From The Dug Out

FROM THE DUGOUT

VINNY PERTH

I’d like to start by thanking everyone for their efforts in making ‘Daragh’s Day’ a huge success on the opening night of the season against Derry City. There was a very special feeling around the ground and I know Daragh’s family appreciated everything that was done. I’ve seen first-hand what Daragh meant to them and I hope that what we did might be able to help the family’s healing process in some way. What it did show, particularly with the extra support from the Derry City fans, is that football is a great tool for so much in life. I hope people enjoyed the occasion and the money that was raised for local autism services was brilliant and will go towards a great cause.

The support we had against Shelbourne at Tolka Park on Friday night was outstanding. We sold out our allocation yet again but the special thing for me was the way the supporters got behind the team. At times the players needed it. Considering the conditions, I thought some of the football we played in the first half was our best in a long, long time and the level of professionalism and play from us on that pitch was outstanding. Twonil up at half time, we were well and truly on the road but their goal gave them energy and the whole ground a lift but the 11 players on the pitch and the 800 supporters behind us came through it. It was a fully deserved three points. What I did notice about Tolka Park, and it’s the same with Tallaght Stadium and Dalymount Park, is the council’s input into the ground. As I wrote last week, we need to talk to our local politicians. There are votes to be won at football clubs and the sooner we all work together to make our community stronger then the better it will be for society and football.

It’s been very noticeable over the last couple of weeks that being successful puts you right up there to be shot at. You can see

that with the overreaction to Liverpool’s performance against Atletico Madrid during the week. This is a brilliant Liverpool team but all people wanted to do in the days that followed was look for the negatives in their display. Atletico’s Diego Simeone is a brilliant coach, of that there is no doubt, but teaching a team to play defensive football is the easiest part of football. The hardest part is setting a team up to break those defences down.

We live in a world of negativity now. That’s been seen in many instances over the past couple of weeks. Before the season had even got underway, one local journalist wrote that people were staying away from Oriel Park because of the ground. I didn’t see that last week at the Derry game and the facts certainly don’t back that up because our season ticket sales continue to grow. Just look at the number of people behind us in Tolka on Friday night. What I see is people supporting our club and getting behind this team.

We then had to listen to a so-called pundit saying that our team is ageing and that we are still in the shadow of other teams and other people. Once you see that stuff, it makes you realise that people are looking for headlines as opposed to facts. We have players like Daragh Leahy, who is 21, Will Patching, 21, Greg Sloggett, 23, Daniel Kelly, 22, Daniel Cleary, 23, Cammy Smith, 23, Stefan Colovic, 25 just to name a few. It should make you question what you listen to. We also had an agent, who is obviously disappointed with me and the club for not signing one of his players, taking the liberty of using the national newspaper that he writes for to do a two-page spread effectively criticising Dundalk and our budget! We live in a petty world. People say that Dundalk are great because of our

budget but the truth is Dundalk are great because we have great people at the club. In 2016, a back five of Rogers, Gannon, Gartland, Boyle, Massey - with Shields in front of them - put this club on the map in Europe. That’s what we were built on. That wasn’t down to resources or finance, that was down to brilliant people and those brilliant people are still part of a club that continues to grow and reinvest. Those players deserve the highest standards that we can afford to give them and the facilities in the YDC, for example, is part of their rewards for that European run in 2016. My simple message is be careful of where you get your information from. The world of media - and social media - is toxic so be careful who you listen to and be careful who you read because it’s such a negative world. I believe in positivity and making the very best of what you have. With that in mind, I looked at Tolka Park on Friday night and the ground being sold out and the look of delight on the faces of people who have been supporting Shelbourne to see them back in the Premier Division. I didn’t look at the negatives of two

stands being condemned and not in use. That’s old school. Let’s move on and think positively about ourselves and our league.

Finally, I would like to wish Cork City the very best this season. They have been rivals for many years now and have helped to push us onto the next level. Because of the changes at the club, there is no doubt that Neale Fenn has a difficult job but Cork City is a brilliant club and one that the League of Ireland should one proud of. They will make it hard for a lot of teams this season and I look forward to this evening’s challenge. I’d also like to wish all of their supporters who make the trip up a safe journey home. It’s not easy being in Dublin on a Friday night and then Dundalk on a Monday and I have sympathy for them but we have the prospect of a great game of football ahead of us. I want our supporters to sing loud and sing proud because we’re the champions of Ireland. We should never forget that and we don’t want anyone to take that away from us. Enjoy the game. Vinny Perth

TOLKA PARK REVIEW PATRICK HOBAN

Dundalk striker Patrick Hoban hailed the travelling support who got behind the Lilywhites in Friday night’s 2-1 win over Shelbourne at Tolka Park.

Despite the miserable weather, around 800 Dundalk fans made the journey to Drumcondra and they were rewarded as goals from Hoban and Andy Boyle secured the champions a hard-fought win. “The support was brilliant,” said Hoban. “On a night like that it was great to see. Hearing them singing and cheering us on really gave us a lift. They were fantastic and hopefully they all got home safe and sound and happy with the win.”

Boyle set Dundalk on their way with a close-range finish before Hoban opened his

account for the season with a glancing 43rd-minute header from a Michael Duffy free-kick. “From my point of view, I’m buzzing to get off the mark with the goal,” he said. “We had a free-kick about 10 minutes before it and I was meant to be in that position but I ended up going somewhere else for different reasons.

“When the second free came around, I said I was going to go where the first one ended up and luckily enough I was there to score! It was great to get a two-goal lead going into half time and I think we did enough just to win the game.” Gary Deegan’s piledriver hauled Shels back into the game after the break but with the conditions deteriorating even further as the game wore on, Dundalk held firm to see

it out.

“Considering the state of the pitch, I thought we played some decent stuff in the firsthalf but in the second nobody could keep their footing,” said Hoban.

“It ruined the game really and there wasn’t much quality. It was just a battle and thankfully we came through. It shows the different qualities we have. Not only can we play pretty football, we can also show the other side to that too.

“No matter how you do it, a win is worth three points and we now have six on the board even though there is still an awful lot more to come from us,” he added. “We’re on the right path and we just have to make sure we keep it going now, starting with tonight’s match with Cork City.”

Renault MEGANE Hatch Now with a powerful petrol engine

Renault Mégane Hatch from €189 per month *

Take a 24-hour test drive to experience the 140hp petrol engine today

Model shown: Mégane Hatch GT Line TCe 140 GPF, starting RRP €26,940. *Finance example: Mégane IV Play TCe 100 GPF. RRP €22,140. Deposit €7,730. Term 36 monthly payments of €189. APR 3.9%. Total cost of credit €1,334 inc fees of €150. Optional final payment €8,790. Includes 3-year service plan. Offer exclusive to Renault Bank. Excess mileage plus excess wear-and-tear charges may apply upon return of vehicle. Offer is made under a hire purchase agreement. Subject to lending criteria. Terms and conditions apply. See Renault.ie [Warning: You will not own these goods until the final payment is made]. Renault Bank is a trading name of RCI Banque Branch Ireland and is authorised and regulated by the French banking authority and supervised by the Central Bank for conduct of business purposes.