The Commentary Box: Dundalk FC unveil impressive new club gear while transfer rumours continue

Dundalk unveiled their new home and away kits for the forthcoming season last Thursday evening. The club’s new official kit supplier Playr-Fit have produced an excellent top-quality product. It’s been well worth waiting for as it has been greeted with widespread praise.

There had of course been much speculation on what the kit consisted of. Clubs are very sensitive that details of the kit whichare not released before the official release.

With Dundalk having new kit suppliers this season, the interest was intense. The launch of the new kit is a big marketing event by any club, and it is no different for Dundalk. The new home kit is the traditional combination of white shirts, white socks and Black shorts.

The new full Dundalk FC Playr-Fit range was also on display. This was just 24 hours ahead of the opening of the club’s Christmas shop in Oriel last Friday at 6 pm.

Two versions of the home shirt are available to supporters, a replica home jersey and an authentic home jersey. The replica home jersey is made with standard interlock polyester material and has an appliqué crest.

The authentic home jersey, which is what the players will wear, will also be available to supporters.
It features sublimated sponsors, which makes the shirt ultra-lightweight, and an appliqué club crest. It is crafted from super soft, moisture -absorbent polyester.

The DriFit performance material on the back encourages airflow and pulls moisture away from the skin, keeping the person in it dry and comfortable.

Both versions of the home shirt are emblazoned with the logo of the club sponsors, BetRegal in the front and partners Blackstone motors on the sleeves. The logos of Blackstone Motors, along with fellow club partners StatSports also feature on the first team jersey.

The new away kit will see Dundalk attack in red and black. The red and black hooped shirt is made with a flexible performance material and features a combination of small boxes that enhance the design.

The club sponsors and partners are located in the same places as on the home jersey. The shirt is combined with white shorts and black trim and hooped red and black socks which feature the three martlets that adorn the club crest.

Due to the limited amount of stock that is available before Christmas, pre orders for both the home and away jersey can be made. The New kit will only be sold in the Dundalk FC shop in Oriel in the run in to Christmas.

A new online store featuring the full Dundalk FC Playr-Fit range goes live on the club website early in 2023. The launch of the new kit was very successful on the night and there will be a massive demand for it going forward. The club Christmas shop is operating from the Youth Development Centre.

Meanwhile the Lilywhites also announced an extension with Dundalk FC’s sponsors Bet Regal. The new deal sees the betting site link up with the club for the third year in a row.

The Bet Regal logo will be displayed on the front of the club’s new adult home and away shirt and the third shirts for the 2023 season, as well as selected training gear.

On the playing front Dundalk appear to have re-signed two of their most experienced players, Robbie Benson and John Mountney.

The club has yet to officially announce that they have put pen to paper. But Dundalk fans, be reassured they have done so. They will be a great asset to the team next season.

Transfer Rumours
Dundalk were reported to be close to bringing 19-year-old Johnny Kenny on loan from Glasgow Celtic. Stephen O’Donnell put in an inquiry about the young Sligo man who was let out on loan to Queens Park for the season. But it’s not thought Queens Park have any problems with him moving to Oriel.

Johnny is a striker who was purchased by Celtic for €150,000 on January 8th, 2022. In August he went out on loan to Queens Park until the end of the Scottish season on the 31st of May He is due to return to Celtic then.
Whether Stephen O’Donnell can persuade Celtic to allow Dundalk to have him at the club until the end of the League of Ireland season next November is up for question.

The young forward made his debut on August 20th of this year for Queens Park. He made his debut with Sligo Rovers in March 2021. Ironically it was against Dundalk.

Johnny signed a 5-year deal with Celtic in January 2022. Dundalk were facing stiff opposition from other league of Ireland clubs interested in bringing him in on loan. But the signs were last weekend that he looks to be on his way to Oriel.
Meanwhile the news appears to have gone cold on Dundalk’s chase to sign Pat’s player Ben McCormack.

Ben became a free agent in November when his contract expired with the Inchicore club. Hopefully Stephen O’Donnell will be able to persuade his former player at Pat’s to sign for Dundalk.

A Big Anniversary
90 years ago last Saturday Dundalk won their first League title. On Sunday 10th December 1932 they defeated Bohemians 4-0 at Dalymount Park to clinch the title. They also became the first team from outside of Dublin to win what was then known as the Free State League.

It’s ironic that only a decade and a half or so after being formed by workers from the Great Northern Railway, more commonly known as the GNR, that the club were Irish senior champions.

It’s amazing that GNR workers also set up Clones Town in 1878. They are the oldest recognised club in Ireland and today play in the local regional North-Eastern League.

There were no local soccer leagues in the Monaghan area to affiliate to so they looked to Fermanagh, Armagh and Tyrone to play friendlies.

The actual formation of Clones Town happened in 1858 through the arrival of GNR workers in the area. It’s ironic that the current two pitches of the club are on a hill which is part of the site of the Old Railway Station, now defunct for many years.

The FAI regard the club as the oldest in the country. One wonders if later relatives of the GNR who set up Clones Town used a similar idea of setting up a club in Dundalk that would become Irish senior League champions in 1932. And indeed, go on to become one of the most successful clubs in Ireland.

Brian Gartland
Former Dundalk skipper Brian Gartland told Off the Ball on Newstalk during the week that his aim as a youngster was to play in the English Premiership. But he says he was very happy with what he achieved in Ireland with Dundalk. He revealed he was always happy to prove his critics wrong.

Brian said he always trained full time before he came to Dundalk, even though he was part time with his other clubs like Bray and Portadown. He was only paid €130 euro a week by Monaghan. This was only expenses. Yet Brian spoke about how he loved his time there.

He says he coached teams to raise the money to help him strive towards his aim to make it in the big time. Brian revealed he had no agent when he got the call from Stephen Kenny to join Dundalk.

He was due to sign for bottom of the table Shelbourne. But Stephen Kenny sold him the dream and belief that things were happening at Oriel Park.

He signed for Dundalk for the remaining of the 2013 season, having come down south at the end of the Irish League season.

Brian said Kenny was a great man-manager and got people to buy into his beliefs. He said the then Dundalk boss filled his teams with such confidence.

Brian went on to win five league titles with Dundalk and three FAI cups. Gartland also was a member of Dundalk teams that qualified for the group stages of the Europa League twice.

The veteran defender says one of the highlight games for him with the Lilywhites was when they won the league for the first time by beating Cork City 2-1 at Oriel.

Dundalk had led the league throughout the season. But two draws before the final game against Cork left them in the driving seat. Gartland says it was a cup final in front of your home fans. Dundalk had to win it, which they did.

The former Dundalk captain said Europe was a different animal. He said you had the stadiums and different players. He said he would never have believed what he would have achieved, both domestically and in Europe, when he signed for Dundalk.

The Dubliner revealed that Stephen Kenny kept the players in line and that had to happen. He said there had to be a figure who would have to do this. If players had to be held accountable perhaps on such things like performances, Kenny was on top of it.

But he revealed the manager always treated his players as adults and not kids. He always respected the players, while keeping good discipline in the squad.

Brian went on to say that such was the enthusiasm Stephen Kenny had, he would celebrate goals on the training ground.
He also spoke of the mistake he made in the Zenit St Petersburg game, which handed the Russians the win. Brian did not take too well with the reaction Stephen Kenny gave him after that game.

But he explained at the time he was carrying the can for giving away the goal that ended Dundalk’s European hopes in 2017. It got worse for him when Kenny was on his case. He says it was one of the very few times there was tension between him and his manager.

But Brian felt he was being singled out unfairly by the manager. He says it got worse when Sean Maguire had a shot in the cup final three days later for Cork which deflected off his boot.

It changed the direction of the ball and went into the net. Brian says this time he knew it was not his fault. He got some flack after the game and had to convince himself it was not his fault.

Dundalk still had a number of Europa League games to play after the St Petersburg game. However their challenge was over.
Brian says Seanie Maguire was one of the best strikers he ever played against. He got 22 goals that season. Dundalk swooped back the following season and did a league and cup double in 2018.

Sadly, within six days Stephen Kenny was gone, having become the Republic of Ireland Under 21 manager on the Saturday after the cup final.

Brian retired from football last Saturday. The reaction has been phenomenal. His autobiography is out in the shops now and is a great read. It’s been ghost written by the Irish Daily Star Senior Soccer reporter Mark McCadden.

Final Thoughts
There was great news for the Dundalk FC media team when they won the award for best club website at the Soccer Writers of Ireland Awards Night.

They acknowledged the work of the media team at Oriel and the work that is put into the website.

It’s an excellent acknowledgement for Media Contents Officer at Oriel Gavin McLaughlin and media Officer Darren Crawley. It’s also a great achievement for the club.

For Gavin and Darren, it’s the last part of what’s been a good season.
Finally former Dundalk assistant boss and now Derry City manager Ruaidhri Higgins has graduated from his UEFA Pro Licence course in Dublin.

Ruaidhri had plenty of well-known people graduating with him. They included former Republic of Ireland and Manchester United centre half John O’Shea and former Donegal senior inter county manager Jim McGuinness.

Have a safe week everybody. Please remember to look after yourselves and be careful out there.