundalk had an emphatic win over Pats the last time the sides met in the league. That was in Oriel.

Last time the sides met in Inchicore, Pats trounced Dundalk by four goals to nil. It was their heaviest defeat of the season so far. The game is live on Virgin Media Sports. It kicks off at 8 pm. Dundalk have lost their last three league games.

They have sold their two best in-form players. Ciaran Kilduff will find it very hard to get a striker. Maybe he will get one. Sean Spaight would help to tighten up the defence.

Pats will try to build up an early lead. If Dundalk can keep them at bay for the first 25 minutes, then they have a chance. But Dundalk sides have had a terrible record at Inchicore for a long time now.

I can only see one result. That's a Pats win. And it could be convincing. But who knows? I hope I am wrong and that Ciaran Kilduff calls me out for a wrong prediction.

Eoin Kenny was presented with the SSE Airtricity Player of the Month award for June. It's a great send-off for a young man who hopefully has a good future ahead of him.

Have a great week. Look after yourselves and each other. And of course, please be careful out there.