From the Leinster Senior Cup to the FAI Cup, if we are in it, we want to win it - Brian Gartland

Last season was another memorable one for Dundalk. The Oriel Park outfit wrestled the league title back in commanding fashion from their arch rivals Cork City in what has become a fascinating battle over the last few years between the sides.

The icing on the cake came when the Lilywhites added the FAI Cup to their list of honours for 2018.

Speaking at the launch of the 2019 Airtricity League season which began for Dundalk with a 1-1 draw at home to Sligo on Friday, Brian Gartland praised former manager Stephen Kenny for the hugely positive impact he had while at the club and also the lasting legacy he has left which will hopefully ensure success for many more years to come. 

The legacy will no doubt be lasting but the Dundalk club captain was also keen to stress that Kenny’s departure won’t be as uprooting as some people are expecting it to be. The majority of the playing and coaching staff still remain the same with a few new additions too.

“Stephen had a massive impact” reflected Gartland on the success at Dundalk under Stephen Kenny prior to Kenny’s moved into the Ireland under-21 managerial role.

“He never let us get comfortable which was such a great thing. He always kept you on your toes and always had different methods of motivation whether you knew of them or not. All of that is instilled within that dressing room now, it’s there amongst all of us and it won’t go away.

“It’s brilliant to see him being recognised. He has done such a phenomenal job with us and even before that with what he won and achieved with Derry. He had such a positive impact with us and it’s great to see someone from within the League of Ireland being recognised with an international job. It’s also great for us as a team and as players to say we were a part of that.

“His impact was phenomenal around the club but we’ve still all the same players and the same coaching staff including a few more so it’s not as much change as people think on the outside.”

The last six years has seen huge success enjoyed by those involved at Dundalk. The players involved have brought the standards to a level never seen before within the league and on the eve of the new Premier Division season kicking off, Gartland insisted they aren’t ready to rest on their laurels anytime soon.

“We’ve had a great pre-season in Dundalk and some great games including the Presidents Cup. There was a very good intensity to the game. If there is silverware on offer we want it, we are trying to collect as much as we can.

"From the Leinster Senior Cup to the FAI Cup, if we are in it, we want to win it and will be doing everything within our power to win every game we play.

“We will never be happy standing still and you’ve got to want to be constantly pushing forward. If you aren’t happy to do that, Dundalk’s not the place for you. We really want to add the League Cup to what we won last year, as well as winning the rest.

"That is a little bug we bear since last season in terms of letting that slip down in Cobh for the treble. Europe is also huge for us; it’s where the big audience tunes in and where you want to really succeed.”

Despite the amount of silverware picked up in the last number of years, Gartland is hungry for more and says that the constant competitive nature among the squad ensures that complacency is never allowed to even get close to setting in.

“Even the board games we play when we’re away and card games as well always get super competitive. With everything there’s a great atmosphere within the squad no matter what we are doing. It makes training brilliant as well because there’s such a will to win with everyone’s minds on the next game and the standard that helps create is fantastic.

"Having that amongst everyone pushes everyone on that little bit more and when training is finished you feel like you’ve got the very most you possibly could out of training.

“There’s a definite confidence within the squad but there’s also a humbleness and a real drive to succeed. There’s no player bigger than the team. There’s no massive ego’s and nobody within that dressing room gets ahead of themselves and if you do you’ll be pulled back into line fairly quickly. 

“With that sort of recipe it gives us a real foundation for success without getting comfortable or complacent. No matter who it is we are going out to play, we prepare the same way and apply ourselves the same way too. “

Report from Oriel Park – Dundalk held to a draw on opening night for the second year in a row. No shortage of chances for Vinny Perth’s side but the new head coach will be hoping his side can be more clinical in front of goal going forward. https://t.co/SYDvUHqLXY

— Niall Newberry (@niallnewberry) February 15, 2019