Mid-season Report Card - Dundalk

Club: Dundalk

Head Coach: Vinny Perth

Stadium: Oriel Park

Highest attendance this season: 4,026 (v Shamrock Rovers, April 26th)

Top league goalscorer: Patrick Hoban (11)

Mid-season position: First

How we thought they would do

Despite losing their manager Stephen Kenny in the off-season, the majority of extratime.ie staff predicted that Dundalk would retain their SSE Airtricity League crown at the beginning of the year.

How they have really done

Vinny Perth – who had been Kenny’s assistant for six years – subsequently stepped in to take charge and Dundalk have picked up where they left off last term and they are currently on course for what could well be a fifth title in six seasons, as they sit five points clear at the top of the table after 21 matches. 

It hasn’t always been plain sailing for Perth though, as three draws from their first four matches coupled with back-to-back away defeats at St Patrick’s Athletic and Sligo Rovers in April had seen Dundalk drop to fourth and an ominous 13 points behind the league’s pacesetters Shamrock Rovers.

Moment of the season so far

Right after those two defeats, Dundalk welcomed Bohemians to Oriel Park. The Lilywhites were every bit as bad as they had been in the aforementioned defeats to St. Pats and Sligo, but still managed to get the three points thanks to Patrick Hoban’s controversial 95th-minute penalty.

That win proved to be the turning point for Perth’s charges and was the catalyst for 11 wins from their next 12 matches.

That run of form and fully utilising their two games in hand over Rovers has seen them transform that 13-point deficit on the Hoops into a five-point advantage at the top as to head into the final 15 matches of the 2019 season. 

Star player: Sean Gannon

In a star-studded Dundalk team that contains the likes of Michael Duffy, Patrick Hoban and Chris Shields, no player has been more consistent for the Lilywhites this year than right-back Sean Gannon, who has been crowned as the Soccer Writers' Association player of the month for May.

Gannon’s form shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to anyone though, and he’s once again been an ever-present in the Dundalk team, having started in all 21 of their fixtures so far. The 27-year-old looks poised to be included in the PFAI Team of the Year for the sixth consecutive season.

Surprise star player: John Mountney

Another long-serving member of this current Dundalk dynasty, the ever-dependable John Mountney has been the very definition of a squad player over the past few years and the boy from Bohola has been utilised in a variety of different positions throughout his eight-and-a-half-seasons at Oriel Park.

This year, however, particularly of late, the 26-year-old midfielder is enjoying arguably his best spell in a Dundalk shirt, producing some impressive recent displays, most notably in the 4-0 home win over Sligo Rovers – in which he scored a hat-trick – and the 3-0 win against Finn Harps in Ballybofey. 

Young player: Daniel Kelly

Signed from Bohemians in the off-season, 22-year-old Daniel Kelly’s stock is continuing to rise. Rarely has a new recruit at Dundalk, especially at such a young age, been thrown into the fray so quickly. He’s featured in every single league match so far this season and has also got four goals to his name.

The former Crumlin United winger has enjoyed an excellent first five months in County Louth and it was he that won that crucial last-gasp penalty against Bohemians in April. He also produced a man-of-the-match display against Finn Harps just four days later, scoring a hat-trick in a 3-0 home victory.

Star signing: Sean Murray

Dundalk’s marquee signing back in January, former Watford and Republic of Ireland under-21 midfielder Sean Murray was expected by many to take the League of Ireland by storm. A goal on his league debut for Dundalk against Sligo Rovers on the opening night of the season supported that notion.

Goals against Waterford and at Derry City followed in March, but injury has since hampered the 25-year-old’s progress. That said, with Murray now back to full fitness, the second half of the season and the run-in that surrounds it, could yet see him have a massive say on the destination of the title. 

What they need in the transfer market

With one-time Republic of Ireland international Andy Boyle set to officially return to the club on a three-and-a-half-year deal on July 1st, is it even possible for the Lilywhites to get stronger? Vinny Perth is understood to be considering bringing in an extra striker to the club for additional cover. 

Where we see them finishing

A win against Shamrock Rovers on Friday night would see Dundalk extend their lead at the top to an almost unassailable eight points with 14 games remaining.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to see the SSE Airtricity League trophy departing Oriel any time soon and they’re rightfully the bookmakers’ choice.