Bennett excels at centre half role
Credit:
Such is the injury crisis clouding Ian Foster's selection plans at
Dundalk that all fit bodies, and some not so fit bodies, are being
asked to play anywhere they can to enable a full eleven to get out on
the park. One such player is Dean Bennett who has been asked to
abandon his usual midfield slot and fill in at centre half with Colin
Hawkins and Michael Hector both absent through injury for the FAI Cup
tie against Galway. It isn’t the first time that the Wolverhampton
native has been asked to fill in there but if he keeps performing as
he did against the Tribesmen it probably won’t be the last. He scored
the Lilywhites equaliser, could have been greedy and tapped home
Johnny Breen's goal bound effort and also won the man of the match
award from the gathered press by a landslide.
Dean spoke exclusively to Extratime.ie immediately after the match, he modestly played down his own impact on the match “I thought everyone played well, it (the man of the match award) could have been anyone really."
His partnership with Shane Guthrie at the back looked like they knew each other's game inside out, had he enjoyed his defensive role? “I did it against Linfield so that was the first time I’d played there, Hawks (Colin Hawkins) dropped out so the gaffer said play there, it was my second time so I wasn’t as nervous playing there.”
Dean scored one and could have claimed another “I haven’t got many (goals) this last couple of seasons but it was nice to score especially with my head.” If he was unscrupulous he could have tapped home Johnny Breen's effort before it crossed the line “I don’t know how it ended up there but he could have squared it to me, he chipped it and I was about to hit it in and he shouted “leave it, leave it”, I left it in the end just in case I was offside.”
A major plus for Ian Foster after this disposal of Sean Connor's Galway team must be the growing knowledge that the young players who have populated the bench can perform to the standards required when they are called on. Strike duo Johnny Breen and Mark Griffin as well as subs Chris Kerr and Philip Duffy Dean all made a positive impact on the match “We’ve got bodies coming back now and once everyone’s fit well be a lot stronger team. We’ve got some young lads come in today and I think they played quite well.” Breen and Griffin belied their age and inexperience and gave the Galway defence a torrid time “They’ve done well, they’ve played together for years now so they know each other's game, it’s nice for the gaffer to know that he can look to the young lads and know that they’ll do a job for him.”
Dean was satisfied with a potentially difficult job well done and his appetite for the cup is far from sated “We’ve had a taste of a cup run now with the Setanta and obviously we want to do well in this cup now.”
So next up for the Lilywhites is the Louth derby but Ian Foster will be happy in the knowledge that his versatile midfielder can fill in at the back when required.
Dean spoke exclusively to Extratime.ie immediately after the match, he modestly played down his own impact on the match “I thought everyone played well, it (the man of the match award) could have been anyone really."
His partnership with Shane Guthrie at the back looked like they knew each other's game inside out, had he enjoyed his defensive role? “I did it against Linfield so that was the first time I’d played there, Hawks (Colin Hawkins) dropped out so the gaffer said play there, it was my second time so I wasn’t as nervous playing there.”
Dean scored one and could have claimed another “I haven’t got many (goals) this last couple of seasons but it was nice to score especially with my head.” If he was unscrupulous he could have tapped home Johnny Breen's effort before it crossed the line “I don’t know how it ended up there but he could have squared it to me, he chipped it and I was about to hit it in and he shouted “leave it, leave it”, I left it in the end just in case I was offside.”
A major plus for Ian Foster after this disposal of Sean Connor's Galway team must be the growing knowledge that the young players who have populated the bench can perform to the standards required when they are called on. Strike duo Johnny Breen and Mark Griffin as well as subs Chris Kerr and Philip Duffy Dean all made a positive impact on the match “We’ve got bodies coming back now and once everyone’s fit well be a lot stronger team. We’ve got some young lads come in today and I think they played quite well.” Breen and Griffin belied their age and inexperience and gave the Galway defence a torrid time “They’ve done well, they’ve played together for years now so they know each other's game, it’s nice for the gaffer to know that he can look to the young lads and know that they’ll do a job for him.”
Dean was satisfied with a potentially difficult job well done and his appetite for the cup is far from sated “We’ve had a taste of a cup run now with the Setanta and obviously we want to do well in this cup now.”
So next up for the Lilywhites is the Louth derby but Ian Foster will be happy in the knowledge that his versatile midfielder can fill in at the back when required.
