Dundalk FC Magazine 2020 | Issue 4 | Waterford FC

OFFICIAL DUNDALK FC MAGAZINE | ISSUE 4 - €3

DUNDALK v WATERFORD FC FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH 2020

KICK-OFF 5.45PM

WE’RE IN GOOD HANDS AGAIN FOR ANOTHER GREAT SEASON!

A GREAT TEAM

CLUB DIRECTORY Honorary Club President Des Casey Chairman Bill Hulsizer Vice-Chairman Michael Hughes Board Michael Hughes, Bill Hulsizer, James Baboulas, Martin Connolly, David Samhat & Fred Spencer Chief Operating Officer Martin Connolly Club Secretary Colm Murphy Finance Officer Elaine Duffy Chief Business Officer David Minto Media Content Officer Gavin McLaughlin Projects Manager Aaron Lawless Office Manager Ailish Kelly Office Admin Karen Travers, Gary Cronin Club Ambassadors Padraig McGowan, Paul Brown, Andy Connolly Licensing Officer Simon Blackmore Player Liaison Officer Des Dunleavy Community Officer Liam Burns Press Officer Darren Crawley Child Protection Officer Aoife Burns Event Controller Regina O’Hare Bar Manager Kevin Carthy PA Announcer Michael Duffy DFCTV Chris Clarke

TEAM MANAGEMENT Team Manager Vinny Perth Assistant Coach Alan Reynolds First Team Coach John Gill Goalkeeping Coach Steve Williams Strength/Conditioning Graham Norton Kit Manager Noel Walsh Doctor Dr David Connolly Physiotherapists Danny Miller & David Murphy Sports Science David Maguire Videographer Harry Taaffe, Shane Taaffe

DUNDALK FC MAGAZINE DFC Magazine Editors: Colm Murphy, Paul Dunne, Gavin McLaughlin DFC Magazine Contributors: Jim Murphy RIP, Ruth Hardy, Darren Crawley, David Farrelly, Tom O’Connor, Sean DeLoughrey Sales: Helen Myers, Jimmy Neary, Roy Mackin, Stephen Neary, Patrick O’Neill Thanks to: David Caldwell Photography: Sportsfile, Ciaran Culligan Programme of the Year 2008 (First Division) / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 / 2019 Dedication: The 2020 DFC Magazine is dedicated to Jim Murphy.

Note: The views expressed in this magazine are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily shared by Dundalk FC. Especially The Spectator... ©2020 Dundalk FC

DUNDALK FC V WATERFORD FC | 14.08.2020

IN THIS

ISSUE 4 Opening Shot

30 CL: NK Celje Preview

6 From The Dugout

34 CL: Back To Budapest

9 Player Q&A

36 CL: Football In Slovenia

10 Academy Focus

38 CL: Focus on NK Celje

14 Welcome To Waterford

42 CL: Sean Hoare Interview

21 Played For Both

47 The Numbers Game

24 Josh Gatt Interview

48 2020 Fixtures and Stats

26 Alan Reynolds Interview

50 The Spectator

28 Patreon Membership

52 Injury Time: Quiz

OPENING SHOT THREE ANGLES, ONE GOAL! | AUGUST 12TH 2020, ORIEL PARK Dundalk centre-back Sean Hoare rises to head home the winning goal in Tuesday night’s Extra.ie FAI Cup first round tie with Waterford FC at Oriel Park. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

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FROM THE DUGOUT

VINNY PERTH I felt we were a bit more like our normal selves in Tuesday night’s FAI Cup tie with Waterford. We should have put the game to bed but we created chances and we had a bit more energy in the team.

We were worthy winners and Gary Rogers didn’t have a save to make but it will be a different game tonight.

On Tuesday, Waterford cut loose towards the end and they almost played with four upfront towards the end of the game but what was exceptional for me was that Sean Gannon won the ball back in the 92nd minute and tried to take on two defenders. That’s Dundalk.

People would say ‘keep it and try and slow it down’ but we always try to go forward, we’re relentless and that fills me with confidence.

It’s just a small building block but we’re happy with where we stand and in terms of the European game next week, Tuesday night was a good test for us in the heat. It wasn’t as warm as what it will be in Budapest next Wednesday night but it was good for the lads from a fitness point of view.

The key for us on Tuesday was that we got Brian Gartland, Darragh Leahy and Sean Hoare back on the pitch and that gave us a huge injection of confidence. Patrick McEleney also came on. He looked a bit rusty but that’s fine, it’s just great to have him back on the pitch.

Stefan Colovic also chipped in with another assist and looked really good. He is still adjusting to League of Ireland football.

Tuesday night’s game was just our eighth of the year and it will

Cameron Dummigan picked up an ankle injury against Waterford

take him some time because it’s not the sort of intensity he is used to but he has real quality.

I’ve always said we have huge options in the squad now. It’s probably the best squad I have seen in my eight years at the club. I have to manage this group of players and get the best out of them in a shortened season. It will be difficult but Tuesday was important for us and we just have to refocus now and keep building and improving.

The only real downside of the night was the loss of Cameron Dummigan with an ankle injury.

He was standing on his own with no one near him when the ankle gave way which is unfortunate but, thankfully, it’s not a break.

Cammy went on loan to 7

Crusaders to get some game time and to rebuild himself from a personal point of view.

He had difficulty when he came home from the UK but he seems to have got everything in his personal life back to exactly where it should be and we have high hopes for him at the club.

He has been unfortunate here and injuries have fallen for him at the wrong time but since he has come back from Crusaders, he has been exceptional.

It’s no shock to anyone here how well he played on Tuesday night. People say that we have the best right back in the league in Sean Gannon but if that is true, we have the second-best right back too. Cammy is an outstanding player.

Enjoy the game.

Vinny Perth

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PLAYER Q&A

DANIEL CLEARY

DFC Mag: What club have you supported since childhood?

Daniel Cleary: Celtic.

DFCM: What’s your favourite dish?

DC: Sunday dinner.

DFCM: Who is the best player you have played with?

DC: Luis Suarez.

DFCM: Who is the dirtiest player you have played against?

DC: Mark O’Sullivan is up there!

DFCM: Which teammate spends the longest in the shower?

DC: Pat Hoban.

DFCM: Your all-time sporting hero?

DC: Tyson Fury.

DFCM: Your favourite holiday destination?

DC: Dubai.

DFCM: Your favourite sport outside of football?

DC: I don’t really have one, I’ll watch anything.

DFCM: What is the best ground you have played in?

DC: It would probably be Stamford Bridge.

DFCM: Who is the best dressed in the squad?

DC: That’s a difficult one because there is some shocking gear! But I 9

would probably say Dane Massey.

DFCM: Who is the worst dressed in the squad?

DC: I could probably name five straight away but number one would be Georgie Kelly, although he’s on loan at Pat’s now.

DFCM: Who has the best music taste in the dressing room?

DC: Sean Murray, he can cover all genres.

DFCM: Who has the worst music taste in the dressing room?

DC: Shieldsy – no matter what the music is he always moans!

ACADEMY FOCUS

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT!

Val Adedokun

As the club’s academy teams prepare for the restart of the National League season, Dundalk head of youth development director Mick Neville believes the hard work that’s being put in behind the scenes at Oriel Park is starting to bear fruit.

Teenagers Val Adedokun, Jamie Wynne, Andrew Quinn and Mark Hanratty have all

signed professional deals with the Lilywhites over the past six months while the likes of Ronan Kilkenny, Christian Jones, Thomas Daly, Jack Kavanagh, Luke Hennessy, Jarlath Jones, Ebuka Kwele and Jeff Nwodo have also lined out with the first team in recent weeks.

Adedokun is a product of the club’s link-up with Malahide United. Established back in 2015, it provides the North Dublin club’s platers with a 10

pathway to the League of Ireland.

“Val is a very exciting prospect,” said Neville. “The U19s were playing a friendly last week and Val threw a dummy that even done me in the dugout! I don’t know how he did it! He’s brilliant on the ball and he’s really quick. He needs to physically mature because he’s still able to play at U17 level but that will come.”

There was a further sign of

Clockwise from above: Luke Hennessy, Andrew Quinn, Jeff Nwodo and Thomas Daly

the quality coming through the ranks at Oriel Park when former Dundalk U19 midfielder Gabriel Adebambo signed a two-year deal with Stoke City last weekend.

Adebambo spent 12 months at Oriel Park last season and Neville said he has all the tools required to make a mark with the Potters, especially after catching the eye of Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill in a trial match.

“On the recommendation of former Dundalk Mick Kavanagh, who is now one of our scouts, I went to watch some lads from Home Farm play against Leixlip United and Gabriel, who was playing in midfield for Leixlip, really stood out,” explained Neville.

“Three of the Leixlip players went over to England to try and find clubs but Gabriel wasn’t selected and he came home. Myself and Derek Boyle, the U19 manager at Dundalk, went down to meet the hierarchy in Leixlip and we managed to get Gabriel up to Oriel Park.”

Adebambo was a regular in Dundalk’s U19 team last season. He was also part of the Leinster squad that won the interprovincial tournament

and last September he won his first cap for the Republic of Ireland’s U18 team.

“Gabriel is very good technically,” said Neville.

“He can play as a number six and he’s developing well physically but he needs to work on the defensive side of his game and he knows that.

“When he went over to Stoke he had a trial at the Stoke academy. Michael O’Neill was a spectator at the match and wanted to know who the guy from Ireland was. They were raving about him and it went from there. We wish him all the best.”

Adedokun, Andrew Quinn, Mark Hanratty and goalkeeper Jimmy Corcoran, who has been training with the first-team over the past month, were all included in an Irish U19 home-based training squad which met up last Sunday.

Neville, who is part of Tom Mohan’s coaching team, took charge of the ‘northern’ side while former Cork City midfielder Colin Healy managed the ‘southern’ team as part of the preparations for the upcoming U19 Championships which will take place in Romania in 2021.

The U19s have been drawn as the host country 11

Jimmy Corcoran (above). Bottom left: Ronan Kilkenny. Bottom right: Jamie Wynne

against Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Estonia in the qualifying round draw which will take place in November.

Quinn and Hanratty both started in the recent behind closed doors friendly with Linfield and Neville said he was happy with the progress that both players have made over the past 12 months.

“Mark is one of those players who is better when he plays at an older level. The bigger the challenge, the better he seems to be. He made his debut with the first team last year and he

has developed again.

“At U19 level, it’s very hustle and bustle, but with the first team he is given more time on the ball and then it’s a matter of what you do with it. He seems to relish that kind of thing and during the lockdown he has really bulked up.”

Recent injuries to Brian Gartland and Sean Hoare have opened the door for Quinn to train and play with the first team in some of their recent friendlies and Neville praised the young Dubliner’s temperament.

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“Andrew takes everything in his stride. He is intelligent and he knows what he wants to do, on and off the pitch. He was attracted by a scholarship with UCD but he has taken a scholarship at DkIT. Vinny Perth spoke to him and his father in and we are delighted he opted to stay here.

“The great thing for these lads is that they are playing and training with the best players in the country. People talk about coaches and coaching but the best experience they can get is from being on the pitch with the

Main picture: Mark Hanratty. Inset: Gabriel Adebambo, pictured after signing for Stoke City

senior lads.

“During the Linfield game, Brian Gartland was constantly speaking to the young lads like Andrew, Mark and Ronan Kilkenny and that will be a huge benefit to them all. That sort of thing is invaluable to a young player.”

Neville, along with the rest of Dundalk’s various underage coaches, is currently preparing for the resumption of the 2020 campaign on the week ending August 17th and he said that players were eager to make up for lost time.

“We were just ready to start the season when COVID hit so lads have had no real football at all this year,” he said. “It’s not the loss of games as such,

it’s the loss of training that will affect them, especially the U13s who need to be training regularly.

“In fairness to all of the coaches at Oriel, they’ve kept on top of their respective squad’s fitness throughout the break on Zoom calls so the players are in good shape. They just need to get back on the pitch.”

A six-time League of Ireland winner, Neville has been the FAI’s development officer for Louth for the past 13 years and he said that the conveyor belt of talent at Oriel Park was starting to crank into gear.

“The academy is starting to take shape now,” he said. “We bring U17s through to the U19s 13

if they’re good enough, U15s through to the U17s if they are good enough and U13s through to the U15s if they are good enough. We try and bring them in a year earlier so that they can mature that bit quicker.

“We just have to make sure that we’re in for the best players,” he added. “Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and Bohemians are hoovering up all the best young players in Dublin and we need to make our presence felt up there.

“The link up with Malahide is very strong and enables us to give players in that area a route to the League of Ireland and that pathway is also available for young lads in the local Dundalk Schoolboys League.”

WELCOME TO

WATERFORD FC

The Blues will be sick of trips to Oriel Park and they face us twice in three days. First up it is the FAI Cup tie and then the league and the Blues will be intent on continuing their good form that they have returned with following the enforced pandemic layoff.

Waterford haven’t had a good record at Oriel Park since their return to the Premier League with this being their fifth trip to Louth since their promotion and they are yet to leave Oriel on the right side of the result and indeed without scoring a goal also. 3-0 and 4-0 losses last season. In 2018, a last minute goal gave us a 1-0 win and then a 2-0 win mere weeks later. In the FAI Cup we were 3-0 winners last season also in the quarter-finals with Daniel Kelly netting a hat-trick at the RSC.

The start of the season was decent for the Blues and just before the break, they were 2-1 winners, impressively over Derry City. That was on the back of two defeats to Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers.

Waterford did start the season with a win away to St. Patrick’s Athletic though and it looks like they have taken that kind of form into the second start.

It has been all change at the RSC this season and as well as a raft of changes on and off the pitch with new blood being injected into the squad in the recent transfer window – former Lilywhite Kurtis Byrne, Robbie Weir, and former Ireland international Daryl Murphy have joined the Blues in what will be a shortened season. There was also a change in the dugout with John Sheridan replacing the departed Alan Reynolds, who has become our assistant manager.

Last weekend they went to Tolka Park and took an eye opening 1-0 win over Shelbourne and followed that up with a 0-0 draw against Cork City in the Munster derby in a week which saw their postponed match with Sligo Rovers put back once again due to suspected COVID-19 cases in the squad, which have subsequently come back negative.

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Tunmise Sobowale of Waterford during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Waterford and Cork City at RSC in Waterford.

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WELCOME TO

WATERFORD FC MEET THE MANAGER

JOHN SHERIDAN (DOB: 01/10/1964)

New Waterford manager John Sheridan doesn’t need much of an introduction. An Ireland international, making 34 caps, he was part of the squads for EURO 88, Italia 90 and USA 94, where in the latter he played in all four matches at the tournament. Sheridan had a supremely successful career as a club player also where he made over 700 appearances for various clubs in England.

Manchester City, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday are among those he lined out for and won the League Cup with

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Wednesday in 1991.

As a manager, he is also vastly experienced taking charge of Oldham Athletic on 4 separate occasions, Chesterfield twice, Fleetwood Town, Plymouth Argyle, Carlisle United, Newport County and Notts County in a career in the dugout that has spanned almost 20 years and 650 matches.

The English born former midfielder took charge of Waterford during the lockdown period and has steered the Blues to four points from their first two matches after the resumption.

Former Republic of Ireland international Daryl Murphy in attendance during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Waterford and Cork City at RSC in Waterford.

The striker has been linked with a move back to the Blues.

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PLAYER PROFILES 2020

WATERFORD FC 1 TADGH RYAN

2 JAKE DAVIDSON

3 TYREKE WILSON

Bio: Goalkeeper, 23, Limerick ..........................................

Bio: Midfielder, 19, Stirling ..........................................

Bio: Left back, 20, Dublin ..........................................

A young goalkeeper who has been at the RSC only a short time having joined Waterford ahead of the current campaign after spells with Huddersfield Town, Galway United and Cork City in Ireland.

A Dundee United squad player, Davidson is a right back who joined Waterford in the recent transfer window following spells with a host of clubs including Spartans and Queen’s Park.

A right back who started his career as a youth at Cherry Orchard and moved on to Manchester City. An Ireland U21 international also joined Waterford ahead of the 2020 season.

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6 ROBERT WEIR

4 SAM BONE

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8 ALI COOTE

Bio: Centre back, 22, Kuching ........................................

Bio: Midfielder, 31, Belfast ..........................................

Bio: Winger, 22, Bedford ..........................................

Malaysian-born versatile player and former Charlton youth. Came to Ireland and spent just over two years with Shamrock Rovers and move the move to the south east last summer.

A vastly experienced midfielder, has played for the likes of Chesterfield, Sunderland, Burton Albion and Leyton Orient among others. A former Northern Ireland ‘B’ international, Weir was one of Sheridan’s new signings.

A midfielder, has extensive experience playing for Dundee United as a senior before going on to Brentford ‘B’ and playing regularly. A former Scotland underage international, has been at Waterford since January.

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9 MICHAEL O’CONNOR

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10 WILL LONGBOTTOM

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11 MATTY SMITH

Bio: Forward, 22, Dundalk ..........................................

Bio: Forward.

22, Leeds ..........................................

Bio: Forward, 23, Dundee ..........................................

No stranger to Oriel Park, a centre forward who as well as Dundalk has played for Shamrock Rovers, Linfield and Finn Harps. Currently in his second spell at the RSC.

A 21 year-old forward and has played senior football for Doncaster Rovers with loan spells at Kiderminster Harriers, Gainsborough Trinity and Halesowen Town. Joined Waterford before the current campaign ...........................................

A native of Scotland and has lined out for a host of clubs in his homeland including Dundee United, Montrose and Cove Rangers. At the club since January.

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12 JOHN MARTIN

15 DEAN WALSH

Bio: Midfielder, 21, Waterford .........................................

Has been capped for Ireland underage and joined from St. Patrick’s Athletic. Had a spell on loan with Bray Wanderers last summer but returned for the 2020 season.

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16 DARRAGH POWER

Bio: Forward, 23, Waterford ..........................................

Bio: Right Back, 19, Waterford ..........................................

A member of the senior squad since 2016 and after joining the underage setup previously. Has been a regular in the lineup since his debut 4 years ago.

A promising defender, is a product of the youth academy at the club. A key player for the club’s U19’s squad, the 20 yearold signed for the first team ahead of the season

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PLAYER PROFILES 2020

WATERFORD FC 18 ROBBIE McCOURT

19 WILL FITZGERALD

20 KURTIS BYRNE

Bio: Midfielder, 22, Dublin ........................................

Bio: Winger, 21, Limerick ..........................................

Bio: Forward, 30, Dublin ..........................................

Was a promising youngster at St. Kevin’s Boys and moved to West Bromwich Albion. After a spell in England, he made the move home to Bohemians and remained there until the beginning of this season and joined Waterford.

One of the most exciting young players in the country, Fitzgerald is just 21 years of age and joined Waterford from Limerick before the start of the 2019 season. Previously on the books of Mervue United.

A two time league winner with Dundalk, Kurtis Byrne also joined the Blues in July after time with TNS in Wales. Previously played with Hibernian, Ross County, St. Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians as a forward.

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23 SHANE GRIFFIN

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25 BRIAN MURPHY

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33 TUNMISE SOBOWALE

Bio: Midfield, 21, Waterford ........................................

Bio: Goalkeeper, 37, Waterford ........................................

Bio: Right Back, 21, Waterford ........................................

A Waterford native, Griffin captained the underage Blues in 2018 and was regularly involved with the first team. Apart from a spell on loan at Wexford, has been with Waterford.

An experienced net minder, Murphy was a 2 time league winner with Bohemians in 2008 and 2009 which earned him a move to England. After spells with QPR, Ipswich, Portsmouth and Cardiff City, the 37 year-old returned home in January.

Has recently returned to Waterford after spells at Finn Harps and in local football. An Irish schoolboy international, has shown a level of versatility in filling a number of positions through the side.

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OUR GAME KNOWS YOUR NAME

NEO X ELITE

THE OFFICIAL MATCH BALL OF THE 2020 SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE, FEATURING BESPOKE BALLS MADE FOR EACH CLUB.

UMBRO.IE 20

PLAYED FOR BOTH

PADDY BARRETT We have had some fine centre-backs at Oriel Park over the past decade and one of those was Waterford native Paddy Barrett. Barrett spent a total of two and a half seasons at the football club and was one of the best characters throughout his time here.

A ball playing centre half, Barrett spent time as youth player in Scotland and initially moved to Aberdeen where he earned a move to Dundee United. Despite signing for the senior team, he didn’t register a senior appearance and returned home on loan to Waterford in the summer of 2013 and that saw him remain there for the first half of the 2014 season.

Tommy Dunne came calling at Galway United and

his prowess at centre half allowed the Tribesmen to clinch promotion through the First Division promotion playoff against UCD. So much was his contribution that he found the net in the first leg to level the tie after they had been 1-0 down at the UCD Bowl and eventually went on to clinch promotion with a 5-1 aggregate win over the Students.

That was his last contribution in the west as he moved east when Stephen Kenny came calling and learned his trade off Brian Gartland and Andy Boyle for the 2015 season. He didn’t just learn though and played a number of matches throughout the season including in the run to the FAI Cup which helped us secure a league and FAI Cup double with victory over Cork City at the AVIVA Stadium, scoring in the semi-final against Longford which was our 100th competitive goal of that campaign.

There was even better to come for Barrett as he would feature in all six of our UEFA Champions League qualifiers in 2016 when he came on as a substitute for the injured Brian Gartland against FH Hafnarfjordur in the second round and excelled through our run to the UEFA Europa League group stages with outstanding performances in Iceland against FH, Belarus against BATE Borisov and Poland against Legia Warsaw.

Barrett also went on to play in the group stages and clinch another league title.

The decision was made to return home in July 2017 for half a season and he helped the Blues to promotion under our assistant manager 21

Alan Reynolds. He departed the RSC at the end of that season or pastures new to take on America and firstly with FC Cincinatti where he settled in to life in the United Soccer League and was a fan favourite. His performances ensured that he earned a move to Indy Eleven where he has been a mainstay of the team and his long distance shooting has continued even on the other side of the world.

One of the best characters to come through he doors of both Waterford and Dundalk, Barrett is remembered fondly by all the clubs he has been with and now on his globetrotting venture, he continues to set the world alight and long may it continue.

Champions of Ireland, we know what we are.

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11/02/2020 14:35

FROM THE DRESSING ROOM

GATT EAGER TO MAKE AN IMPACT American winger Joshua Gatt’s patience finally paid off on Tuesday night when he came off the bench in the 1-0 win over Waterford to make his competitive debut for the Lilywhites.

Gatt first came to Oriel Park at the beginning of the year but a knee injury, sustained in a pre-season friendly with Longford Town, ended his hopes of securing a deal with the SSE Airtricity League champions before the start of the domestic campaign.

Undeterred, the 28-year-old former American international used the lockdown to work on his fitness back home in the USA and he returned to Ireland in June, securing a short-term deal with the Lilywhites until the end of the current campaign.

The Michigan native replaced Stefan Colovic with 12 minutes to go in Tuesday night’s FAI Cup first-round tie and, speaking to Dundalk FC Magazine, he said he was determined to make the most of any chances that came his way.

“I’ve been waiting for the opportunity for a while and I’m just really excited that I got my opportunity to get out on the pitch against Waterford on Tuesday night,” he said.

“It was a good game for us and I was happy to be a part of it. The guys in my position have been playing well and I’ve had to wait for a chance. It was only a short stint, 15 minutes or so, but I think I made the most of it.

“You have to make the most of an opportunity when it comes but you don’t want to overpressure yourself or overburden yourself and do everything at once,” he added.

“You just have to try and let your game

24

speak for itself and that’s what I tried to do.

I just wanted to do the best I could for the team.”

Sean Hoare’s goal booked Dundalk a place in the second round - where they will travel to Cobh Ramblers - and Gatt said it was a result that would go a long way to restoring confidence after a stuttering restart to the campaign.

“Obviously, results hadn’t been going our way in the games before Tuesday night so it was really important for us as a team to get back on track and we did that against Waterford.

“I thought we played with a lot more passion than we probably did in previous games. Vinny really had us riled up for it, he demanded a lot from us and I think that showed.”

John Sheridan’s side are back at Oriel Park this evening for Dundalk’s last league game before their Champions League first qualifying round tie with NK Celje next week and Gatt said it was important to try and build some momentum before they travel to the neutral venue in Hungary.

“It’s a strange thing and a good thing that we have Waterford again,” he said. “We’ve already got a win against them now. It was a tough win but if we play at the level we should be playing at, we know that we can win the game on Friday as well.

“It’s important for us to keep building wins, especially going into Europe next week.

The focus now is on beating Waterford and building wins, building confidence, building morale and then taking that into the Champions League tie next week.”

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26

FROM THE DRESSING ROOM

ALAN REYNOLDS There was some changes during the midseason lockdown both at Dundalk and our opponents Waterford.

Ruaidhri Higgins departed as our assistant manager to take up a role with the Ireland international team.

Alan Reynolds vacated the manager’s position at Waterford around the same time. With the job opening at Oriel, Vinny Perth moved quickly to appoint Reynolds as his number two and in turn reunited the pair once again after various spells together as players at Longford and in coaching roles.

That was two months ago so how has ‘Rennie’ settled into his new role?

“It has been grand,” he told Dundalk FC Magazine. “We had no games starting off but when the games have come around it has been good.

“We would have liked to have some better results in the league to start off but there’s still a long way to go and it was a good win for us in the FAI Cup the other night. We could have hit Waterford for four or five but we are looking forward.

“They are a great group here.

Everything that has been said from the outside has been true since I came in. There’s a great attitude, a brilliant work ethic and it is led by the manager, driven by the staff.

“We are just waiting to hit top form. You can see the quality that is in the group and it won’t take long before we get there, we could hit someone for a few one of these days and hopefully

starting this weekend.

“I have settled in well and I have enjoyed it so far. “ Reynolds and Perth were midfield partners at Longford Town during their playing days and have linked up as coaches most notably at Derry City under Stephen Kenny.

While that was a factor in his decision to come to Oriel, it was Vinny’s overall ideas and the players that swayed him.

“I know Vinny well, he came to me and I liked his ideas.

There is a brilliant group of players here and I had known about them before I got here but there is even newer players in the group now getting their chance.

“There has been a turnover of players the past while so that might take time but we hopefully can get things going quickly.”

Reynolds admitted that results have been frustrating to begin with and is looking forward to improvement over the next few weeks.

He sees that improvement coming quickly and is looking forward to the Champions League tie with NK Celje of 27

Slovenia next week.

“Sometimes results are more important than performances and maybe that was the case on Tuesday. We wanted to get through to the next round of the FAI Cup. We did that.

“We want to be better and we know we have to be better, we will be better. We have the European game next week and they will be strong and we are looking forward to it.”

A native of Waterford, the former Shelbourne midfielder has a special word for his former club and he looks back on his time at the club with warmth.

“I loved my time at Waterford, I have a long association with the club and it was great while I was there.

They are a great club and have great facilities.

“I have had a great group of players there over the past few years and you could even see it on Tuesday, I signed a lot of those lads and they have a good attitude, they stuck at it and it was a tough night to be playing Dundalk but they did well and I have fond memories of my time there.”

SUPPORTERS

PATREON MEMBERSHIP

In early June, Dundalk FC launched a new official membership scheme, aimed at growing and improving the relationship between the club, our supporters and the local community.

Since then, the uptake has been fantastic with over 275 members signed up thus far.

Like every business, COVID-19 has had a major, detrimental effect on the club’s plans for the year. In order to respond to the loss of match night earnings and sponsorship, we decided to introduce a high-quality membership service that we hope our fans and the local community will support.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

INTO EUROPE! Dundalk FC will take part in the club’s 75th European tie when the Lilywhites travel to a neutral venue in Budapest, Hungary next week to face NK Celje in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Regarded as something of an unknown quantity, we take a closer look at the Slovenian champions.

N

ogometni Klub Celje, simply known as NK Celje, was formed as SK Celje in the Pri Kroni Hotel on Christmas Day 1919. Nicknamed ‘The Counts’ after the medieval noble dynasty who occupied the Slovenian territory, they played against a team from the continent for the first time in 1920, losing 7-2 to Rapid Vienna.

Slovenian clubs were disbanded and their property confiscated by the Nazis in World War II. A merger with Olimp, another team from the city, followed after the war ended in 1946 and after an initial slump, the new club, NK Kladivar, won the third tier Slovenian Republic League.

Things went downhill after that

and at the end of the seventies, Kladivar were playing in the lower regional leagues.

After breaking away from Yugoslavia, the club entered the newly formed Slovenian PrvaLiga in 1991. Together with Maribor, they are the only club that has participated in every season of the PrvaLiga since its 30

formation.

Another name change - NK Publikum - followed when millionaire Darko Klaric became club president and results started to pick up on the pitch.

In 1993, Publikum finished as runners-up in the Slovenian Cup and secured a place in the European Cup Winners Cup where they were beaten 1-0 by Odense in the qualifying round.

A league and cup double just evaded them in 2003 but two years later they finally lifted their first trophy, defeating Gorica 1–0 in the Slovenia Cup final at their new stadium, the Arena Petrol, which now seats over 13,000 people.

The club was renamed FK Celje in 2007 but a secondplace finish in 2014 was the highest they could muster until

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last season when they marked their centenary year in style by landing their first ever PrvaLiga title on the final day of the campaign back in July.

Slovenia

A country with a population of just over two million people, Slovenia is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the north-east, Croatia to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest.

Historically, the territory of Slovenia has formed part of many different states and after World War II it became part of the old Yugoslavia.

In 1991, Slovenia became the first republic to split from Yugoslavia and become an independent sovereign state, leading to a brief war of independence in the country (The 10-Day War). Eleven years later, in 2004, it became part of

the EU.

the town of Celje

Located just 80km from the capital city of Ljubljana, Celje is the fourth-largest town in Slovenia with a population of almost 38,000 people. It is the regional centre of the traditional Slovenian region of Styria. Occupied by the Nazis in World War II, the remaining German-speaking portion of the populace was expelled when the atrocities ended.

Twenty-five mass graves were filled with Croatian, Serbian, and Slovenian militia members that had collaborated with the Nazis.

European Record

After making their European debut in the Cup Winners Cup with a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Odense back in 1993, Celje have won eight of their following 24 games, leaving 32

them with a club coefficient of 2.400 and a club ranking of 333rd. In contrast, Dundalk are ranked 125th with a coefficient of 9.000.

Their most notable victories came against Maccabi Haifa in the Intertoto Cup in 1997, Levski Sofia in the UEFA Cup in 2005 and Tromso in the Europa League in 2013.

Their last outing in Europa was in 2015 when they were beaten in both legs by Slask Wroclaw in the first qualifying round of the Europa League.

As a team, they are light on European experience.

Goalkeeper Matjaz Rozman has four Europa League appearances to his name, the most in the squad. Their only current senior international is Denis Marandici who was named in the Moldova squad for their Euro 2020 game against Iceland last November but didn’t feature.

2019/20 Title Win

After four consecutive fifthplace finishes, Celje caused a shock by finishing two points ahead of Slovenian giants - and Champions League group stage regulars - Maribor, and Olimpija Ljubljana to win the title on the final day of the season in July.

Their title win was fully deserved. In 36 games, they scored 74 goals, the highest in the league, and conceded the lowest, 36. In their four games against Maribor last season, they won three and drew one.

One of those wins, a 2-1 victory away to Maribor in July, was a key result in their triumph. Their record against Olimpija was also impressive. After losing their first meeting of the season in November 2019, they beat their rivals home and away in February and June respectively.

Their final meeting came on the last day of the campaign

at the Stade Due to COVID-19, there were only 500 people in the stadium but the staircase next to the west stand was also full with ‘The Counts of Celje’, a fan group, making their

presence felt.

Knowing that a draw would seal the title, Celje started well and went in front through Luka Kerin but Olimpija, who knew that a win would see them snatch them the crown, set 33

up a grandstand finish when Timi Elsnik made it 10-1 just before the hour. Five minutes later, Celje went in front again when Ivan Bozic set up his countryman Dario Vizinger who made it 2-1 and although Elsnik brought Olympia back into the game with 15 minutes to play, Celje held on to make history and spark scenes of jubilation outside the ground.

Fuelled by the firepower of Vizinger (23 goals) and captain Mitja Lotric (18 goals), Celje swept the board at the end of season awards. Lotric was named as the PrvaLiga Player of the Year while Vizinger was named as the U23 Player of the Year. Twenty-year-old central defender Zan Zalatel and goalkeeper Matjaž Rozman joined the duo in the Team of the Season while manager Dusan Kosic also went home with the Manager of the Year award.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

THIRD TIME LUCKY IN BUDAPEST?

While this will be Dundalk’s first time meeting opposition from Slovenia, it will be our third time playing a European tie in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. We take a look back at our previous two games on the banks of the Danube. .

As Slovenia is not on Ireland’s ‘green list’ for travel, Wednesday’s game has been moved to Hungary, one of four neutral countries named

by UEFA. Of course, we have a 100% European record at neutral venues after our 2-0 win over Linfield in the Dutch town of Haarlem back in 1979.

Wednesday’s game will take place at the Szusza Ferenc Stadion, home to 20-time Hungarian title winners, Ujpest FC. Named after their former player who played 19 seasons for the club, it was built in 1922 and upgraded to a 14,817 all-seater stadium in 2000.

were denied a famous UEFA Cup win over Bayern Munich at Musgrave Park as Stefan Effenbeg cancelled out Dave Barry’s opener while Dundalk secured their best

1991 V HONVED

Dundalk’s last encounter in Budapest came on September 18th, 1991 when they met Kispest Honved in the first round of the European Cup at the Bozsik Jozsef Stadion which was demolished in 2019.

It proved to be a memorable night for League of Ireland clubs. Back home, Cork City

away result in Europe for 23 years by drawing 1-1 in Budapest.

Alan O’Neill was the hero for Turlough O’Connor’s side, making a number of brilliant saves to deny a Honved side which contained six Hungarian internationals

34

and, against the run of play, Ricky McEvoy pounced on a poor clearance to drill the ball home from 18 yards and bag the Lilywhites a precious away goal with 27 minutes on the clock.

With James Coll and Ronnie Murphy in imperious form at the back, Dundalk stood firm but they were undone with nine minutes to go when a moment of misfortune gave Honved the equaliser. Plokai’s shot came off the crossbar and when Murphy misjudged the rebound, Negaru tapped home the equaliser.

“It was a marvellous performance,” said an overjoyed O’Connor after the game. “I have been involved in 40 different matches as a player and a manager in Europe and this was the best. I’m absolutely thrilled for the lads as they put in a tremendous performance against a superb team.

“The pressure is on us now,” he added. “The second leg will be a different situation because they have to win,

The Nepstadion

but it’s a great way to find ourselves against a team of this calibre.”

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned in the return leg in front of 5,000 people at Oriel Park as two goals from Istvan Pisont ended Dundalk’s chances of a second-round showdown with the mighty Sampdoria.

DUNDALK FC: Alan O’Neill, Dave Mackey, Mick Shelly, Ronnie Murphy, James Coll, Tom McNulty, Ricky McEvoy, Gino Lawless, Paul Brady (Richie Purdy), Terry Eviston, Peter Hanrahan.

1967 v VASAS

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no supporters in the Szusza Ferenc Stadion on Wednesday night, a far cry from the estimated 100,000 who packed the famous NepStadion (The People’s Stadium), now known as the Ferenc Puskas Stadium, to watch Dundalk take on Vasas

in the first round second leg of the European Cup on October 11th, 1967.

After doing their town and country proud with a gutsy display under the new Oriel Park floodlights in the first leg, the Lilywhites had no answer to the mighty Hungarians whose team featured most of the national side that performed so admirably in the World Cup in England a year earlier.

Led by star man Janos Farkas, who scored a wonder goal for Hungary against Brazil at Goodison Park at the 1966 finals, Vasas were brilliant, running out 8-1 winners. The hosts opened the scoring in the 10th minute but Alan Fox’s side drew level a minute later when a cross from Tony O’Connell left the Vasas goalkeeper in trouble and Danny Hale buried the rebound.

The 60 Dundalk fans who made the trip went mad and for another 20 minutes, it

35

seemed that Dundalk just might, with a bit of luck, cause the biggest upset in European football history.

With Kevin Murray in inspirational form, Dundalk attacked the Hungarians with great confidence and another O’Connell cross caused panic in the Vasas box, almost leading to an own goal!

Unfortunately, this was the last time Dundalk found themselves behind enemy lines and Vasas ran amok with Frakas bagging a hat-trick.

Mick Millington was sent off for retaliation and when the referee finally put Dundalk out of their misery, a 9-1 aggregate scoreline took the gloss off the Lilywhites’ firstleg heroics.

DUNDALK FC: Kevin Blount, Fran Brennan, Tootsie McKeown, Mick Millington, Alan Fox, Jim Burke, Pat Cruise, Paddy Turner, Danny Hale, Kevin Murray, Derek Stokes.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

FOOTBALL IN SLOVENIA

Slovenia captain Robert Koren celebrate shis goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup

Martyn Hindley gives an introduction to our Slovenian opponents - NK Celje.

Whilst most of the world – sporting or otherwise – looks upon 2020 through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, people of the Styrian town of Celje have one shiny reason to enjoy a different perspective.

Along with longstanding league powerhouses Maribor, the club hailing from Slovenia’s fourth-largest city are the only ever-presents in the national championship but only got their hands on the championship silverware this summer, edging out Maribor and Olimpija Ljubljana by two points just a year after celebrating their centenary.

Having been the hunters of the big guns for a sustained period of modern Slovenian football, upsetting the bigger boys and putting a dent in some PrvaLiga coupons, Celje now set about being the hunted as they represent a country that has not managed the heavyweight clubs to match some of their most

talented stars down the years.

Eight years after playing their first international match as an independent nation, Slovenia lined up at UEFA EURO 2000 with talent, excitement and flair.

Zlatko Zahovič was electric in a highly-charged opening game against Yugoslavia in which, somehow, Slovenia conspired to throw away a 3-0 lead against ten men in the dying stages.

Slovenia didn’t make it out of the group stage but would appear at two FIFA World Cups over the decade that followed, even winning a game at the 2010 Finals as they overcame Algeria.

Celje’s Stadion Z’dežele even had a big slice of the action, hosting Slovenia national team matches a dozen times in the middle of the ‘noughties’ including the famous night when Italy were toppled in qualifying for the 2006 tournament that they would go on to win in Germany, courtesy of a late goal from defender Boštjan Cesar, who is something of a national idol with over a century of international caps.

These days, national team 36

matches are back in the capital at the rather anodyne Stožice Stadium and that is one of the reasons why Celje’s league success means so much more to the city than it might have done even ten years ago. There is also a startling disconnect between the PrvaLiga and the national side, with so few internationals called up from the domestic championship.

Testing their pedigree on the European stage will be a big ask for Celje, with “The Counts” having to go back 17 years for the last tie they survived a continental contest over two legs. In the meantime, they have tumbled out of the Europa League three times at the first qualifying round, accounted for

by Dacia Chisinau of Moldova as well as the Norwegians of Tromsø and Polish outfit Śląsk Wrocław.

Now, NK Celje are in the competition on merit but theirs is a story that is only laying its foundations, not only for the club and its fans but for the history of football in modern Slovenia.

SLOVENIAN CLUBS IN THE

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Martyn Hindley gives us a history of Slovenian representation in the UEFA Champions League.

When NK Celje walk out to face Dundalk, they will be the sixth Slovenian entrants to the UEFA Champions League.

If you are ever unfortunate enough to get the question in the pub quiz, FC Koper is the one that no sane human outside of the Italian border city would ever get; NK Maribor, NK Domzale, Olimpija Ljubljana and ND Gorica being the others.

Maribor has, for a long time, been the standard-bearer for football in the country when it comes to the European stage.

On no fewer than 15 occasions, they have been national champions since independence and created a stir when they first emerged from the qualifying rounds to play in the UEFA Champions League group stage in autumn 1999. Back then, they were able to see off Racing Genk and Olympique Lyonnais before claiming Dynamo Kyiv

Maribor knocked Celtic out of the Champions League in 2014

as their solitary scalp in six group matches. That might not seem so grandiose right now, but it came the season after Valery Lobanovskiy’s team including Andriy Shevchenko and Serhiy Rebrov had reached the semi-finals, where

Andriy Shevchenko

37

at one stage, they had led Bayern Munich 3-1.

Rather than herald the dawn of a new era for Maribor, it would be 15 years before they would grace the Group Stage again and, amazingly, they haven’t won a match at that level since.

The likes of Schalke, Sporting Lisbon, Chelsea and Liverpool have all headed to one of Slovenia’s most hostile stadiums in the Ljudksi vrt and managed to tame it.

Perhaps that’s a good omen for Dundalk as Maribor started their Champions League story with a two-legged qualifier against Irish opposition in the form of Derry City, just as Celje will do this season.

Maribor have a short wait to discover their second qualifying round opponents in this season’s UEFA Europa League, but they will be preparing themselves to meet Coleraine assuming that they overcome La Fiorita of San Marino. Olimpija, meanwhile, will meet Vikingur Reykjavik.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

NK CELJE

Stadion Z’dežele

‘INSANELY COMPETITIVE’ As Dundalk know well, the challenge for successful clubs can often be building on trophies and creating a dynamic and sustainable dynasty.

NK Celje’s Sporting Director Branko Veršič has recently pointed out that conundrum to the club’s website as he sought to manage expectations for the 2020-21 season.

“We are insanely competitive and the fact that we are winners by our nature has brought us to this place where we are today [champions and managing expectations].

“Karlo Plantak and club legend Jure Travner have left the club and that meant that we had to roll up our sleeves straight away, so in came Matic Verbanec, Mico Kuzmanovic and Filip Dangubic.

“When we fought for the title, it was new and it’s the same now. We don’t have the experience of what awaits us this season. Let’s see how the boys react to Europe; they did their job well in the championship and I believe that we can also be

38

competitive in European competition.

“It’s important to maintain a competitive squad and the price of players has risen slightly, of course. I’m only interested in official offers [either making or receiving] and we aim that both the club and the player is mutually benefitting from any deals that are made.

“About Lotric and Vizinger, it will be very difficult to keep them after the season that they have had but we will keep the public informed.”

Lotric is expected to captain Celje against Dundalk next week and he said he was confident of securing a second qualifying round showdown with Norwegians Molde or Finnish champions KuPS. “I have repeatedly emphasised that we should beat every opponent if we want to go to the next round. It will be the same now. I believe we are capable of winning.”

4

22

MATJAZ ROZMAN

Joined the club at the start of his 30s after spells outside of Slovenia with Greuther Furth reserves in Germany and Slaven Koprivnica. Rozman has four Europa League appearances to his name from his time at Slovenian clubs NK Rudar and Interblock.

JOSIP CALUSIC

Man-mountain of a central defender hailing from Croatia, whom he represented from Under-16 to Under-21 level. Came through the advanced youth ranks of Dinamo Zagreb despite coming from Split.

In his second season with Celje after joining from Dinamo’s reserves..

6

NINO PUNGARSEK

Unassuming defensive midfielder who has been with Celje since 2014, notwithstanding two loan spells with Smartno 1928 and Bravo. Former Slovenia youth international spent some time out last season with a knee injury.

10

JAKOB NOVAK

Slovenian holding midfielder who came through the youth ranks at Olimpija Ljubljana whilst playing international matches for a range of age-group youth teams. Earned experience on loan at Rudar Velenje before settling into the Celje squad as a regular feature of their title-winning side.

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11

LUKA KERIN

The 21-year-old chipped in with nine goals and eight assists in Celje’s title-winning campaign and was described by coach Dusan Kosic as one of his ’machines’. Brought through the ranks at NK Krso, he moved to Inter Milan as a 16-year-old in 2015.

He returned home to Krso on a loan deal two years later before moving to Celje on a free transfer at the beginning of the 2018 campaign.

DARIO VIZINGER

Twenty-two year old Vizinger is the shining star of Celje’s forward line. He started his professional career with NK Varazdin (remember them?) and moved to Celje in January 2018. After scoring just 12 times in 44 appearances, he really found his feet last season, plundering 23 goals in 35 league games. Capped for Croatia at underage level, he has been linked with a move to Galatasaray.

9

23

MITJA LOTRIC

Slovenian born, Lotric made his top-flight debut as a 17-year-old back in 2012. He won the Slovenian Cup with Koper three years later and after a spell in Cyprus, he returned to his native country in January 2018, signing for Celje. He scored eight goals during the 2018/2019 campaign as the ‘The Counts’ finished fifth but he exploded into life last season, hitting 18 goals and contributing 11 assists to captain Celje to the title and earn himself the PrvaLiga Player of the Year gong.

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ZAN BENEDICIC

Leeds United fans might recognise the 24-year-old midfielder from a brief loan spell at Elland Road back in 2014/15. Unfortunately for Benedicic, injury meant he played just one league game. Prior to that, he came through the youth ranks at AC Milan.

He also had spells with Como and Ascoli before joining Leyton Orient on a free transfer. He lasted just four months there before joining Italian Serie C outfit Olbia. He signed for Celje in February 2018 and was a key member of their title-winning team.

COACH | DUŠAN KOSIČ

Dusan Kosic made over 420 appearances in the PrvaLiga as a player, the second-highest ever. Two hundred and thirty-four of those came with Olimpija Ljubljana - a club record - where he won three Slovenian Cups and one Slovenian Supercup. He also won the cup with Rudar Velenje in 1998.

After finishing his playing career in 2006, he went on to coach ATUS Ferlach, Olimpija Ljubljana and Triglav Kranj. He moved to international football in 2013 and spent four years with the Slovenia U17 national team before taking the reins at the Stadion Z’dežele in August 2017. After a fifth-place finish in his first full season, he guided Celje to a historic title win.

“Since we are newcomers to this competition, we want to respect every opponent, but on the other hand, we want to qualify for the next round so there is no doubt that we will prepare properly,” he said after the draw qas made.

“At this level, everyone is beatable, but you can also lose to everyone. Given that we are newcomers, we still have something to learn. The public’s reactions after the draw are such that we can do some easy work but it definitely will not be easy. We want to go to the next round, but we will have to be perfect.”

14

MICO KUZMANOVIC

The 24 year-old Bosnian winger has yet to enjoy professional stability after first signing papers with Modrica in his homeland at the age of 16.

Put pen to paper on a deal to join Celje from Rudar Velenje at the end of last season where he had scored 5 times in 27 appearances before his contract expired. Has featured in European qualification matches for Sarajevo and has also spent time in Belgium with Mouscron.

55

FILIP DANGUBIC

Croatian playmaker returns to Celje looking for a permanent home after a hefty batch of loan deals from Rijeka and Spartak Trnava. Largely hyped as a teenager, he gathered youth caps for his country but struggled for club form and after 8 goals in 20 appearances for Celje in the first half of the 2017/18 season, was brought back by coach Kosic on a permanent deal after failing to impress in Romania with Chindia Targoviste.

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW

SEAN HOARE

Sean Hoare

With two quickfire domestic games against Waterford this week, Sean Hoare hasn’t had too much time to digest the Champions League draw which will see the Lilywhites take on Slovenian side NK Celje in the first qualifying round next Wednesday.

Hoare, who was the hero of Dundalk’s penalty shootout win over Riga in the first round last year, has been briefed about Celje by Nathan Oduwa.

The Lilywhites winger spent 18 months in Slovenia with NK Olimpija Ljubljana between 2017 and 2018 and has told his teammates to expect a stiff assignment.

“We only found out about the draw on Sunday so we haven’t done too much on them yet. By all accounts, they are a good side. Nathan has played against them before and said they’re a possession-based team but we’d fancy our chances against anyone. We’ll do our homework and we’ll be ready.”

This will be Celje’s ninth season competing in European

competition. Their last outing came in the Europa League in 2015/16 when they were beaten in both legs of the first qualifying round by Polish side Slask Wroclaw.

It will also be their first time playing in Europe’s premier competition. The club marked their centenary season in style by winning their first Slovenian PrvaLiga title on the final day of the 2019/2020 campaign, finishing two points ahead of Slovenian giants Maribor and Olimpija Ljubljana.

“The Slovenia League is a very good league and they obviously did very well to win it but we are the champions of Ireland and we have done well in Europe in the past and we’ll do our homework and be as best prepared as we can,” said Hoare.

Celje normally play out of the 13,000 capacity Stadion Z’dežel but as Slovenia is not on the ‘green list’ of countries that Irish citizens can travel to, it means the game will take place at a neutral venue in Budapest.

“It’s going to be an away fixture for both teams now,” 42

said Hoare. “I know when a team comes to Oriel it can be very intimidating and very tough to play at in front of a packed house “Hopefully, it’s a nice stadium and a nice pitch in Hungary. It’s a fair venue for both of us and hopefully, we can use this to our advantage.

“The fact that it’s only over only one-leg is another change.

Usually, teams suss each other out in the first leg. That won’t happen this year so it’ll be all guns blazing.”

The winners of the first qualifying round tie have been drawn at home to Norwegian champions Molde or Finnish side KuPS in the second qualifying round. As it stands, both countries are on Ireland’s ‘green list’ meaning that the Lilywhites would have home advantage.

“It’d be brilliant to have home advantage, especially if it was at Oriel Park,” said Hoare. “Nobody really likes coming here at all.

We’ve seen teams come here and struggle so we’d fancy our chances against anyone if we can get through this round.”

Top: The Champions League first qualifying round draw. Bottom: The second qualifying round draw

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44 ANDY BOYLE Born: 7 Mar 91 Ex-clubs: Crumlin Utd, UCD, Shelbourne, Preston North End, Doncaster Rovers, Dundee, Ross County

Home Sponsor Highbury Concrete

Away Sponsor Brendan & Saoirse Kelly

Home Sponsor Nicky McCourt

Away Sponsor Zach Sexton

45

Born: 29 Aug 91 Ex-clubs: Rheindorf Altach, Molde, Minnesota United, Colorado Rapids, Detroit City FC

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Away Sponsor Available

Coes Road, Dundalk, Co Louth, A91 EF6 Newgrange Business Park, Donore Road, Drogheda, Co Louth, A92 VR9Y

T: 042-9351333 T: 041-9894482

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FIGURES...

THE NUMBERS GAME 2

- The number of former Dundalk FC players currently at Waterford who are strikers and previously played with Linfield.

Michael O Connor came up through the Academy ranks at Oriel Park before spending time on loan at Finn Harps, signing for Shamrock Rovers and then Linfield before joining Waterford FC earlier this summer on a permanent basis following a previous loan spell at the club. Kurtis Byrne joined Dundalk in 2013 following a spell at a number of Scottish clubs. He left the club to join Bohemians at the end of 2015 before spells at St Patrick’s Athletic, Linfield and Welsh side The New Saints. He signed for Waterford FC just before the restart of the league this summer.

3

- The number of assists provided by Stefan Colovic in his past three matches.

Having set up Patrick Hoban for the opener against St Patrick’s Athletic, his cross was headed to the net last Friday by Michael Duffy before Seán Hoare converted another right wing delivery in Tuesday’s victory over tonight’s visitors Waterford.

Incidentally, three is also the squad number of Brian Gartland who made

his first competitive start of the season in Tuesday’s FAI Cup tie- a game skippered by Dundalk’s number 5, Chris Shields.

5

- The number of players in the Waterford FC squad whose brothers are currently playing in either the League of Ireland, England or the NIFL. Defender Tyreke Wilson’s sibling, John Ross, lines out in the Bray Wanderers defence, striker John Martin- who scored against Dundalk last season- has brother Paul, a goalkeeper, in the Waterford squad with him. Ex Lilywhite Michael O Connor played alongside brother Ciarán at Oriel Park and he signed a new contract with Glentoran this week, shortly after winning the Irish Cup while defender Tunmise Sobowale is the brother of Manchester City Academy player and ROI

Underage international Timi Sobowale. On the Dundalk side, both Patrick McEleney (Shane) and David McMillan (Evan) have brothers who played in the centre of the St Patrick’s Athletic defencethe club at which former Dundalk FC number 45 is now on loan.

45

- In the 2018 FAI Cup Final, Georgie Kelly wore the number 45 jersey on the bench and watched Seán Hoare score a header as Dundalk won an FAI Cup tie against Munster opposition (Cork City) for whom Tadhg Ryan signed a month later. On Tuesday we saw the number 45 in a competitive Dundalk squad for the first time since, courtesy of Joshua Gatt, and Seán Hoare netted a header against another side from Munster with Ryan in the starting lineup.

Stefan Colovic

47

15 Darragh LEAHY

14 Dane MASSEY

14 Dane MASSEY

15 Darragh LEAHY

Brian GARTLAND Gary ROGERS Seán HOARE Seán GANNON Chris SHIELDS Brian GARTLAND Jordan FLORES Seán HOARE Michael DUFFY Chris SHIELDS John MOUNTNEY Jordan FLORES Patrick HOBAN Michael DUFFY Greg SLOGGETT John MOUNTNEY Patrick McELENEY Patrick HOBAN Dane MASSEY Greg SLOGGETT Darragh LEAHY Patrick McELENEY

11 Patrick McELENEY

Seán GANNON

3 1 4 2 5 3 6 4 7 5 8 6 9 7 10 8 11 9 14 10 15 11

10 Greg SLOGGETT 2

2020 SEASON 2020 SEASON MATCHMATCH DATA DATA

Gary ROGERS

9 Patrick HOBAN

8 John MOUNTNEY

7 Michael DUFFY

6 Jordan FLORES

TEAMSTATISTICS TEAMSTATISTICS

1

_04StPatricksAthletic60_56_57.qxp_DFC: ge 2020_05Waterford60_56_57.qxp_DFC: 1 Matchday MatchdayMagazine Magazine28/07/2020 11/08/202017:50 22:43Page Page1 1

Comp. Opponents Date Date H/A Comp. H/A Opponents K-O Res. K-O Res. u 7-1 tW t u u tu1 u t u u t2 u u u t1 u u u Frieu UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN COLLEGE t1 7:45 DUBLIN 7-1 W 7:45t Frit2 17HJan Frie HUNIVERSITY t2 t u u1 t1 u t t1 t1 u1 t1 Fri 17 Jan u 1-2 uL t u t u u t t t u u t t ut t u u u n t u t n u ut u CFR Cluj Friet CFR Cluj 5:00 1-2 L 5:00n Wed 22 Jan Wed N*22 JanFrie N* n 0-2uL u© n n u u u t t u u t n t u n u u t Fri 24 Jan N*t CSKA Frie Moskva CSKA Moskva 4:00 0-2 L 4:00t u© u n t u u u tn Fri 24 Jan Frie N* u u n u n©t1 u u u u u n u u un u Frie UNITED DROGHEDA UNITED 7:45 2-0 W 7:45u Thu 30 Jan Thu H 30 Jan Frie HDROGHEDA 2-0nW n© t1 un t1 n n n2 n n Mon 03 Feb MonA03 FebFrie ACrusaders Frie Crusaders 7:30 2-1 W 7:30 2-1 W n© n n© n n n2 n n2 t u 0-1 nL u n u n t n t n u n uu u u Tue 04 Feb Tue H 04 Feb Frie HLONGFORD Frie TOWN LONGFORD TOWN 7:45 0-1 L 7:45n Sun 09 Feb Sun H PRC ROVERS SHAMROCK ROVERS PP PP 09 FebPRC HSHAMROCK n 1-0 nW l n t n n© l t t n n© t n1 n n1 u l ln1 n n n u l t LGE CITY DERRY CITY 7:45 1-0 W 7:45u Fri 14 Feb Fri 14Hn Feb LGE HDERRY n 2-1 nW t n n n n© t u n u n© u n1n u u n t Fri 21 Feb LGE Shelbourne 7:45 2-1 W 7:45n Fri 21Au Feb LGE AShelbourne n1 n1 n n t tn n 3-0nW l n n n n© l t1 n u1n© t1 n1l n Mon 24 Feb Monu1 H24 FebLGE HCORKLGE CITY CORK CITY 7:45 3-0 W 7:45t t1 n1 u1 t n1 l t n nl n 2-3nL l n n n n© l t1 n n n© t1 n1n n u n Fri 28 Feb Fri 28 An Feb LGE AShamrock LGE Rovers Shamrock [RTÉ]Rovers [RTÉ] 8:00 2-3 L 8:00u n1 n u t1 n1 n 4-0nW l n n n n© l t l l n n1n© l u2 n t u2 n n1 t n Fri 06 Mar Fri 06 n1 A Mar LGE AFinn Harps LGE Finn Harps u2 8:00 4-0 W8:00 n1 n1 n1 n 1-1 uD t u n u u© u1 u u© t u1 ut u t t u t t u ut u Frie CITY DERRY CITY 7:45 1-1 D 7:45t u1 Fri 10 Jul Fri 10 Hu Jul Frie HDERRY l 4-1u1 l t Tue 14 Jul Friet BOHEMIANS t1 7:45 4-1 W 7:45u W u1u© uP u u© t uPn1 t1 n1 u t tn1 uP Tue H 14u Jul Frie HBOHEMIANS t1 u u t n t u© ut u u t n nt n u Fri 17 Jul Frieu UNITED DROGHEDA UNITED 7:30 1-0 W 7:30 n 1-0 tW Fri 17HJul Frie HDROGHEDA u© u Frie TOWN ATHLONE TOWN 7:30 4-2 W 7:30 4-2 W Mon 20 Jul MonH20 Jul Frie HATHLONE u1© u1© u1© n 2-1 nW u u u u n n n© t t n1 u n t t t t LONGFORD TOWN Tue n1 21 Jul Frie HLONGFORD Frie TOWN 7:45 2-1 W 7:45n n1n© u n1 n1 n n1 Tue 21 Jul H l u t n tu n u t u tu n Fri 31 Jul Fri 31Hu Jul LGE HSAINTLGE PATRICK’S SAINT ATHLETIC PATRICK’S [RTÉ] ATHLETIC 7:45 [RTÉ] 7:45u 1-1 D n© u n n1 n1 n n l t n l u u t n l u u Fri 07 Aug Fri 07 n1 A Aug LGE ABohemians LGE [WATCHLOI] Bohemians [WATCHLOI] 5:45 5:45 1-2 L n1 n© t n t t t u u n t n n n -n FAIC WATERFORD [UEFA.com] [R1]u [WATCHLOI] tbd 7:45u 1-0 W n© n1 Sun 09 Aug Tue 11 Aug UCL H[QR1 DRAW] LGE WATERFORD [UEFA.com] [WATCHLOI] tbd 5:45 Mon 10 Aug Fri 14- Aug UCL H[QR2 DRAW] WATERFORD UCL NK [R1]Celje [QR1] 7:45 6:00 Tue 11 Aug Thu H 20 AugFAIC A** Rovers [WATCHLOI] 5:00 Fri 14 Aug Sat 22 H Aug LGE AWATERFORD LGE Sligo [WATCHLOI] 5:45 Tue 18 Aug Tue 25 - AugUCL Htbd [QR1] UCL MOLDE or KUPS KUOPIO tbd[QR2] tbd Sat 22 Aug MonA31 AugLGE -Sligo Rovers UCL [QR3 DRAW] [UEFA.com] tbd [WATCHLOI] 5:00 - Sep UCL Atbd [QR2] LGE Derry City [RTÉ] tbd 7:45 Tue 25 Aug Fri 04 Mon 31 Aug Fri 11-Sep UCL H[QR3 DRAW] LGE SHELBOURNE 8:00 [UEFA.com] [RTÉ] tbd City [RTÉ] tbd [QR3] 7:45 tbd Fri 04 Sep Tue A 15 Sep LGE -Derry UCL LGE Cork [RTÉ] City [WATCHLOI]8:00 7:45 Fri 11 Sep Fri 18 H Sep LGE ASHELBOURNE Tue 15 Sep tbd UCL -tbd [QR3] FAIC tbd [R2] tbd tbd 7:45 Fri 18 Sep Fri 25 A Sep LGE HCork City LGE[WATCHLOI] SHAMROCK ROVERS [WATCHLOI] 7:45 LGE FINN HARPS [WATCHLOI] 7:45 tbd Fri 02 - Oct FAIC Htbd [R2] tbd Fri 25 Sep Fri 09 H Oct LGE ASHAMROCK LGE ROVERS Saint Patrick’s [WATCHLOI] Athletic [WATCHLOI] 7:45 7:45 LGE BOHEMIANS [WATCHLOI] [WATCHLOI] 7:45 7:45 Fri 02 Oct Fri 16 H Oct LGE HFINN HARPS A Oct LGE A Saint Patrick’s LGE Waterford Athletic [WATCHLOI] [WATCHLOI] 7:45 7:45 Fri 09 Oct Fri 23 LGE SLIGO ROVERS [WATCHLOI] Fri 16 Oct Fri 30 H Oct LGE HBOHEMIANS [WATCHLOI] 7:45 7:45 tbd Fri 23 Oct Sun A 15 Nov LGE -Waterford FAIC [WATCHLOI] tbd [QF] 7:45 Fri 30 Oct Sun H 22 NovLGE -SLIGOFAIC ROVERS tbd[WATCHLOI] [SF] 7:45 tbd Sun 15 Nov FAIC tbd [F] tbd tbd Sun -29 NovFAIC Ntbd [QF] xLGE: SSE Airtricity x x x 7/0 2/0 FAIC Htbd [SF] tbd Sun 22 Nov xApps/Goals - /3 League 6/2 7 2/0 7 /6 6/1 7/0 1/0 5/0 7/0 6/2 6/1 7/3 2/0 7/6 6/1 2/0 6/1 2/0 2/0 FAIC tbd [F]1/0 Sun 29 Nov N 1/0 FAIC: Extra.ie FAI1/0 Cup tbd 1/0 1/0 1/0 1/0 1/0 1/1 1/0 0/0 0/0 1/0 1/0 1/0 1/01/0 1/0 0/0 1/0 0/0 x xApps/Goals H xLGE: SSE Airtricity UCL:League UEFA Champions League x x 0/0 5/0 5/0 1/00/05/0 0/0 0/05/00/04/20/05/20/0 0/00/0 0/0 5/50/05/10/01/00/04/10/0 2/00/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 PRC: President’s Cup 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 FAIC: 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 Extra.ie FAI Cup 0/0 0/0 0/00/0 0/0 0/00/0 0/00/0 0/00/00/00/0 0/00/00/00/00/00/00/00/0 0/00/0 0/0 0/0 UUCC: Unite the Union Champions Cup0/0 0/00/00/00/00/00/00/00/00/0 0/0 0/0 UCL: UEFA 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 Champions League 0/0 0/0 0/00/00/0 0/00/00/00/00/00/00/00/0 0/00/0 0/0 0/0 TOTAL 8/6 (excl. friendlies) 6/1 6/2 8/3 PRC: President’s 3/0 7 /1 8/00/02/00/06/10/08/00/06/2 3/0 CupAPPS/GOALS 0/0 0/0 0/08/00/03/0 0/08/30/03/00/08/60/07/1 0/03/0 6/1 3/0 UUCC: Unite the Union Champions Cup 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 TOTAL APPS/GOALS (excl. friendlies) 5/0 5/0 1/0 5/0 5/0 4/2 5/2 0/0 5/5 5/1 1/0 4/1 2/0 �

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URANT ROMA ROMA RESTAURANT RESTAURANT

UNDALK 7 PARK 7 PARK STREET, STREET, DUNDALK DUNDALK

4928 TEL TEL 042 042 9334928 9334928 48

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Standings Team Shamrock Rovers

Pld W 7 7

D 0

L 0

F 20

A 6

+/- Pts +14 21

Bohemians DUNDALK

7 7

5 4

0 1

2 2

9 14

4 7

+5 +7

15 13

St Patrick’s Athletic Waterford Shelbourne Derry City Sligo Rovers

7 6 7 7 6

3 3 3 2 2

1 1 0 1 0

3 2 4 4 4

6 4 5 7 6

5 5 7 8 9

+1 -1 -2 -1 -3

10 10 9 7 6

Finn Harps

7

1

1

5

3

12

-9

4

Cork City

7

1

1

5

1

12

-11

4

Note: Data correct until Tuesday 11 August 2020 (11:30pm)

Fixtures Date Fri 14 Aug Sat 15 Aug Sun 16 Aug

Match Dundalk v Waterford (5:45) Cork City v Sligo Rovers Finn Harps v Bohemians (2:00) Shelbourne v Derry City (5:00) St Patrick’s Ath. v Shamrock Rovers (5:00)

Note: Kick-offs are 7:45 unless otherwise stated l t t n1 l

n n n

t

28 Lido LOTEFA

25 Taner DOGAN

23 Cameron SMITH

12 George KELLY

45 Joshua GATT

44 Andy BOYLE

29 David McMILLAN

27 Daniel KELLY

26

24

23 Cameron DUMMIGAN

21 Daniel CLEARY

u n

u u u u u

u1 tu

22 Stefan ČOLOVIĆ

20 Aaron McCAREY

19

17 Nathan ODUWA

t

18 Will PATCHING

16 Seán MURRAY

2020_05Waterford60_56_57.qxp_DFC: Matchday Magazine 11/08/2020 22:44 Page 2

t

Statistics Goals scored Total goals 75 (average: 2.21) Home goals 40 (average: 1.18) Away goals 35 (average: 1.03) Results Home wins 16 (47.1%) Draws 3 (8.8%) Away wins 15 (44.1%) Over/Under 2.5 goals Over 11 (32.4%) Under 23 (67.6%) Note: Players: Squad numbers not used in pre-season matches Starting: n / Not used: l / Player in: t / Player out: u / Captain: © Order of substitutions: 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5 and subsequent Goals: Listed by quantity (1, 2, 3, etc) Venue (H/A): N: Aviva Stadium, Dublin H*: Tallaght Stadium, Dublin

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2/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 2/0

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4/0 1/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 5/0

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0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0

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0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0

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5/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 5/0

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3/0 1/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 4/0

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0/0 1/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 1/0

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0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0

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0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0

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7/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 7/0

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1/0 1/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 2/0

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5/1 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 5/1

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2/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 2/0

5/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 5/0

0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/0

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Other player/venue data Fri 17 Jan: Dundalk 7-1 University College Dublin t Gabriel Sava Wed 22 Jan: Dundalk 1-2 CFR Cluj N*: Played at Oliva Nova, Spain t Gabriel Sava Fri 24 Jan: Dundalk 0-2 CSKA Moskva N*: Played at Hotel Campoamor, Spain Thu 30 Jan: Dundalk 2-0 Drogheda United t Gabriel Sava / t Mark Hanratty / t Andrew Quinn Mon 03 Feb: Crusaders 1-2 Dundalk t Mark Hanratty / t Ronan Kilkenny / t Jamie Wynne l Jamie Barry Tue 04 Feb: Dundalk 0-1 Longford Town t Mark Hanratty / t Jamie Wynne / t Val Adedokun t Gabriel Sava / t Andrew Quinn / t Ronan Kilkenny l Jamie Barry Fri 10 Jul: Dundalk 1-1 Derry City l Andrew Quinn / l Jimmy Corcoran Tue 14 Jul: Dundalk 4-1 Bohemians l Andrew Quinn / l Jimmy Corcoran Fri 17 Jul: Dundalk 1-0 Drogheda United t Andrew Quinn / l Jimmy Corcoran Mon 20 Jul: Dundalk 4-2 Athlone Town n Christian Jones (4) / n Andrew Quinn (5) / n Jarlath Jones (21) t Ronan Kilkenny (22) / t Thomas Daly (16) / t Jeff Nwodo (15) t Luke Hennessy (7) Tue 21 Jul: Dundalk 2-1 Longford Town l Jimmy Corcoran / l Andrew Quinn / l Ronan Kilkenny Thu 20 Aug: NK Celje v Dundalk N**: Played at Ferenc Szusza stadium, Budapest

EXTRA TIME

THE SPECTATOR

Bruno Fernandes wins another penalty for Manchester United

T

he Spectator has a theory that we’re in the middle of an elaborate hoax. The Spectator is not suggesting the whole coronavirus brouhaha is a hoax, far from it, merely that this year’s League of Ireland season and football, in general, is in the midst of some sort of elaborate prank.

From Stephen Kenny inheriting Ireland before the Euro 2020-2021 playoffs, to the bizarre Champions League mini-tournament in Germany, Manchester United’s quartercentury of penalties, artificial crowd noise, the relegation

of the League of Ireland to (shudder) a TV show, socially distanced trophy presentations in empty grounds, and random seemingly arbitrary lockdowns and national green lists becoming key components of European competition... it’s all just a bit.... surreal.

Some sort of elaborate prank is the only plausible explanation for Dundalk’s, erm, underwhelming return to action.

Five points were dropped at home to Pats and away to Bohs in performances that were the damp squib side of tepid.

Unfortunately, it has had the effect of tipping the balance towards South Dublin County Council’s favourite tenants, the 50

hooped Minions of Beelzebub - something that the good folks at St Pat’s and Bohemians surely didn’t really intend.

Perhaps it’s all part of a ploy to disconcert our European opponents. NK Celje must be confused by Ireland’s finest offering up sub-par fare in preparation for continental conflict.

Heck, we even arranged to play the same team twice, at home, in four days, with (one might speculate) significantly different starting XIs to maximise confusion. Thankfully, Tuesday’s solid FAI Cup win over Waterford was Dundalk’s finest performance in a good five months.

“

FROM STEPHEN KENNY INHERITING IRELAND BEFORE THE EURO 2020-2021 PLAYOFFS, TO THE BIZARRE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MINI-TOURNAMENT IN GERMANY, MANCHESTER UNITED’S QUARTER-CENTURY OF PENALTIES, ARTIFICIAL CROWD NOISE, THE RELEGATION OF THE LEAGUE OF IRELAND TO (SHUDDER) A TV SHOW, SOCIALLY DISTANCED TROPHY PRESENTATIONS IN EMPTY GROUNDS, AND RANDOM SEEMINGLY ARBITRARY LOCKDOWNS AND NATIONAL GREEN LISTS BECOMING KEY COMPONENTS OF EUROPEAN COMPETITION... IT’S ALL JUST A BIT.... SURREAL.

Champions League football, the 2020 version!

Meanwhile, COVID-19 continues to play havoc with what remains of the bastardised fixture list. Tonight’s match with Waterford was under threat at one stage when a couple of Blues players showed flu-like symptoms, but thankfully both tested negative.

The potential for upheaval remains enormous and everpresent though. Linfield enjoyed - if that’s not too strong a word - the benefit of Kosovar opponents Drita having to withdraw from their Champions League preliminary round tie when two of their players tested positive. That piece of luck was worth over a quarter of a million euro to Linfield, plus half

a coefficient ranking point and a shot at Legia Warsaw (which might not be considered a slice of luck, I guess).

And while not wishing misfortune on anyone, Dundalk may take some comfort in the fact that Celje have not been able to restart their league games just yet due to fresh coronavirus concerns in Slovenia. Celje’s first competitive match of the season will be next Wednesday against Dundalk. In Budapest, naturally.

With everything that’s going on in the world the ‘luck of the draw’ became more significant than ever before so naturally Dundalk plucked the mankiest 51

possible draw out of the first round of the Champions League pot.... the somehow unseeded Slovenian champions, away leg only.

There was some consolation in the second round draw which paired the winners with the relatively modest Norwegian champions Molde or Finland’s rather wonderfully named KuPS. We showed recently that we could compete with the best of the Norwegian league, going toe-to-toe with Rosenborg, perhaps with a bit of luck we could up our game for Celje... then Molde.

In this crazy season, we could use every scrap of luck we can get.

HALF-TIME CHALLENGE

THE QUIZ

Dundalk 1. From which club did Dundalk sign Aaron McCarey?

2. Who was the last Dundalk player to score in the RSC? 3. In what year did John Gill first manage Dundalk?

1

4. What number did Kurtis Byrne wear when he won the 2014 Premier Division with Dundalk?

5. Against which club did Dundalk open the 2012 league season?

Waterford 6. Which EFL club did Waterford’s Tadhg Ryan previously play with?

7. John Sheridan won a league title with Leeds United. True or false?

8. Sam Bone was born in which country?

4

9. Waterford FC owner Lee Power has also been involved with which EFL club?

10.Who scored twice for Waterford the last time they beat Dundalk?

Mixed Bag 11. Jaden Sancho left Manchester City to join which German club?

12. Where is the Mestalla football stadium?

7

13. Who is the Wolverhampton Wanderers manager?

14. In what year did Juventus last win the Champions League?

15. What colour are Dundee Utd’s home jerseys?

1. Warrenpoint Town 2. Dan Kelly 3. 2007 4. 11 5. Monaghan United 6. Huddersfield Town 7. False 8. Malaysia 9. Swindon Town 10. Ismahil Akinade 11. Borussia Dortmund 12. Valencia 13. Nuno Espirito Santo 14. 1996 15. Tangerine

11

ANSWERS 52

DUNDALK

WATERFORD FC

1 GARY ROGERS

1

TADHG RYAN

2 SEAN GANNON

2

JAKE DAVIDSON

3 BRIAN GARTLAND

3

TYREKE WILSON

4 SEAN HOARE

4

SAM BONE

5 CHRIS SHIELDS

5

6 JORDAN FLORES

6

7 MICHAEL DUFFY

7

8 JOHN MOUNTNEY

8

ALLISTAR COOTE

9 PATRICK HOBAN

9

MICHAEL O’CONNOR

10 GREGORY SLOGGETT

10 WILL LONGBOTTOM

11 PATRICK McELENEY

11 MATTHEW SMITH

12

12 JOHN MARTIN

13

13

14 DANE MASSEY

14

15 DARRAGH LEAHY

15 DEAN WALSH

16 SEAN MURRAY

16 DARRAGH POWER

17 NATHAN ODUWA

17

18 WILL PATCHING

18 ROBERT McCOURT

19

19 WILL FITZGERALD

20 AARON McCAREY

20 KURTIS BYRNE

21 DANIEL CLEARY

21

22 STEFAN COLOVIC

22 JACK LARKIN

23 CAMERON DUMMIGAN

23 SHANE GRIFFIN

24

24

25

25 BRIAN MURPHY

26

26 JACK LARKIN

27 DANIEL KELLY

30 PAUL MARTIN

28

31 CAMERON POWER

29 DAVID MCMILLAN

32 REECE MURPHY

30

33 TUNMISE SOBAWALE

44 ANDY BOYLE

34 MIKE NZONGONG

45 JOSHUA GATT

35 NIALL O’KEEFFE

MANAGER VINNY PERTH

MANAGER JOHN SHERIDAN

ROBERT WEIR

HONOURS League of Ireland Champions (14): 1932/33, ‘62/63, ‘66/67, ‘75/76, ‘78/79, ‘81/82, ‘87/88, ‘90/91, ‘94/95, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 First Division Champions (2): 2000/01, 2008 FAI Cup Winners (11): 1942, 1949, 1952, 1958, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1988, 2002, 2015, 2018 Top Four Cup Winners (2): 1963/64, ‘66/67 League of Ireland Shield Winners (2): 1966/67, ‘71/72 League Cup Winners (7): 1977/78, ‘80/81, ‘86/87, ‘89/90, 2014, 2017, 2019 FAI President’s Cup Winners (2): 2015, 2019 Leinster Senior Cup Winners (7): 1951/52, ‘60/61, ‘70/71, ‘73/74, ‘76/77, ‘77/78, 2015 Leinster FA President’s Cup Winners (9): 1930/31, ‘51/52, ‘63/64, ‘64/65, ‘79/80, ‘80/81, ‘81/82, ‘88/89, ‘89/90 Dublin City Cup Winners (5): 1937/38, ‘42/43, ‘48/49, ‘67/68, ‘68/69 Women’s FAI Cup Winners (1): 2005

MATCH OFFICIALS REFEREE: RAY MATTHEWS ASSISTANT REFEREE: MARK GAVIN & DARRAGH KEEGAN FOURTH OFFICIAL: ADRIANO REALE

www.dundalkfc.com