Gaynor gunning for Euro spot
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Dundalk’s flying wide-man Ross Gaynor is setting his eyes on a spot in Europe this season, while also hoping to double his goal tally too.
Gaynor bagged eight goals for the Oriel Park outfit last year, and is immediately looking forward to the Setanta Cup tussle with Linfield next month because it’s a competition he has never played in before.
In terms of his aims for the season, an improvement on last year’s 6th place finish would be satisfying, though the real target is a European spot. “As long as we keep on improving year on year, I’ll be happy,” he says. “Obviously, I can’t really say that we’re going to be going for the title. After our start to last season we were considered as title contenders. I’d rather not start off so great this time around, and just gradually build throughout the season and hopefully we can finish strong.
”With the players that we have now I think we can push maybe for Europe again. That’s the objective.” When asked if he makes Shamrock Rovers favourites to retain their crown, Gaynor concluded: “I fancy Sligo, personally. I’d rather see Sligo win it because they play lovely football. Our games with them have all been very good games. You’ll have ourselves, Sligo and Sporting Fingal trying to play the better football, so hopefully that will earn rewards.”
“The training has been tough so far, but everybody has to do it,” Gaynor says after returning to pre-season training on Monday. And although there are just 14 players signed up at present, additions like Mark Quigley and Jason Byrne should see the Louth club pack one of the most powerful attacking forces in the league.
“We’ve got a very small squad so we’re just waiting to see what is going to happen in the next couple of weeks. The running has been tough, but looking ahead to this year it’s exciting times, especially with the boys that we’ve brought in. The standard has gone up a lot and it’s just good to be a part of it. I had a hard pre-season with Drogheda last year; I literally missed all of Dundalk’s pre-season but the lads said it was tough as well.
“A good pre-season prepares you for the tough year ahead, especially with the way the teams are now – it’s going to be very competitive. It’s good to get a good base, and I have no doubt the work we’re doing at the minute will pay off.”
Gaynor, who made 41 appearances in all competitions in 2010, could have signed for local rivals Drogheda United after spending time on loan there in 2009, but he is now settled in at Dundalk and clearly has no intention on setting his sights on anywhere else.
“I was never going anywhere,” he says. “As soon as I was offered a deal I signed straight away because I’m living here in Dundalk now and I’m settled. It’s only two minutes away from my parents’ home, so it’s good. I loved it here last year. It was the most goals I’ve scored in a season and the most assists I’ve had, so I’ll be trying to double that this year and hopefully I can. Hopefully, I get a good run in the team and carry on where I left off last year. Hopefully, I will do very well for the club because I appreciate the manager and the club re-signing me and I’ll try my best to repay the favour.”
Dundalk face Shamrock Rovers in their league opener, but before that they face a difficult Setanta Cup assignment against Linfield. The first leg of that tie is scheduled for February 14th, while the return is a fortnight later on the 28th. It’s a competition Gaynor has yet to experience and he is looking forward to the challenge immensely.
“It’s a whole new thing for me; I’ve never played in anything like it before,” he said. “I’ve never played up the north so it’s going to be exciting, especially in the heart of Belfast. It will be against a very strong team, and it’s going to be a completely different challenge than playing the likes of Bohemians.
“It’s going to be a very good experience and one that I’d love to be a part of. My granddad has been on about the last meeting. I think there’s a lot of hype about it, but I think the game and times have moved on now. Hopefully, it will be a good game.”
Their opening league game can’t be any tougher, however. “You might as well get the tough ones out of the way,” he adds. “We battered them early on last season. But they’ll have a good few new players so they’ll probably need some time to settle in. I think we’ll be the same. It’s a great game to look forward to.”
Gaynor bagged eight goals for the Oriel Park outfit last year, and is immediately looking forward to the Setanta Cup tussle with Linfield next month because it’s a competition he has never played in before.
In terms of his aims for the season, an improvement on last year’s 6th place finish would be satisfying, though the real target is a European spot. “As long as we keep on improving year on year, I’ll be happy,” he says. “Obviously, I can’t really say that we’re going to be going for the title. After our start to last season we were considered as title contenders. I’d rather not start off so great this time around, and just gradually build throughout the season and hopefully we can finish strong.
”With the players that we have now I think we can push maybe for Europe again. That’s the objective.” When asked if he makes Shamrock Rovers favourites to retain their crown, Gaynor concluded: “I fancy Sligo, personally. I’d rather see Sligo win it because they play lovely football. Our games with them have all been very good games. You’ll have ourselves, Sligo and Sporting Fingal trying to play the better football, so hopefully that will earn rewards.”
“The training has been tough so far, but everybody has to do it,” Gaynor says after returning to pre-season training on Monday. And although there are just 14 players signed up at present, additions like Mark Quigley and Jason Byrne should see the Louth club pack one of the most powerful attacking forces in the league.
“We’ve got a very small squad so we’re just waiting to see what is going to happen in the next couple of weeks. The running has been tough, but looking ahead to this year it’s exciting times, especially with the boys that we’ve brought in. The standard has gone up a lot and it’s just good to be a part of it. I had a hard pre-season with Drogheda last year; I literally missed all of Dundalk’s pre-season but the lads said it was tough as well.
“A good pre-season prepares you for the tough year ahead, especially with the way the teams are now – it’s going to be very competitive. It’s good to get a good base, and I have no doubt the work we’re doing at the minute will pay off.”
Gaynor, who made 41 appearances in all competitions in 2010, could have signed for local rivals Drogheda United after spending time on loan there in 2009, but he is now settled in at Dundalk and clearly has no intention on setting his sights on anywhere else.
“I was never going anywhere,” he says. “As soon as I was offered a deal I signed straight away because I’m living here in Dundalk now and I’m settled. It’s only two minutes away from my parents’ home, so it’s good. I loved it here last year. It was the most goals I’ve scored in a season and the most assists I’ve had, so I’ll be trying to double that this year and hopefully I can. Hopefully, I get a good run in the team and carry on where I left off last year. Hopefully, I will do very well for the club because I appreciate the manager and the club re-signing me and I’ll try my best to repay the favour.”
Dundalk face Shamrock Rovers in their league opener, but before that they face a difficult Setanta Cup assignment against Linfield. The first leg of that tie is scheduled for February 14th, while the return is a fortnight later on the 28th. It’s a competition Gaynor has yet to experience and he is looking forward to the challenge immensely.
“It’s a whole new thing for me; I’ve never played in anything like it before,” he said. “I’ve never played up the north so it’s going to be exciting, especially in the heart of Belfast. It will be against a very strong team, and it’s going to be a completely different challenge than playing the likes of Bohemians.
“It’s going to be a very good experience and one that I’d love to be a part of. My granddad has been on about the last meeting. I think there’s a lot of hype about it, but I think the game and times have moved on now. Hopefully, it will be a good game.”
Their opening league game can’t be any tougher, however. “You might as well get the tough ones out of the way,” he adds. “We battered them early on last season. But they’ll have a good few new players so they’ll probably need some time to settle in. I think we’ll be the same. It’s a great game to look forward to.”
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile