The Commentary Box: Mixed Fortunes for Dundalk FC in the transfer market

It’s been a busy week at Oriel off the field with two more players from last year’s first team squad staying on and the official announcement that Dundalk have a new official club kit supplier.

It’s also been a week filled with sadness, where the Lilywhites lost one of its best supporters and volunteers, while the club’s former media officer lost a family member at a young age.

Dundalk also lost out in the chase for the signatures of two young players who were linked to a move to Oriel Park. Elsewhere, Sligo Rovers announced plans for a redevelopment of their already up to date stadium.

In other news, Athlone Town dominated the prizes at the Women’s Senior Soccer Awards Night. With more senior clubs joining the Women’s National League, the question also rose will Dundalk join the senior ranks quicker than has been planned? 

Playr-Fit

I mentioned last week that Dundalk were to enter a new multi-year deal with Armagh company Playr-Fit which would see the brand become the club’s official kit supplier. The new partnership was officially confirmed by Dundalk in a statement last week.

It’s the Newry based company’s first connection with a League of Ireland club. It will launch in mid-December when Dundalk releases a new home and away kit for Christmas.

Playr-Fit will also be kit suppliers to other League of Ireland clubs this year in place of Umbro whose dominance in the Irish soccer market is no more.

A range of new training gear and leisure wear will also be available from the club’s Christmas shop and the Youth Development Centre at Oriel Park. A new online store featuring the full Dundalk FC Playr-Fit range will go live on the club’s website in early 2023.

The company is the fastest growing sportswear brand in Ireland. It provides top-quality apparel and equipment to clubs across the country, the UK and the USA.

Vital Re-Signings

Stephen O’Donnell did great work last week in renewing contracts with two key players from last year’s squad. It was great to see 32-year-old Keith Ward signing on the dotted line for another season.

Keith returned to the club for a third spell last season. He made a total of 34 appearances for the squad. The Dubliner got six goals last season, including the winning goal against Derry City in the last league game at the Brandywell. It was a top-class goal, just like his other five last season.

But Keith has been top class in midfield too. His creativity was scintillating. Dundalk boss Stephen O’Donnell felt he had a huge impact on the club’s season, whether he started games or came off the bench.

Stephen says that Keith has a very positive influence on the dressing room. His attitude in training is exemplary. When you marry everything together you have a really good, experienced player with lots of creativity. Players like this, O’Donnell stressed are not easy to find.

Full back Darragh Leahy has also signed a new two-year contract with the club. The new deal takes the 24-year-old into his fourth season at Oriel. Darragh, who is a top class player, says he is thrilled to stay on.

He revealed he has learned so much from Stephen O’Donnell and his management team and that he is really looking forward to improving even more over the next two years.

Leahy noted how the players are going into Christmas and January with a lot more structure and planning behind them than they had this time last year. This was because a year ago Stephen O’Donnell had just arrived at Oriel.

The players all have programmes to do over the next few weeks, with the players also being in at Oriel as well. He says the team will be raring to go come pre-season.

Stephen O’Donnell is delighted that Darragh has chosen to stay at Oriel and is hoping to try and develop him even more at Oriel. The Dundalk manager recalled how Darragh missed the first part of the season after getting injured in the Jim Malone Cup.

When he came back Darragh found his rhythm. He says it gave the side a real balance. Overall, he thought Darragh really had a good campaign.

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The Transfer Market

Meanwhile Dundalk have been dealt a severe blow in their hunt for a new striker. They were heavily linked to the UCD player, 18-year-old Tommy Lonergan. But it was St Pat’s who won the chase for the striker.

Tommy got 11 goals for UCD in 23 appearances, including the crucial winning strike in the promotion-relegation play off against Waterford. Pats boss Tim Clancy has persuaded him to leave Belfield and return to Inchicore, where he came through the ranks before the switch last season.

Dundalk also lost the race for the signature of UCD midfielder Eamon Caffrey who has decided to link up with Shelbourne and Damien Duff at Tolka Park. Caffrey has signed a two-year contract with the club which keeps him with last season’s cup finalists until November 2024.

The Shelbourne manager knows Eamon well. Duff was the head coach of the Shamrock Rovers under 15 team which Eamon played for. He also played in the Shamrock Rovers under 17 team before going to UCD.

The failure by Dundalk to get their two targets is a blow, make no mistake about that. However, the manager has plenty of time to draw in the new players needed to fill key gaps in the Dundalk squad.

The club are believed to be still hopeful of bringing Pat’s midfielder Ben McCormack to the club. The 19-year-old is out of contract with Pat’s. Stephen O’Donnell knows Ben well and will be confident of bringing him to Oriel should the speculation linking him to the club be true.

Dundalk also need to bring in two centre halves to strengthen the defence. Andy Boyle has been re-signed, but O’Donnell needs two further centre backs.

Robbie McCourt was brought in to replace Mark Connolly at the beginning of July. But he was hit by injury and even when recovered, he failed to impress. I was very surprised to see he has another season at Oriel next year.

I just don’t see him as the answer. Unless the manager can fill the gap left by Mark Connolly, they will be in a lot of trouble next season.

Oriel Park

Sligo Rovers have lodged planning permission papers with the local council for the first phase of the redevelopment of their stadium. As it is in its current form, Sligo’s Showgrounds is a good stadium.

But the powers that be want to make their stadium the best in the country. When finished it will be able to host European games at the highest level.

It will take a number of years for the project to be completed. There will be government funding, along with a good drive for funding in the community.

Oriel Park needs a huge amount of money to bring it into the 21st century. However, we are lucky to have a club at all, given the difficulties that were around at the tail end of the 2021 season with the departure of Peak6.

But for Andy Connolly and STATSports, the club’s future was in serious doubt. They need time to consolidate stability, which they have done on and off the pitch.

Thus I’m sure the owners of the club know a new stadium is needed to redevelop Oriel. They have I’m sure been drawing up plans for the future development of the ground.

The plain fact remains Oriel Park is not fit for purpose. It has not seen any significant redevelopment since 1966. Its’ a stadium trapped in time. This issue will not go away. The board of directors I’m sure have to be looking at ways of upgrading Oriel.

They need to consult a very helpful supporters club regarding fund raising. A public meeting also needs to be called. Sligo have been doing this for quite a while and I’d suggest the owners look at this model.

They also need to be lobbying local politicians. Look at the way the Louth County Board chairman and local TD Peter Fitzpatrick was able to get the money needed to ensure the new county GAA stadium will be completed.

Women’s Football

Dundalk to their credit have been working hard at promoting and developing women’s soccer at Oriel. There has been great work done at developing women’s football at underage level, with the aim of having a senior team competing in the National League in the next three years.

But I would like to raise the question why are Dundalk not going for a Senior women’s team for say the season after next?
Sligo Rovers, Athlone Town, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and other league of Ireland teams have women’s teams in the Senior National League. If they can do it, so can Dundalk.

A number of years ago, a Dundalk women’s team won the Senior FAI Cup at the old Lansdowne Road. They beat UCD. For whatever reason, the team disbanded and there has not been a senior team since. However, Dundalk did compete in the Women’s North-East Football league in 2021.

The club had a senior team in a Women’s National League around 50 years ago. The league itself I think might have disbanded. But women’s football is now played at the highest level across the world.

Of course, Ireland will play in the Women’s World Cup in Australia next summer. It was a fantastic achievement. The Lilywhites should bring forward their plans for a senior team to be competing in the top grade without delay.

It can only be good for the club and the town. And I have no doubt there are plenty of talented female players available that will make a senior team a reality sooner rather than later at Dundalk FC.

Final Thoughts

The club lost another great supporter and volunteer in Roy Mackin last week. Roy gave up so much of his time to Dundalk as a volunteer and as a supporter.

The club and supporters were in shock as news came through that Roy had passed away. He was often the first-person supporters would meet as they approached the stand entrance, as he was one of the club’s main match programme sellers.

He was a lovely man and always had a cheerful smile on his face. He would greet supporters in a manner that would leave you in positive form before you even went into the ground.

To his family and friends and those working in the club, I would like to pass on my deepest sympathy.

A former media officer at the club, Keith Wallace, lost his older sister recently. Vicky was a young woman, aged 45, who died suddenly on Friday November 18th.

Her younger brother Keith was the media officer at the club from 2006 to 2012 and for a short spell in 2013. Keith went on to work as the media Officer for Limerick FC.

To me, he modernized the role of media Officer at Oriel to what it is in the present day at all clubs. To Keith and his mother, father and brother, I wish to extend my sympathy on the death of Vicky.

Let’s hope there will be good news on more signings at Oriel next week. Have a great week. Please be careful out there and remember to look after each other.