Dundalk FC Magazine 2020 | Issue 8 | Finn Harps

OFFICIAL DUNDALK FC MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8 - €3

DUNDALK v FINN HARPS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4TH 2020

KICK-OFF 5PM

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, David Samhat & Fred Spencer Chief Operating Officer Martin Connolly 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 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 First Team Coach Filippo Giovagnoli Assistant Coach Giuseppe Rossi Opposition Analyst Shane Keegan Goalkeeping Coach Steve Williams Strength/Conditioning Graham Norton Kit Manager Noel Walsh Doctor Dr David Connolly Physiotherapists Danny Miller & David Murphy Sports Science Adam Fox Videographer 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, Martyn Hindley 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 FINN HARPS | 04.10.2020

IN THIS

ISSUE 4 Opening Shot

30 History Makers

6 Europa League Draw

38 Retro: Finn Harps 1969/70

13 Player Q&A

40 2020 Player Sponsors

16 FIFA 21 Launch

43 The Numbers Game

21 Welcome to Finn Harps

44 2020 Fixtures and Stats

24 Rovers Pen Pics

46 The Spectator

26 Dundalk FC Patreon

48 Injury Time: Quiz

27 Played For Both

50 Teams and Officials

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OPENING SHOT OCTOBER 1ST 2020 | AVIVA STADIUM | DUBLIN Daniel Kelly celebrates with team-mate Patrick McEleney after scoring Dundalk’s third goal during the UEFA Europa League Play-off match between Dundalk and Ki Klaksvik at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile 5

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

GROUP STAGE DRAW

Dundalk FC will face Arsenal, Rapid Vienna and Molde in Group B of this season’s UEFA Europa League.

The Lilywhites, who will play their home games at the Aviva Stadium, were in pot four for the draw which was made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon on Friday.

Filippo Giovagnoli’s side will play host to Molde on Matchday One which takes place on Thursday, October 22nd.

A mouth watering trip to the

Emirates follows a week later on Thursday, October 29th before the first block of fixtures ends with a trip to the Austrian capital to face Rapid Vienna on Thursday, November 5th.

Rapid will come to Dublin for Matchday Four on Thursday, November 26th before the return fixture with Molde in Norway on Thursday, December 3rd. The Aviva Stadium will stage the final group game on Thursday, December 10th.

Giovagnoli, who watched the draw with some of his players 6

and members of staff at Oriel Park, said he was looking forward to pitting his wits against Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.

“It’s super exciting,” he said.

“The way they play is amazing and Arteta is something special. It will be amazing to play against a coach like that who plays that style of football.

There is everything to learn. It will be a challenge, of course, but we must make sure we have fun and enjoy.”

Rapid Vienna and Molde are

the other two sides in the group and Giovagnoli acknowledged that the Lilywhites had a tough assignment in front of them.

“They are two strong clubs who are built to participate every year in the Europa League group stages so it won’t be easy for us but let’s see.”

Patrick McEleney was amongst the group of players who watched on as the balls were pulled and he described it as a “dream draw.”

“It’s amazing,” he smiled. “I think we’ve earned it and we’ll

really look forward to it. Getting drawn against Arsenal and the opportunity to play against players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is something else.”

The draw will be of particular interest to McEleney’s good friend Michael Duffy.

“Mickey is a big Arsenal fan so it’s going to be something really special for him,” explained McEleney.

“Myself and Chris Shields were going to play against Celtic or Rangers but we’ll happily settle for Arsenal.”

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GROUP B FIXTURES Thursday, October 22nd Molde (H) – 5.55pm Thursday, October 29th Arsenal (A) – 8pm Thursday, November 5th Rapid Vienna (A) – 5.55pm Thursday, November 26th Rapid Vienna (H) – 8pm Thursday, December 3rd Molde (A) – 8pm Thursday, December 10th Arsenal (H) – 8pm

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

GROUP STAGE DRAW Martyn Hindley gives an introduction to the UEFA Europa League group stage.

U

sually, the backdrop of the UEFA Europa League group stage draw is a little different. It’s lateAugust as the shirt clings to your back in searing heat on the shores of the Mediterranean. A short walk from the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, you can walk to the spot that Ayrton Senna plonked his McLaren into the armco to throw away the 1988 Formula One Grand Prix from an unloseable position. A few hundred metres further on and you can spot superstars and their aqua-toys in the bay.

COVID-19 changed all of that this season and UEFA’s lakeside headquarters on a rainy Friday in Nyon, Switzerland was the scene for Dundalk’s six forthcoming Europa League adventures to be mapped out and what an autumn it is now destined to be!

The former Napoli and Juventus defender Ciro Ferrara allocated Dundalk to Pool B and thus, gave them dates with opponents from Austria, Norway and a rather illustrious club from the eastern side of the water.

Here’s an introduction to Rapid Vienna, Molde and Arsenal, were any to be needed.

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Former Napoli and Juventus defender Ciro Ferrara

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UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

GROUP STAGE DRAW SK Rapid Wien

Aker Stadium.

Molde, Norway.

Molde FK In six years, spread over two spells as manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was at the wheel for Molde FK, sharpening the tools for what is undeniably a step up with Manchester United.

Over the last decade, the club has assumed what might be termed footballing royalty status in Norway and are here in Europe by dint of winning their fourth domestic title in 2019.

late penalty in the first leg took the Hungarians through on away goals.

Twice before, Molde have made this stage of the Europa League but now, their 2020 will be defined by Europe.

Domestically, Bodo/Glimt look set to sweep up the honours and with 19 points currently dividing the two clubs on the league ladder, Molde will see these six matches as something of a free play.

It could be said that meeting Dundalk was written in the Northern Lights for Molde this season. After all, had we got over the line against Celje, then Erling Moe’s side would have been next up in the Champions League a few months ago.

As it was, they dumped out the Slovenians with a comefrom-behind success and then overcame our old friends Qarabag on penalties on neutral ground in Cyprus. Heartbreak followed this week when they could only manage a 0-0 draw against Ferencvaros, meaning that Ihor Kharatin’s dramatic

Rewind to the first ever night of the UEFA Europa League and the green-and-white part of Vienna was rocking to welcome in the rebranded tournament. Rapid – 32-time champions of Austria – had scraped through to the Monaco draw by eliminating Aston Villa dramatically on away goals the night before courtesy of a strike at Villa Park from Nikica Jelavic, who would later have spells in the United Kingdom with Rangers, Everton, Hull City and West Ham. That set up the appealing prospect of an opening night home game against Hamburg at a packed Ernst Happel Stadion.

The visitors – as is custom for German clubs crossing the border to face their neighbours – faced a partisan and hostile crowd and left with Jerome Boateng needing some form of counselling for the routing

Allianz Stadion.

Vienna, Austria.

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he got in the first half before he was replaced at the interval with his side well on the way to a 3-0 mauling. The only shock was that Rapid managed only two points from their remaining five matches.

As their list of domestic honours trickles farther into the rear-view mirrors, so Rapid’s European pedigree is also one to check up on in the library reference books. Twice finalists of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup – in 1985 and 1996, losing to Everton and Paris SaintGermain respectively – the domestic dominance of Red Bull Salzburg has flattened the competitive edge of the Austrian Bundesliga and even though they sit second in the embryonic table at the time of writing, there’s definitely a feeling that Dundalk could have done much worse out of Pot 2.

Arsenal FC When the pots were finalised at the conclusion of Thursday’s play-off round, Arsenal sat proudly at the top of the tree in terms of club co-efficient

Emirates Stadium.

London, United Kingdom.

points. But for a club with such an illustrious history, their status has been that of European bridesmaids more often than not, with the exception of the Cup Winners’ Cup inched away from Parma in Copenhagen in 1994.

By that time, Arsenal had already lost a final in Europe’s forgotten club competition on penalties, to Valencia in 1980, and would suffer more despair in 1995 when Nayim – the exSpurs midfielder then dressed

in a Real Zaragoza outfit launched an agricultural thrash at the ball from halfway and embarrassed David Seaman to steal the cup in Paris.

Across the city from the Parc des Princes, Jens Lehmann saw red in 2006 and Arsene Wenger saw the Champions League taken away when Barcelona exploited ten men who had battled on gamely but ran out of puff in the final. And then, there was Baku in 2019 when Chelsea lifted the Europa League in front of their London rivals on the shores of the Caspian Sea. This is a contest that will unite all fans of League of Ireland football, no matter their persuasion, just as when Shamrock Rovers made the group stage at the start of the last decade and were paired with Tottenham Hotspur. Going toe-to-toe with Premier League giants is among the European dreams and we’ll get two stabs at it this autumn when we walk out to face Mikel Arteta’s side as equals on the Europa League stage.

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COMMUNITY PARTNER OF DUNDALK FC

Supporting You, Supporting Community DUNDALKCU.IE

PLAYER Q&A

CHRIS SHIELDS

24 September 2020; Gary Rogers and Chris Shields celebrate after the penalty shoot out during the UEFA Europa League Third Qualifying Round match between FC Sheriff Tiraspol and Dundalk at the Stadionul Sheriff in Tiraspol, Moldova

DFC Mag: What club have you supported since childhood?

Chris Shields: I was a Portsmouth fan when I was younger but you kinda lose interest when you have your own football to concentrate on.

DFCM: What’s your favourite dish?

CS: Favourite dish would be chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna and prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan and nine poppadoms.

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

CS: Daryl Horgan.

DFCM: Dirtiest player you have played against?

CS: Dirtiest player I’ve played against is Georgie Kelly in a training match. He manages to stand on you, elbow you and caught me in the eye with his Fitbit.

DFCM: Which teammate spends the longest in the shower?

CS: Ganno takes all year to get showered and ready.

DFCM: Do you have a best friend at the club?

CS: I have no best friend at the club. I hate them all equally!

DFCM: Your all-time sporting hero?

CS: Stone Cold Steve Austin.

DFCM: Your favourite holiday destination?

CS: New York is the best place I’ve ever been to.

DFCM: Your favourite sport outside of football?

CS: I’d be a big GAA man; myself and the Derry boys have great debates about it.

DFCM: What is the best ground you have ever 13

played in?

CS: I really liked Slovan Bratislava’s ground Tehelné Pole so I’ll say there. If they hadn’t installed that wind machine at half time last year I would have liked it even more!

DFCM: Who is the best dressed in the squad?

CS: Best dressed I’d say is Gary Rogers.

DFCM: Who is the worst dressed in the squad?

CS: Worst dressed is Dicky.

Can’t get a T-shirt to fit him and all his skinny bottoms still look like flares.

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

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

CS: The rest of the squad.

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CLUB NEWS

FIFA 21 LAUNCH

D

undalk attacker Patrick McEleney was at Oriel Park last week to mark the launch of FIFA 21 which, once again, features the popular SSE Airtricity League Club Packs.

The SSE Airtricity League Premier Division will once again feature in FIFA 21, the 13th season that the league has featured in the game while the individual club crest and exclusive sleeves are available to download free from the EA website.

Once fans have printed out their preferred sleeve, they simply replace the existing cover in their FIFA 21 box and start playing with their local heroes in the game, while representing their favourite SSE Airtricity League club on the pack! Matching wallpapers will also be available for iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone Pro Max, iPad Air, iPad Pro and PC desktop.

FIFA 21 introduces more ways to play with friends through new social elements, to having more control than ever to manage every career moment, players can experience The World’s Game like never before.

FIFA 21 also embraces a new generation of football with Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé, gracing the cover across all editions.

In FIFA 21, players can jump into a more social street football experience with VOLTA SQUADS, a new way for four players to join together or drop into the community

with other VOLTA FOOTBALL players and win as one in 5v5 online cooperative play. In FIFA Ultimate Team™, team up with friends online and compete for rewards with FUT Co-Op to enjoy new ways to play the most popular mode in the game.

Fans of Career Mode can take their team to the top by managing every moment, with new innovations that create additional depth in matches, transfers, and training. Career Mode also delivers a huge leap in gameplay interactivity to control the outcome of every game with the Interactive Match Sim, a revamped growth system to better manage Player Development, and more.

In FIFA Ultimate Team, players can make their FUT Club truly unique with a range of new and expanded ways to 16

customise the look of both the pitch and the stands. And for players upgrading to the next generation consoles using Dual Entitlement*, One FUT Club enables FUT Clubs to carry over from PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 or Xbox One to Xbox Series X and back again with cross-gen transfer markets and leaderboards.

Experience unrivalled authenticity with over 17,000 players and 700+ teams alongside more than 90 stadiums and 30+ leagues connecting players to The World’s Game. Additionally, celebrate football glory with exclusive access to global competitions including UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, CONMEBOL Libertadores, CONMEBOL Sudamerica, Premier League, Bundesliga, and LaLiga Santander.

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Light Up Your Nights

SSE Airtricity League

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

T: 042-9351333 T: 041-9894482

We’ve Got

Your Back!

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WELCOME TO

HARPS FC SHELBOURNE FINN

I

t has been a difficult time for Harps as the coronavirus pandemic has not only spread across Ireland but across the globe.

A win over Waterford a few weeks ago down at the RSC showed precisely how dangerous that they are and they can be. They have sprung plenty of results down the years within the league and are likely to do so again as the run in approaches. Harps are a team who always come alive towards the end of the campaign with matches coming quickly and have caused us our own problems including a 1-1 draw at the beginning of last season after going 1-0 up.

Currently they lie in the playoff position second from bottom in the table but the disrupted season means that the ten points they currently have after 13 matches do look better than it is and they are in good form to stay up for another season under Oliie Horgan.

Harps are a valuable addition to the top flight and the job that Horgan has done is arguably the best in the division managing to promote the side on two occasions from the first division and maintaining their status as a Premier League club. That is something which is hard to do in this country and over the coming weeks he will be looking to preserve that status.

Some shrewd additions in Ryan Connolly and Barry McNamee combined with the decision of Raff Cretaro to stay on which has allowed them to battle on all fronts in the league.

Three draws in a row has been something of a disappointment but shows the solidness that there is within the group and with Finn Park always a tough place to go, Harps have a fighting chance of remaining in the Premier Division.

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WELCOME TO

FINN HARPS MEET THE MANAGER

OLLIE HORGAN (DOB: 19/11/1984)

Ollie Horgan began his managerial career in the Ulster Senior League with Fanad United and spent six years at the club before making the move into League of Ireland with Finn Harps in 2013.

His first season was spent building a squad and in the second, 2015, a playoff appearance and a win over Limerick promoted them into the Premier Division for the 2016. After that, Horgan managed to keep the side up with some brilliant displays and also some heroic defending to allow them to play Premier Division football in 2017. Horgan couldn’t repeat the trick and they were relegated that season however bounced right back up in 2018 and were promoted to the Premier Division a second time under Ollie beating Drogheda United and Limerick to earn the spot.

The 2019 season was about consolidation once more for Horgan and another playoff victory saw them remain in the

league for the season which is a remarkable achievement for the manager considering the resources at his disposal and Harps’ geographical location as well. It has been a remarkable job that he has done and as one of the most colourful characters in the league, Horgan is a huge addition and an enjoyable personality.

The shortened season doesn’t help their cause or Ollie’s either but one thing is for certain over the past few years, the job he has done cannot be questioned.

Alongside his work for Harps he has also been active in the national schoolboy squads and has been known to attend both senior and junior matches to keep up to date on both his own first team job and the talent coming through.

His interviews are legendary with the negative outlook also a source of amusement but he is a serious operator and one that people will be wishing to stay in the Premier League.

27 September 2020; Players from both side’s observe a minutes silence for the late Cork City volunteers John Kennedy ahead of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Finn Harps and Cork City at Finn Park in Ballybofey, Donegal.

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27 September 2020; Raffaele Cretaro of Finn Harps during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Finn Harps and Cork City at Finn Park in Ballybofey, Donegal.

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PLAYER PROFILES 2020

FINN HARPS

1. MARK MCGINLEY

4. KOSOVAR SADIKI Bio: Defender, 22, Moers ..........................................

A Canadian U23 international, Sadiki signed for Harps in the summer after spells in England, Croatia and most recently Scotland with Hibernian . ..........................................

Bio: Goalkeeper, 30, Letterkenny ..........................................

Initially spent five years at UCD before returning to focus on intercounty football for Donegal, has been an ever present in the Harps team since their return to the Premier League. ..........................................

6. GARETH HARKIN

7. KARL O’SULLIVAN Bio: Midfielder, 20, Limerick ..........................................

Only 20, Karl O’Sullivan is one of the most exciting right midfielder’s in the country and joined Harps after making his breakthrough at Limerick. ..........................................

10. RAFAELLE CRETARO Bio: Forward, 38, Sligo ..........................................

Bio: Forward, 26, Nottingham ..........................................

An English born striker, Serrant-Green has had a nomadic career to date with spells across England and Sweden. He arrived recently to Harps to aid their survival chances. ..........................................

12. KIERAN FARREN

Bio: Defender, 30, Dublin ..........................................

An experienced centre half spent the majority of his career at Bray before moving to Shamrock Rovers in 2015. After 3 years he joined Waterford, then St. Patrick’s Athletic and onto Harps ahead of the current season.

..........................................

Bio: Midfielder, 32, Donegal ........................................

A long serving midfielder who has been at Harps since 2014 after playing with Derry City, Coleraine and Limavady United. ..........................................

9. JACK SERRANT-GREEN

5.DAVE WEBSTER

A league winner with Sligo Rovers, Cretaro is one of the most experienced and talented in the league.

In his second year with Harps looking to end his career on a high after winning all domestic honours.

8. RUAIRI HARKIN Bio: Midfielder, 30, Derry ..........................................

Initially at Charlton, Harkin returned home to line out for Derry City and Harps and moved to the Irish League to join Cliftonville and Coleraine. A return to Harps followed last summer.

..........................................

11. BARRY MCNAMEE Bio: Midfielder, 28, Ramelton ..........................................

A Derry native and a winner of the FAI Cup and league cups with the Candystripes, spent his entire career at the club up until this season when he moved to Finn Park. ..........................................

...........................................

14. MARK COYLE Bio: Midfielder, 23, Donegal ..........................................

Another local player, started with Cockhill Celtic and moved to Harps 3 years ago.

Has been a regular in the side since. ..........................................

Bio: Defender, 19, Donegal .........................................

A young centre half and a product of the youth system, has been promoted to the first team this term. ..........................................

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15. JAMIE BROWNE Bio: Defender, 20, Donegal ..........................................

A local centre back, another product of the youth academy. ..........................................

PLAYER PROFILES 2020

FINN HARPS

16.SHANE MCELENEY Bio: Defender, 29, Derry ........................................

Brother of DFC 11, Patrick, Shane McEleney was promoted to the first team at Derry by Stephen Kenny in 2009 and blossomed until he moved to St. Patrick’s Athletic in 2015.

Time in Canada with Ottawa Fury followed but a return to Northern Ireland with Larne was next and he signed for Harps in January.

17. MARK RUSSELL Bio: Defender, 24, Paisley ..........................................

A Scottish native, joined Harps before the 2019 season after spending time with Falkirk and Morton in his native land. ..........................................

18. LEO DONNELLAN Bio: Midfielder, 22, London ..........................................

A midfielder who joined Finn Harps this season after spells in England with Maidstone and QPR. ..........................................

.........................................

19. ADAM FOLEY Bio: Midfielder, 30, Dublin ........................................

An experienced midfielder has been a recent signing for Harps joining from Newry with spells in the Leinster Senior League, Glenavon and Portadown under his belt. .........................................

22. SAM TODD Bio: Defender, 22, Derry ..........................................

A Derry City youth, the highly rated centre-half has had plenty of interest in him over the past number of years and is currently in his second season at Finn Park. ..........................................

27. COREY MCBRIDE Bio: Midfielder, 19, Donegal ..........................................

Another youth product of the club, has been promoted to the first team since the beginning of the season. ..........................................

20. ADRIAN DELAP Bio: Midfielder, 20, Derry ........................................

A Derry City youngster, progressed through their youth setup and is on loan at Harps until the end of the current season. ........................................

24. RYAN CONNOLLY Bio: Midfielder, 28, Castlebar ..........................................

A talented midfielder began his career with Derby County and returned home to Sligo Rovers. Spells with Longford Town, Galway United and Shamrock Rovers were next before joining Harps this term.

21. STEPHEN DOHERTY Bio: Forward, 20, Donegal ........................................

A local centreforward, has been promoted to the first team from the U19’s. ........................................

26. TONY MCNAMEE Bio: Midfielder, 27 Ramelton ..........................................

Another Derry City product, has spent time with Glenavon and in the Ulster Senior League before landing at Finn Harps. ..........................................

..........................................

57. STEPHEN FOLAN

30. ALEX KOGLER Bio: Forward, 22, Austria ..........................................

A native of Austria, can play at a number of positions across the front and joined Finn Harps in the winter after a series of spells with a host of clubs in his homeland.

..........................................

Bio: Defender, 28, Galway ..........................................

A classy centre-back, Folan spent two seasons with Dundalk after beginning his career at Newcastle. Spells at Sligo Rovers, Limerick, Cork City and Galway United were next and after Dundalk he had a short spell in Australia however the pandemic curtailed that and he joined Ollie Horgan’s men a few months ago.

..........................................

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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 240 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.

For a monthly subscription, members will receive exclusive access to digital content on the Dundalk FC Patreon page that will bring them closer to everything

that happens at Oriel Park.

On top of that, members will also receive a host of benefits from the club and our selected community partners.

How much will it cost? €15 a month.

The fee is payable on joining and will then be charged on the first of every month. *Please note that prices exclude Patreon VAT rate of 23%.

How do I access it?

The content will be housed on the Dundalk FC Patreon page. www.patreon.com/dundalkfc What exactly do I get for my money?

Exclusive members-only digital content and a host of other benefits.

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What are the other benefits?

Dundalk FC Membership Card and Certificate Members sign-up pack includes: – DFC Snood – DFC Scarf – DFC Personalised Mug A 10% discount in the Dundalk FC Club Shop.

Discount offers at selected community partners.

Free monthly Dundalk FC surprise.

Monthly members draw.

Monthly members newsletter.

Exclusive access to members events. *More benefits will be added when the current restrictions around COVID-19 are eased.

How do I sign up?

Simply visit: www.patreon.com/dundalkfc

PLAYED FOR BOTH

CIARAN O’CONNOR followed on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

When O’Connor’s contract ran out at the end of the 2017 season, Ciaran decided to move permanently to Harps in the first division however once again after 6 months he moved on and joined Warrenpoint in the Northern Ireland Premier Division. He kept them up with crucial goals in the run in before taking a career break to focus on work and his family just after the start of the 2019-20 season however he made the return to football with Glentoran at the turn of the year and resumed his professional football career.

C

iaran is a local man to Dundalk and began his career in schoolboy football before signing his first professional contract under Stephen Kenny in the summer of 2013. The manager then progressed him through the youth setup and made him part of the first team by the time 2015 came around. With the side dominant in the league, O’Connor left Oriel Park on loan to spend time with Derry City and he made an impact in the second half of the 2015 campaign seeing the Candystripes come in to midtable after a season of battling in the lower reaches for the most part. .

loan and it was a huge success however a move to Bohemians

In 2016 the striker spent the entire season at Oriel and was in the squad for the league win as well as the UEFA Europa League run which captured the minds of the nation. His first spell at Harps came in the first half of the 2017 season on 27

Silverware has followed for the Dundalk native as he helped Glentoran win the Irish Cup and still only 24, O’Connor has fitted in plenty in a short career to date with plenty more left to achieve, who knows he may still line out for Dundalk and Harps once more.

Champions of Ireland, we know what we are.

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EUROPA LEAGUEPLAYOFF

HISTORY

30

DUNDALK FC 3-1 KI KLAKSVIK

MAKERS!

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EUROPA LEAGUE PLAYOFF

HISTORY MAKERS

N

ot content with being the first Irish side to pick up points in the group stages of a European competition, Dundalk rewrote the history books again at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday night by qualifying for the group stages of the Europa League for the second time in five seasons!

Goals from Sean Murray, Daniel Cleary and Ringsend native Daniel Kelly secured Filippo Giovagnoli’s men a 3-1 win over KI Klaksvik from the Faroe Islands and understandably, the mood was buoyant in the dressing room and post-match press conferences after the

game.

Addressing the media, Filippo Giovagnoli, who only took the reins at Oriel Park 38 days earlier, said it was a special night for Dundalk - and his family and friends back home in the Italian town of Apecchio.

“My village in Italy is going crazy,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of hundred messages from people that I know - and another couple of hundred that I don’t know,” he laughed.

“That’s the funny part, the messages from all over the world. I’m trying to respond to everybody, but I’m still responding.

“They’re all happy. My wife was actually crying before the game.

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After it, she was laughing. That was a good thing because if it was the opposite it would mean things aren’t going well but all my friends and family, they were super excited and now they’re happy. “I’m happy that I made them happy but this result is going to help the club to build a new journey, something special.”

Reflecting on the performance, Giovagnoli acknowledged that Dundalk weren’t at their best and that nerves had set in, especially after Cleary hammered home the second goal to make it 2-0 early in the second half.

“I’m not happy with the performance but I’m happy with

the result,” said the 49-year-old Italian. “You can’t be happy as a coach with that performance.

The feeling is unbelievable but I am just a little bit upset with the performance.

“We were so nervous. We didn’t stick to the plan after going 2-0 up, we didn’t try to control the game. We stepped back and that was our mistake; we should have kept on playing.

We thought about the result and you can’t do that. You can’t give that amount of the pitch to any team in the world.

“The experience of the players was really important. Gary Rogers and Brian Gartland were good when we were under pressure but we shouldn’t

have been under pressure . . . . we should have controlled the game, we were capable of doing it but we didn’t consolidate our style.

“We were feeling the game so much, and it’s normal. It was a final, such an important game but what is important tonight is the result. We have made history.”

KI set up a tense finale when Ole Erik Midtskogen found space to power a deflected drive past Gary Rogers but substitute Daniel Kelly sealed a famous win when he broke clear in the final minutes and casually placed his left-footed effort past Kristian Joensen.

It sparked scenes of mass

33

hysteria amongst the Dundalk players, staff and officials who were fortunate to witness it and with the rain teeming in Dublin, it brought memories of Robbie Benson’s insurance strike against BATE Borisov in 2016 flooding back.

“I’ve watched Benson’s goal loads of times since I came to the club at the start of 2019,” said Kelly. “Everybody always spoke of 2016 and I always wondered to myself if I would get a chance to be a part of something like that. We’ve done that now and to be a part of it is unbelievable.

“I was dreaming last night that I would get a chance and thankfully I got the goal to seal

EUROPA LEAGUE PLAYOFF

HISTORY MAKERS

it for us. I had to hold my run because I thought I was offside and my touch took me across on my left foot.

“I didn’t mean to take it that far in but I saw the goalkeeper coming out and it took about a half an hour to go in! It’s the best moment I’ve ever had in football. What a feeling!”

‘Dicky’ grew up very close to the Aviva Stadium and he said the result was being celebrated wildly at the Kelly residence in Ringsend: “Me ma, me da and my bro are wrecking the gaff only down the road,” he laughed.

“It’s amazing. I was playing Leinster Senior League three years ago, so to be here now is just the stuff of dreams. Since Filippo and Giuseppe came in, everybody has worked their socks off. We knew we had a chance with the luck of the

draw. The league wasn’t great for us this year, but we would have bitten your hand off to be in the Europa League group stages.”

For Gary Rogers, who celebrated his 39th birthday with a save in the penalty shootout win in Tiraspol a week earlier, it was yet another memorable occasion to add to a memorable career.

“It hasn’t been the season we would have liked, but this is where we want to be,” said the veteran netminder who has now qualified for the group stages twice with Dundalk.

“To get to the group stages of the Europa League is a phenomenal achievement by the whole group. We’re just delighted we’ve been able to replicate what we’ve done in the past.”

The Lilywhites had to come 34

through a turbulent period midway through the second half with Rogers making a vital stop to deny Patrik Johannesen while Brian Gartland hacked one off the line.

“They were going to have opportunities in the game and you’re going to need to make a save, especially in Europa League, when it gets to this stage in the competition,” said Rogers. “You’re just hoping that you can keep them out and thankfully we managed to do that.”

Brian Gartland, who skippered Dundalk at the Aviva, is another player who will sample the group stages for a second time and after falling out of favour under Vinny Perth, he said Thursday was a night to savour.

“A lot of us have had a lot of stuff flung at us this year and last year,” he said. “I suppose as

35

EUROPA LEAGUE PLAYOFF

HISTORY MAKERS

I’m getting older a lot of people write you off.

“That’s just football, and it’s opinions, but it’s always nice to prove them wrong. I think this group and this journey symbolises that.

“Look where we were, and the stuff we’ve had to go through in the last couple of months.

The mental strength and fortitude from every player in that dressing room to stick with things, not give in and work our socks off has been rewarded.

“I never stopped working, I kept trying, and if I am called upon I’m ready. That’s the way

I was, even when I wasn’t in the team. I’ve had a bit of luck on my part to come in, and the performances have been decent.

“A week is a long time in football. The last month or two showed that. It’s like a change around of a few years.”

Like his manager, Gartland said he was disappointed that Dundalk let KI back into the game after going 2-0 up.

“Maybe our intensity dropped,” he said. “We let them get a foot on the ball, get their head up to pick out the long balls.

36

“We knew exactly what their game plan was. We knew what they would do but I think concentration died a little bit and we lost our way.

“A couple of second balls didn’t go our way, and then as a back-four, we dropped off. When it’s 2-1 your back is against the wall, you know a team is just going to throw everything at you. “That’s their way but we dug in. We knew we could hit them on the break and we did that but we’ll look back on the performance in the second half because it’s as poor as we’ve been since the new

gaffer came in.”

Turning his attentions to Giovagnoli and his assistant Giuseppe Rossi, Gartland described just how much of an impact the two Italians had made on the players.

“A lot of managers would sit and observe on their first day of training but Filippo came in amongst the players and spoke really well.

“He was confident and really assured with his speech and told us what he wants to do.

Confidence breeds confidence.

That’s the best way to put it. He doesn’t talk too often but his

words carry more weight when he does. His mannerisms breed confidence.

“He gets on well with the lads and when you have people who are happy, you will get a response. We told him that if he keeps a happy dressing room he will get a response and performances from people in there. That’s what has happened and tactically he has implemented things in his own way. It’s different and it’s new to us but credit to the lads in the dressing room, everyone is open-minded. They haven’t turned their back to say ‘this 37

won’t work’. They have gone with it. It’s a collective from the new management and the players.”

Like Daniel Kelly, Darragh Leahy is another of the ‘new breed’ who will also go down in the history books for taking the Lilywhites to the group stages.

“Playing in Europe was one of the major factors why I came here,” he said. “The last time Dundalk qualified for the group stages four years ago, it’s not that you’re sick of hearing about it, but you want to make your own bit of history and now we’ve done that.”

RETRO: FINN HARPS

1969-70 SEASON Padraig McGowan looks back at the 1969/70 season when Dundalk met the newly formed Finn Harps on five different occasions.

Fifty years ago, ahead of the 1969-70 season, the League of Ireland was extended from 12 to 14 teams. To facilitate this, two new clubs were admitted to the league and have been there ever since: Athlone Town and today’s opponents, Finn Harps.

Harps’ first-ever game as a senior club was against Shamrock Rovers at Finn Park on August 17th, 1969, in the now-defunct Dublin City Cup competition. While it was a historic occasion for Harps, unfortunately, Rovers did not read the script and handed out a harsh lesson to the newcomers, winning on a 10-2 scoreline!

Despite the less than impressive start to their League of Ireland membership, Harps finished the League campaign in an impressive seventh place.

Dundalk and Harps were to meet five times during that season. The first meeting of the clubs took place in the Shield competition at Finn Park on September 14th, 1969. It turned out to be a cracking game which finished 3-3.

The game was notable for the fact that it marked Brendan Bradley’s debut for Harps. Of course, he duly grabbed a goal.

Bradley finished the season as the league’s top scorer with 18 goals, and what an inspired buy he proved to be for Harps from

Derry City. By the time his career finished he had amassed a total of 235 league goals.

Cork Hibernians in a game played at Flower Lodge.

While Dundalk finished second in Section A of the Shield that season, they bowed out at the semi-final stage, losing 1-0 to

The next meeting between the clubs was a league game on December 14th, 1969, again played at Finn Park. In what

38

Dundalk striker Patrick Hoban poses for a picture with Finn Harps and League of Ireland legend Brendan Bradley before a league game at Finn Park in 2019

was turning out to be another eventful game, Harps ran riot in the last 20 minutes to finish as comfortable 6-2 winners.

Unfortunately, we bowed out of the competition at that stage and Bohs went on to win the trophy, needing three games to defeat Sligo Rovers in the final.

As luck would have it, Dundalk also drew Harps in the first round of the FAI Cup. The game was once again played at Finn Park in a midweek fixture on February 11th, 1970. A record gate of ÂŁ1,450 turned out in the torrential rain, which quickly turned the pitch into a swamp!

The referee called the game to a halt with the scoreline at 1-1, Paddy Turner getting the Dundalk goal, and that man again, Bradley scoring for Harps!

The replay took place at Oriel Park two weeks later, in front of the biggest crowd of the season where Dundalk exacted revenge for the previous results against the Donegal men and qualified for the second round with a 4-0

Our final meeting of the season against Harps was the league fixture at Oriel Park on April 8th, 1970. Again Dundalk won on a 2-0 scoreline to finish the campaign in fifth place on 30 points, eight behind champions Waterford.

win.

Incidentally, we drew the other new club, Athlone Town in round two, and again it took a replay at Oriel for the Lilywhites to book our place in the semi-final against Bohemians.

39

Harps, of course, have gone on to become a household name in the League of Ireland and won their first senior trophy, the Dublin City Cup in 1972. They had to wait just two more years for their greatest moment, capturing the FAI Cup, defeating St Patricks Athletic 3-1 at Dalymount Park. Yes you’ve guessed it, that man Bradley scored, twice in fact!!

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winning penalty saves?2

Premier Division 2 play for? does Cian Coleman Who 7: Premier Division Who did Dundalk play in their final home league game 8: does Cian Coleman play for?

Who 7: Who did Dundalk play in their final home league game 8: of 2016? of 2016?

Which EPL side have agreed to sign Shamrock Rovers' 9: Which EPL side have agreed to sign Shamrock Rovers' 9: Gavin Gavin Bazunu Bazunu next next summer? summer?

2018_24Sligo60_54_55.qxp_dfc15 13.10.18 13:48 Page 2

FAI FAI Cup Cup Who scored a Goal of the Season contender for Bohemians in in their their FAI FAI Cup Cup semi-final semi-final defeat? defeat?

Bohemians Who did did UCD UCD beat beat after after extra extra time time in in the the FAI FAI Cup Cup Who quarter-finals? quarter-finals?

Which teams played in the 2014 FAI Cup Final?

Which teams played in the 2014 FAI Cup Final?

10: 11: 11: 12:

Lucky Dip! 3 City now play?

In whatDip! league do Swansea Lucky 3 managed Which Dutchman player Barnet and wore do Swansea City now play?

In what league the No1 jersey?

Which Dutchman player managed Barnet Who plays their home matches at Fir Park?and wore

the No1 jersey?

Who plays their home matches at Fir Park?

12: 13: 14: 13:

14: 15: 15:

7

7

Lucky Dip! 13: The EFL Championship / 14: Edgar Davids / 15: Motherwell 2019_14_Qarabag_60_p.indd 41

19/07/2019 21:20

FAI Cup 10: Ian Morris / 11: CIE Ranch / 12: St Patrick’s and Derry City

Lucky Dip! Premier Division 13: The EFL Championship / 14: Edgar Davids / 15: Motherwell 7: Limerick / 8: Bohemians / 9: Manchester City 42

winning penalty saves?

Premier Division does Cian Coleman play for?

Who Premier Division Who did Dundalk play in their final home league game does Cian Coleman play for?

Who Who did Dundalk play in their home league game of 2016?

FIGURES...

THEfinal ABOUT IT’S ALL of 2016?

Which EPL side have agreed to sign Shamrock Rovers' Which EPL side have agreed to sign Shamrock Rovers' Gavin Gavin Bazunu Bazunu next next summer? summer?

THE NUMBERS GAME

Dundalk’s Aviva win FAI FAI Cup Cup on Thursday means that for the third time Who scored a Goal of the Season contender for since 2011 a League of Bohemians in their FAI Cup Cup semi-final semi-final defeat? defeat?

Ireland side will in compete in Bohemians their FAI thedid Europa UCD League Group Who beat after after extra extra time time in in the the FAI FAI Cup Cup Who did UCD beat Stages following Shamrock quarter-finals?

Rovers (2011) and Dundalk quarter-finals? themselves in 2016. played in the 2014 FAI Cup Final?

Which teams Coincidentally, on the two Which teams played in the 2014 FAI Cup Final? occasions which saw Dundalk

3

progress they scored three Lucky Dip! goals on both occasions with do Swansea City now play?

In what league the third on a breakaway.

Lucky Dip! Thursday night also saw Which Dutchman player managed Barnet and wore Dundalk league captained by their do Swansea City now play?

In what while Seán the number No1three jersey?

Gannon will be the only player Which Dutchman player managed Barnet Who plays matches at Fir Park?and wore to have been attheir the clubs home when were jersey? involved in all three the they No1 Europa League Group Stages.

Ringsend man didn’t home matches at Fir Park?

WhoThe plays their feature for Shamrock Rovers in their 2011 European campaign but was involved with their senior squad and made his debut for the club during the season.

16

The number 16 goalscoring tradition in Europe continued at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday night.

In 2016, David McMillan’s goals were crucial in ensuring The Lilywhites’ progress to the Group Stages. In the Group Stages, Ciarán Kilduff- wearing the number 16 jersey- scored the equalizer in a 1-1 away draw to AZ Alkmaar before netting the winner against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the next European fixture at home. This season, in a similar vein, David McMillan’s strike against Inter41 Escalades 2019_14_Qarabag_60_p.indd meant that Dundalk moved to the next stage of European competition before Seán

Sean Murray celebrates after scoring the first goal during the UEFA Europa League Play-off match between Dundalk and Ki Klaksvik at the Aviva Stadium

Murray- wearing 16- scored in the 1-1 draw away to Sheriff. On Thursday night, once again, the number 16 found the net for the opening goal against Kí

39

Gary Rogers turned 39 last weekend and since he started his LOI career, the UEFA Cup has undertaken a number of significant changes including the dissolution of the Cup Winner’s Cup and

the Inter Toto Cup and the introduction of the Group Stages of a competition which was previously solely knockout.

Incidentally, it is also 39 months since Dylan Connolly made his full debut for the club against Shamrock Rovers in July 2017- the former Dundalk number 16 is now plying his 19/07/2019 trade in the Scottish Premier League following a move from AFC Wimbledon.

Lucky Dip! 13: The EFL Championship / 14: Edgar Davids / 15: Motherwell FAI Cup 10: Ian Morris / 11: CIE Ranch / 12: St Patrick’s and Derry City

Lucky Dip! Premier Division 13: The EFL Championship / 14: Edgar Davids / 15: Motherwell 7: Limerick / 8: Bohemians / 9: Manchester City 43

21:20

1-0 2-1 3-0 2-3 4-0 1-1 4-1 1-0 4-2 2-1 1-1 1-2 1-0 2-2 0-3 1-3 2-0 3-2 1-0 1-1+ 0-4 3-1

x

FAIC: Extra.ie FAI Cup UCL: UEFA Champions League UEL: UEFA Europa League PRC: President’s Cup UUCC: Unite the Union Champions Cup TOTAL APPS/GOALS (excl. friendlies)

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4

K-O 7:45 5:00 4:00 7:45 7:30 7:45 PP 7:45 7:45 7:45 8:00 8:00 7:45 7:45 7:30 7:30 7:45 7:45 5:45 7:45 5:45 6:00 5:00 5:00 8:00 6:00 tbd 7:30 7:30 5:00 7:45 7:45 5:45 7:45 5:55 7:30 8:00 7:45 5:55 tbd tbd 8:00 tbd 8:00 8:00

Brian GARTLAND

Opponents UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN CFR Cluj CSKA Moskva DROGHEDA UNITED Crusaders LONGFORD TOWN SHAMROCK ROVERS DERRY CITY Shelbourne CORK CITY Shamrock Rovers [RTÉ] Finn Harps DERRY CITY BOHEMIANS DROGHEDA UNITED ATHLONE TOWN LONGFORD TOWN SAINT PATRICK’S ATHLETIC [RTÉ] Bohemians [WATCHLOI] WATERFORD [R1] [WATCHLOI] WATERFORD [WATCHLOI] NK Celje [QR1] Sligo Rovers [WATCHLOI] Cobh Ramblers [R2] [WATCHLOI] SHELBOURNE [EIRSPORT] Inter Club d’Escaldes [QR2] Sheriff Tiraspol [QR3] SHAMROCK ROVERS [RTÉ] KÍ KLAKSVÍK [PO] FINN HARPS [WATCHLOI] Saint Patrick’s Athletic [WATCHLOI] Cork City [WATCHLOI] BOHEMIANS [WATCHLOI] Derry City [WATCHLOI] MOLDE Waterford [WATCHLOI] Arsenal SLIGO ROVERS [WATCHLOI] Rapid Wien Bohemians [QF] tbd [SF] RAPID WIEN tbd [F] Molde ARSENAL xLGE: SSE Airtricity League

Seán GANNON

Comp.

Frie Frie Frie Frie Frie Frie PRC LGE LGE LGE LGE LGE Frie Frie Frie Frie Frie LGE LGE FAIC LGE UCL LGE FAIC LGE UEL UEL LGE UEL LGE LGE LGE LGE LGE UEL LGE UEL LGE UEL FAIC FAIC UEL FAIC UEL UEL

3

H/A H N* N* H A H H H A H A A H H H H H H A H H A** A A H A A H H+ H A A H A H+ A A H A A H+ N A H+ H

Gary ROGERS

Date Fri 17 Jan Wed 22 Jan Fri 24 Jan Thu 30 Jan Mon 03 Feb Tue 04 Feb Sun 09 Feb Fri 14 Feb Fri 21 Feb Mon 24 Feb Fri 28 Feb Fri 06 Mar Fri 10 Jul Tue 14 Jul Fri 17 Jul Mon 20 Jul Tue 21 Jul Fri 31 Jul Fri 07 Aug Tue 11 Aug Fri 14 Aug Thu 20 Aug Sat 22 Aug Sun 30 Aug Fri 11 Sep Thu 17 Sep Thu 24 Sep Sun 27 Sep Thu 01 Oct Sun 04 Oct Fri 09 Oct Tue 13 Oct Fri 16 Oct Mon 19 Oct Thu 22 Oct Sat 24 Oct Thu 29 Oct Fri 30 Oct Thu 05 Nov tbd Sun 22 Nov Thu 26 Nov Sun 29 Nov Thu 03 Dec Thu 10 Dec xApps/Goals

2

TEAMSTATISTICS

2020 SEASON MATCH DATA

1

2020_09FinnHarps60_56_57.qxp_DFC: Matchday Magazine 04/10/2020 11:39 Page 1

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+/- Pts +31 38

14 14

10 6

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18 16

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30 20

St Patrick’s Athletic Sligo Rovers DUNDALK Derry City Shelbourne

14 15 11 14 14

5 6 5 4 3

4 1 2 4 4

5 8 4 6 7

10 15 20 14 11

11 21 18 13 18

-1 -6 +2 +1 -7

19 19 17 16 13

Finn Harps

13

2

4

7

9

20

-11

10

Cork City

13

2

3

8

8

22

-14

9

Note: Data correct until Sunday 04 October 2020 (7:30am)

Fixtures Date Fri 02 Oct Sat 03 Oct

Match Derry City 2-0 Waterford Shamrock Rovers 4-0 Sligo Rovers Cork City 1-2 St Patrick’s Ath. Shelbourne 1-3 Bohemians Dundalk v Finn Harps (5:00)

Statistics Goals scored Total goals 159 (average: 2.34) Home goals 91 (average: 1.34) Away goals 68 (average: 1.00) Results Home wins 32 (47.1%) Draws 13 (19.1%) Away wins 23 (338%) Over/Under 2.5 goals Over 27 (39.7%) Under 41 (60.3%) 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 H+: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

n

�

Pld W 14 12

Bohemians Waterford

Sun 04 Oct

t t

n n n

Standings Team Shamrock Rovers

Note: Kick-offs are 7:45 unless otherwise stated

n n n

t

l l u t t l t u t1

12 George KELLY

44 Andy BOYLE

29 David McMILLAN

45 Joshua GATT

u1 t u t1

n

t t u

l u

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

u n1 t

t n t t u

u t n t u t u t

t t n u

n l

27 Daniel KELLY

24 Jamie WYNNE

23 Cameron DUMMIGAN t

t

l t n

�

22 Stefan ČOLOVIĆ

21 Daniel CLEARY

19 Val ADEDOKUN

u n

u u u u u

u1 tu

t u u

u

20 Aaron McCAREY

t

t1 u

18 Will PATCHING

17 Nathan ODUWA

16 Seán MURRAY

15 Darragh LEAHY

2020_09FinnHarps60_56_57.qxp_DFC: Matchday Magazine 04/10/2020 11:39 Page 2

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

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

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

DUNDALK OIL CALL: 042 9334081

Heating oils - Road diesel/petrol Agri diesel - Fuel cards Lubricating oils 45

�

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

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 Mon 03 Feb: Crusaders 1-2 Dundalk t Mark Hanratty / t Ronan Kilkenny / l Jamie Barry Tue 04 Feb: Dundalk 0-1 Longford Town t Mark Hanratty / t Gabriel Sava / t Ronan Kilkenny l Jamie Barry Fri 10 Jul: Dundalk 1-1 Derry City l Jimmy Corcoran Tue 14 Jul: Dundalk 4-1 Bohemians l Jimmy Corcoran Fri 17 Jul: Dundalk 1-0 Drogheda United l Jimmy Corcoran Mon 20 Jul: Dundalk 4-2 Athlone Town n Christian Jones (4) / 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 Ronan Kilkenny Thu 20 Aug: NK Celje 3-0 Dundalk N**: Played at Ferenc Szusza stadium, Budapest +Thu 24 Sep: Sheriff 1-1 (3-5) Dundalk Played at Stadionul Sheriff, Tiraspol Penalties: Čolović, Hoban, Hoare, McEleney and Shields all scored Sun 27 Sep: Dundalk 0-4 Shamrock Rovers l Jimmy Corcoran (30) / l Mark Traynor (13) l Mark Hanratty (25)

EXTRA TIME

THE SPECTATOR

Dundalk groundman David Caldwell celebrates the win at the Aviva

These are exciting times around Oriel Park, with a wonderful opportunity for the Lilywhites to test themselves against some of the finest players in European football. But enough about Finn Harps.

There’s also the small matter of the UEFA Europa League.

Thursday’s match with KI was a surreal experience for all concerned, a high stakes battle in a massive, empty stadium, with Dundalk burdened with the unusual weight of being overwhelming favourites.

Despite a second-half wobble, Dundalk’s professional, patient approach ensured they managed the game effectively. It was not a vintage performance, but it was a vintage result.

There have been one or two or a thousand mentions of prize money, but really for the players and the supporters,

this is about football. It’s about glory, history, aspiration and professionalism. It’s

redefining the limits of the League of Ireland, changing the script, taking life by the throat, making it happen.

Friday’s group stage draw FOR THE PLAYERS AND THE was, as always, fascinating, SUPPORTERS, THIS IS ABOUT exciting and nerve-wracking.

FOOTBALL. IT’S ABOUT GLORY, In the end, it was a mixed HISTORY, ASPIRATION AND bag, but a good one as PROFESSIONALISM. IT’S ABOUT Dundalk were drawn in PITTING YOURSELF AGAINST THE Group B alongside Arsenal, Rapid Vienna and Molde.

ELITE, DOING YOUR ABSOLUTE One genuine megaclub, BEST, PUSHING BEYOND NOT JUST Premier League EXPECTATIONS BUT BEYOND WHAT glamourpusses Arsenal, SEEMED POSSIBLE. IT’S ABOUT undoubtedly the most REWRITING IRISH FOOTBALL expensive squad we’ve ever HISTORY, REDEFINING THE LIMITS OF faced and full of famous THE LEAGUE OF IRELAND, CHANGING names from £60m PierreTHE SCRIPT, TAKING LIFE BY THE Emerick Aubameyang and THROAT, MAKING IT HAPPEN. £70m Nicolas Pepe through Lacazette, Xhaka, David Luiz, Bellerin, Ceballos and about pitting yourself against Ozil. One venerable European the elite, doing your absolute aristocrat in Rapid Vienna, best, pushing beyond not just offering Dundalk their first-ever expectations but beyond what trip to Austria. And one typical seemed possible. It’s about Nordic opponent in Molde, the rewriting Irish football history, team we would have hosted in

“

“

46

the Champions League had we beaten Celje some four rounds and several managers ago.

For all the excitement and glamour, the draw was something of a bittersweet experience for the Dundalk faithful. Under normal circumstances we’d be bringing probably 5,000 supporters, hangers-on and bandwagoners to London, maybe 1,000 to Vienna and a brave few dozen to Norway but, as it stands, it’s not clear whether we’ll even get supporters into our home games at the Aviva.

Add in the stillborn cash cow that should be 50,000

tickets - priced at €50 each for the home Arsenal match and there’s a slightly nagging sense of a missed opportunity.

But then 2020 is 2020, the unprecedented, pandemicriddled annus horribilis. It is what it is and we have to get on with it... we might as well get on with it in style!

Whatever about this season’s Europa League, next season’s European football is in focus right now. The thought of Daniel Kelly running at David Luiz is a delightful one, but for now, the bread and butter of league football is the only show in town. Dundalk need points 47

to try and at least make the top three to ensure European football next season. For Finn Harps, the stakes are equally high with Premier Division survival in the balance.

Harps are in decent form and have lost just one of their last six matches - and that with nine men in Sligo. Ollie Horgan’s side will punish any complacency or lack of focus. Let’s give Harps the same level of respect we gave KI and Sheriff. The last thing we want to come from the glory of Europa League group qualification in 2020 is a distraction from qualifying for Europe in 2021.

HALF-TIME CHALLENGE

THE QUIZ

3

5

8

Dundalk 1. Who was the last Dundalk FC player to wear the number 13 as a regular squad number at the club?

2. What colour jersey did Dundalk wear in their LSC Cup defeat to Athlone last season?

3. What nationality is Stefan Colovic?

4. Who was the last Brazilian to sign for the club? Although he never played a competitive game.

5. In what year did Steve Williams first join the club?

Finn Harps 6. Former Harps defender Keith Cowan, now at Glentoran, has what occupation outside the game?

7. Ollie Horgan managed which side before taking up his position at Finn Harps?

8. Raff Cretaro has now spent how many seasons playing LOI football?

9. Against which side did he score last weekend?

10. Kosovar Sadiki signed for Harps from which Scottish club?

Mixed Bag 11. Who is the Bayern Munich manager?

12. Which former Premier League side had Colman’s Mustard as their shirt sponsor?

13. Which MLS side is David Beckham a shareholder in?

14. In what year was the European Championships last held in Sweden?

15. What colour kit do Heart of Midlothian wear?

1. Karolis Chvedukas 2. Purple 3. Serbian 4. Hernany Macedo 5. 1997 6. Teacher 7. Swilly Rovers 8. 21 9. Cork City 10. Hibernians 11. Hansi Flick 12. Norwich City 13. Inter Miami 14. 1992 15. Maroon

13

ANSWERS 48

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DUNDALK

FINN HARPS

1 GARY ROGERS

1 MARK McGINLEY

2 SEAN GANNON

2

3 BRIAN GARTLAND

3

4 SEAN HOARE

4 KOSOVAR SADIKI

5 CHRIS SHIELDS

5 DAVE WEBSTER

6 JORDAN FLORES

6 GARETH HARKIN

7 MICHAEL DUFFY

7 KARL O’SULLIVAN

8 JOHN MOUNTNEY

8 RUAIRI HARKIN

9 PATRICK HOBAN

9 JACK SERRANT-GREEN

10 GREGORY SLOGGETT

10 RAFAELLE CRETARO

11 PATRICK McELENEY

11 BARRY McNAMEE

12 ANDREW QUINN

12 KIERAN FARREN

13 MARK TRAYNOR

13

14 DANE MASSEY

14 MARK COYLE

15 DARRAGH LEAHY

15 JAMIE BROWNE

16 SEAN MURRAY

16 SHANE McELENEY

17 NATHAN ODUWA

17 MARK RUSSELL

18 WILL PATCHING

18 LEO DONNELLAN

19 VAL ADEDOKUN

19 ADAM FOLEY

20 AARON McCAREY

20 ADRIAN DELAP

21 DANIEL CLEARY

21 STEPHEN DOHERTY

22 STEFAN COLOVIC

22 SAM TODD

23 CAMERON DUMMIGAN

23

24 JAMIE WYNNE

24 RYAN CONNOLLY

25 MARK HANRATTY

25

26

26 TONY McNAMEE

27 DANIEL KELLY

27 COREY McBRIDE

28

28

29 DAVID MCMILLAN

29

30 JIMMY CORCORAN

30 ALEX KOGLER

44 ANDY BOYLE

32 TOM McDERMOTT

45 JOSHUA GATT

57 STEPHEN FOLAN

COACH FILIPPO GIOVAGNOLI

MANAGER OLLIE HORGAN

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: PAUL McLAUGHLIN ASSISTANT REFEREE: ROB CLARKE & DARRAGH KEEGAN FOURTH OFFICIAL: BEN CONNOLLY

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