2019 Season Preview: Dundalk

Head Coach: Vinny Perth

Stadium: Oriel Park

Players In: Sean Murray (Vejle Boldklub), Jordan Flores (Wigan Athletic), Daniel Kelly (Bohemians), Aaron McCarey (Warrenpoint Town).

Players Out: Dylan Connolly (AFC Wimbledon), Ronan Murray (Sligo Rovers), George Poynton (St Patrick’s Athletic), Sam Byrne (Bohemians), Karolis Chvedukas (Waterford), Gabriel Sava (Bray Wanderers), Carlton Ubaezuonu, Karl Fitzsimons (both Longford Town), Pablo Cavalcante (Newry City), Gavin Smith (Muirhevnamor), Stephen O’Donnell (Retired).

Extratime.ie Key Man: Michael Duffy

In what has been a winter of change at Oriel Park, perhaps the biggest parting gift from outgoing manager Stephen Kenny was tying Michael Duffy down to a new two-year contract at the club. The flying winger enjoyed a remarkable campaign last term, scoring 13 goals as well as creating 25 assists for his teammates in a season that culminated in him being named as the PFAI Player of the Year.

Having previously received a call-up to the Northern Ireland squad, the 24-year-old has reaffirmed his desire to represent the Republic at international level. Ex-manager Martin O’Neill was said to be on the verge of including the Dundalk player in his upcoming plans but has since been dismissed and replaced by Mick McCarthy, meaning Duffy will probably have to prove himself once again in 2019.

Duffy started his career with hometown club Derry City, where he played 57 times and scored 13 goals before earning a dream move to Celtic in 2015. Although he never made the breakthrough at Parkhead, his performances during loan spells with Alloa Athletic and Dundee were enough for Dundalk to bring him back to League of Ireland football, where he has been a revelation since 2017.

Extratime.ie One to Watch: Sean Murray

Last season’s double winners haven’t been as busy as other clubs in the transfer window, with new boss Vinny Perth – clearly employing the philosophy of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – signing just four new players so far. Arguably the highest profile of those four additions is midfielder Sean Murray, who joins the Lilywhites following a rather unhappy stint in the Danish Superliga with Vejle Boldklub.

The 25-year-old had initially come to Oriel Park on a trial basis at the beginning of pre-season and, although friendlies are rarely an accurate guide to anything, his man of the match performance in the Jim Malone Cup match against Drogheda United could be a sign of things to come. His first task at Dundalk will be to break into a midfield already consisting of Robbie Benson and Chris Shields.

Murray will fancy his chances though, for he comes to Oriel with considerable pedigree having started his career at Watford, amassing 75 appearances in the English Championship before being loaned out to both Wigan Athletic and Swindon Town. The ex-Republic of Ireland under-21 international had spells with Colchester United and Vejle before signing a two-year deal with Dundalk.

How they did last season:

League: Champions

Following what was a relatively slow start to the 2018 campaign, Dundalk went on to have an exhilarating season which included a 13-match winning streak between May and August. That run ultimately spearheaded the record-breaking Lilywhites to a fourth SSE Airtricity League title in five years, scoring more goals and points than any other team in League of Ireland history in the process.

FAI Cup: Winners

Dundalk completed the fourth double of their history on the first weekend of November thanks to a 2-1 win over Cork City in front of 30,412 spectators at the Aviva Stadium in what turned out to be Stephen Kenny’s final game in charge. The Lilywhites had a somewhat comfortable passage to the final, disposing of Cobh Ramblers, Finn Harps, Limerick and UCD without conceding a single goal.

EA Sports Cup: Semi-Finals

Only one team (Derry City in 1988/89) has ever won the domestic treble in Ireland and Dundalk’s chances of mimicking that achievement were ended by First Division outfit Cobh Ramblers, who stunned the Lilywhites with a 1-0 win in a League Cup semi-final at St Colman’s Park. It’s interesting to note that seven of the starting eleven from that match have since been moved on by the club.

Europe: Second Qualifying Round (Europa League)

Dundalk were no doubt disappointed to have been knocked out of the Europa League at the second qualifying round stage by Cypriot side AEK Larnaca, who eventually progressed to the group stages. That said, two wins against Levadia Tallinn (from Estonia) in the first qualifying round coupled with a scoreless draw at home to Larnaca saw the Irish team continue its surge up the UEFA Club Rankings.

What to expect this season:

Vinny Perth’s side are the bookies’ favourite to retain their SSE Airtricity League crown and it would take a brave person to bet against Dundalk winning the title yet again in 2019. An extended run in Europe will be the ultimate challenge but starting as a seeded team in the Champions League – as opposed to the Europa League – could represent a much smoother passage for Dundalk to progress.

Title Odds: 5/6

First game: Sligo Rovers (Home), Friday 15th February (kick-off 7.45pm).