2021 Season Preview: Dundalk

Manager: Shane Keegan

Stadium: Oriel Park

Players in: Ole Erik Midtskogen (KI Klaksvik), Alessio Abibi (unattached), Raivis Jurkovskis (FK Liepaja), Sonni Nattestad (B36 Torshavn), Sam Stanton (Phoenix Rising), Peter Cherrie (Derry City), Junior Ogedi Uzokwe (Sligo Rovers), Jesus Perez (unattached) Ryan O’Kane (Cliftonville)

Players out: Joshua Gatt (Pittsburgh Riverhounds), Sean Hoare (Shamrock Rovers), Sean Gannon (Shamrock Rovers), Jimmy Corcoran (Wexford), Georgie Kelly (Bohemians) Nathan Oduwa (released), Gary Rogers (retired), John Mountney (St Patrick's Athletic), Dane Massey (Drogheda United), Stefan Colovic (FC Cuckaricki), Jamie Wynne (Cork City), Will Patching (Derry City - loan), Andrew Quinn (Bray Wanderers - loan), Taner Dogan (Athlone Town – loan), Terique Mohammed (Athlone Town – loan)

Extratime.ie Key Man: Michael Duffy

The Derry-man has become a firm fans favourite in Oriel Park since joining from Celtic in January 2017. The marauding winger will be pivotal to any chances of Dundalk success this season.

Duffy notched four goals in sixteen league appearances last year but will need to up his levels this season as the 26-year-old reaches his prime years. Arguably Duffy’s best performances came in the cup, putting in a match winning display in the quarter-final against Bohemians - scoring once, winning a penalty and assisting the last goal.

Dundalk have deployed a 3-4-3 system under their coaching ticket in pre-season, and even though Duffy has yet to feature, this could be a ploy to play Duffy in the half spaces, perhaps narrower and closer to goal, with the wingbacks providing the width.

With Jack Byrne now departing the league, this season could be the one where Duffy takes the mantle as the best attacking player in the league and who knows, maybe finally an international call up.

Extratime.ie One to Watch: Ryan O’Kane

Ryan O’Kane has been one of Dundalk’s top performers in pre-season. The former Bellurgan underage star possesses great balance, an eye for a pass, a fantastic set piece delivery and the ability to play off the right, the left and in the number ten positions.

Dundalk have launched their new academy and the acquiring of O’Kane on a three-year deal might just kickstart their new initiative.

It will be interesting to see what role the 17-year-old O’Kane plays in the squad, especially when the likes of Duffy, Patrick McEleney and Patrick Hoban reach full fitness.

The Dundalk public have been baying for one of their own to be given the opportunity to play in the first team. O’Kane and another academy graduate in Val Adedokun might just make the step up this season.

How they did last season:

Premier Division

It was a rather indifferent last season domestically for Dundalk. They scraped a third-place finish as the squad was tested due to their European exploits.

The opening part of the season pre COVID-19 started fairly well, losing a thriller to Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght but demonstrated all the qualities required to mount a title charge.

Post COVID-19 was a different story. The departure of Vinny Perth and the arrival of Filippo Giovagnoli was a success in terms of their Europa League group stage qualification and cup success, but in the league Giovagnoli suffered defeats at home to Sligo and Shamrock Rovers, home defeats which the Dundalk faithful have not been used to in recent years.

The Lilywhites stumbled into the top three as their European fairy-tale put the squad under strain. Dropping home points to Finn Harps and Sligo will not be accepted by The Shed this season.

FAI Cup

It was an FAI Cup to remember for the Lilywhites last season coming from behind to beat arch-rivals Shamrock Rovers in the final thanks to a wonderful David McMillan hattrick.

An 0-11 humbling of Athlone in the semi-final was impressive, but the previous rounds victory was even better, defeating an in-form Bohemians side 1-4 at Dalymount Park.

Dundalk have won two of the last three cups and should go close again this year.

What to expect this season:

Who knows what to expect from Dundalk this season? Again, more confusion surrounds their coaching ticket with Shane Keegan now named as team manager and Filippo Giovagnoli named as a coach.

This is contrary to the announcement of Giovagnoli as head coach toward the end of the last calendar year.

The Louth side have gone under a major restructuring behind the scenes. Jim Magilton has come in as sporting director, and former player and local favourite Stephen McDonnell has come in as head of the academy. Other important club figures have now left such as Martin Conolly who was the COO (chief operating officer) as Dundalk look to develop their structures further.

If the players and staff can perhaps ignore some of the dysfunction behind the scenes, they could have a really positive season as it is a talented squad.

Players such as Chris Shields, Andy Boyle, David McMillan, Brian Gartland, Daniel Cleary, Hoban, Duffy and McEleney will go down in history as some the best players ever to play for the club and should be revitalised with some of the international quality that has been added to the squad.

Raivis Jurkovskis and Sonni Nattestad are both full Latvian and Faroese internationals respectively, whereas Ole Erik Midtskogen impressed against Dundalk in Europe last season. These players are tasked with taking the Lilywhites to the next level.

However, the game-changer should be the arrival of Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe who has already shown his quality previously in the league with both Derry City and Sligo. The dynamic Londoner possesses many qualities with pace, balance, dribbling and finising the standouts. If Dundalk are to challenge for the league title this season, Junior will surely be central to their attempts.

There has been a push toward the end of last season and this pre-season to play a system with three centre-halves and wingbacks, which might be a ploy to not only to control more games domestically but in Europe too.

The build-up play has been slow and ponderous at times, but with the arrival of the crafty Scot in Sam Stanton, he could provide the key to unlocking opposition defences.

The Dundalk faithful have now come to expect nothing less than challenging for both the league and cup, combined with a good European run. Whether that will come to fruition, it is hard to know especially with quality players attained by rivals Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians, St. Patricks Athletic, Derry City and Sligo Rovers.

What is for certain, is that even with the successful run to the Europa League group stage last season, patience will not last long with the Dundalk coaching staff or hierarchy. They will need to hit the ground running.

Title Odds: 23/10

First game: Sligo Rovers (A)