SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION S P O RT 53

IN DUNDALK BRIEF FC Lilywhites determined to be

POTM: Duffy in third place

Michael Duffy finished mean hosts in Pat’s visit third in the April SWAI/ SSE Airtricity Player of the Month awards. Bohemians ’ke e p e r James Talbot won the KEITH WALLACE St. Patrick’s gong for the first time, s p o r t @ d u n d a l kd e m o c ra t . i e Athletic overcame while team-mate Danny Dundalk FC in the Mandriou was third. Gary Rogers and his defence lashing rain at Seán Gannon was will be keen notto offer up Richmond Park shor tlisted. any moregifts toSt. Patrick’s earlier this Athletic as Dundalk FC look season tomake homeadvantage Fo r m e r count between nowand next PICTURE: SPORTSFILE Dundalk m o nth’s mid-season break. FC player The reigningchampions Anton wereonly undoneat R e i l ly Richmond Park in early April afteran unfortunateDaniel Cleary own-goal late in the firsthalf. Theywerealso Five locals sign fall beaten 13 inSligo pointsoff aweek the laterto pace. new Point deals However, sincethen, their Dundalk natives Anton red-hotform haspropelled Reilly, Emmet Hughes, them into poleposition to Deane Watters, Marc retain the title. Griffin and Ciarán In particular,Rogers and O’Connor have all hisback fourhavebeen signed new contracts impressive, withclean sheets with NIFL Premiership collected inthree made over 100 appearances and that’swhat wewill to givethe boys aplatform to start followed by an upturn in side Warrenpoint Town, consecutive wins onthe road for during a three-year spell continue to do.” go and score–hopefully, that fortunes, albeit againstthe but captain Simon Kelly at Waterford, Bohemians and between 2009 and 2011. Rogers has been in should see us through and get l ea g ue’s poorer outfits. Harry has left the club. Cork City. Whatever the opposition, fantastic form in recent the points. Ke n ny ’sside havedipped Under the tutelage of Now –having already though, Dundalk’s focus is times, to ensure he retains his “Generally, overthe last again recently, and theyare another local, Stephen entertainedBohs atOriel c l ea r. place aheadof Aaron number of years we have without a leaguewin at Oriel McDonnell, the Point Parkon Mondaynight –th ey “Every gamefor usis the McCarey. The 37-year-old has been very good defensively Park since Dundalk’s survived comfortably in can lookforward tofour of s a m e,”Rogerssaid. “We producedcrucial savesatkey andkeeping plentyofclean disastrous 2012campaign. In the North’s top-flight, theirnext fivegames beingat approach them all the same – moments inmatches, inthe sheets. Wewant tocontinue the last twoyears, they have finishing in the club’s home. Thatincludes next we try to stamp our authority knowledge thathis frontmen thattrend, andIthink ifwe been on the end of 5-0 and 6-0 highest ever league M o n d ay ’sEA SPORTSCup on the game, our playing style will do their job. can do that, you would always defeats at the venue. place, 10th. quarter-final tie with UCD. andtryto winthematch. “T h at’s thename ofthe fancy ourboys to nicka goal Fr id ay ’s gamekicks offat The Milltown men However, first up is this Every week, that isalways the game forgoalkeepers and somewhere with the quality 7:45pm, with tickets available also reached the semi- Fr id ay ’s SSE Airtricity approach. But weknowthat d e fe n d e r s ,” he added. “We ’ll that we have in the side.” online 24/7 andat theclub finals of the Irish Cup. League Premier Division visit we have to work really hard in be trying to keep as many St. Pat’s have had a mixed office in OrielPark during of theSaints, whoRogers order topick upthose points, clean sheets as we can and try seasonso far,with apoor regular hours.

Dundalk programme in a league of its own

CAOIMHÍN REILLY honours Thepurchase on an annual basis ofa . think Lilywhitesin the only recentyears one where , a I Dundalk twocategories rank very inwhich highly. c a o i m h i n . re i l ly @ d u n d a l kd e m o c ra t . i e matchday programme has programme wastaken home It mustalso besaid that It happened to cross my mind long beena traditionin my was from thegame against Dundalk aren’t likesome a coupleof daysbefore the own, sports-immersed Zenit St. Petersburg.I must other Irishclubs inthat they official announcement came family, yourwriter having digitout, althoughitisn’t produce aunique that Dundalk FC Magazine boxes and drawers brimming much useto someonewho programmefor everymatch. were yet to claim their annual with publicationsfrom a h a s n’t a word of Russian! There isno doublingup, ina Programme of the Year gong. variety ofregions, games, It would beinteresting to sense, withthe hometeam The ninth timein 10 years teams and sports. assess howpopular andboth awaysquads that Dundalk’s matchday It was, thus, a matchday programmes printed, if two home matches offering has been recognised disappointment that while remain. Certainly, for those areplayed withinashort with anaward, kudosis Dundalk produced attending GAA clashes, space of time. extended to the programme’s programmes of an incredibly th ey ’re becoming But, perhaps, the standout editors andmany dedicated highstandard duringthe increasingly worthlessas the element tothe OrielPark contributors whose c lub’s mesmerising team that beginsthe game is s id e’s offering is the freedom commitment makes the European runof 2016, away often in contrastto the 15 andarticulacy ofthose all-colour production a trips oftensaw none players and 11 subs listed. The writing columns, Colm must-buy on a game night. ava i l ab l e. waste of a couple of euro Murphy or Darren Crawley in Du n d a l k ’s run of success Indeed, itseems tobevery many see it. editorial, but especially in this category began in 2008 much an Irishand British But soccer is different for Vinny Perthand formerboss when theFirst Division tradition, with several clubs the better, squad numbers StephenKenny, who’ve often Programmeof theYeartitle abroad eitherno longer meaning a list is all that’s usedthe platformtoaddress was accrued - Galway being seeing the merit in required, whichgenerally various importantissues, the winners of that this time publishinga programmeor appearsonthe backofthe economic, social, political around -and since 2010,the the demand isn’t there. publication. Instead, a and football-related. Lilywhites have been Of themany European Roy Mackin sells Dundalk FC’s award-winning programmes football programme is judged Congratulations, again, to awarded PremierDivision trips I’ve madewiththe outside Oriel Park before every match PICTURE: SEB DALY/SPORTSFILE upon its layoutand content, all those involved.