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Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Dundalk FC boss Ciaran Kilduff making tweaks to deal with troublesome double weekend
Dundalk FC boss Ciarán Kilduff will be hoping it's a case of third time lucky when it comes to his side getting the job done on a double fixture weekend. Having extended their lead at the top of the table to six points last weekend, Lilywhites travel to face UCD at the UCD Bowl on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm) before hosting Longford Town at Oriel Park on bank holiday Monday (5pm).
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Impressive run to Ladies All-Ireland final no surprise to Meath manager Shane McCormack
There will be a few Meath flags flying proudly in neighbouring county Kildare this week ahead of Sunday's eagerly awaited TG4 All-Ireland senior football final at Croke Park. Meath boss Shane McCormack is a former Lilywhites keeper from the Allenwood club and came up against his native county in the group stages of the All-Ireland series, a game which Meath won as they clinched a home tie in the quarter-finals.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Wexford FC suffer defeat in Dundalk to lose further ground in play-off race
A first-half double from Gbemi Arubi put the Lilywhites in control, but Wexford got a real foothold in the game when substitute Muhammad Haris halved the deficit shortly after the interval. However, Keith Ward restored the two-goal cushion in the 63rd minute and, although Mikie Rowe pulled one back late on, the visitors couldn't force an equaliser, leaving them seven points adrift of fifth-placed Treaty United. Stephen Elliott named an unchanged eleven from the previous weekend's 4-0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup and the visitors again got off to a nightmare start – something that has happened too often this season. There was little over 90 seconds on the clock when the hosts struck the front through Arubi. Daryl Horgan turned smartly to his right and whipped in an inviting delivery. Former Wexford player Eoin Kenny headed the cross towards goal and, although Paul Martin made the save, the alert Arubi was on hand to finish from close range. The lively attacker quickly threatened to grab a second when he broke clear, but his shot was well blocked by Dean Larkin. After a difficult opening, Wexford had their first sight of goal in the 11th minute when Ben McCormack found Ajibola Oluwabiya, and the winger curled a right-footed effort over the crossbar from just outside the 18-yard box. Mikie Rowe then cut inside but was well off target with his left while, at the other end, Aodh Dervin showed good feet before getting a shot away, but his long-range effort was always rising. After Dervin dragged another effort wide, Dundalk did grab their second goal just before the half hour mark and they did so in style. Declan McDaid glanced a header towards Arubi and the frontman blasted a sweet first-time effort to the corner of the net, giving goalkeeper Paul Martin no chance. The hosts were threatening to run riot and, after good work from Arubi, Daryl Horgan tried to pick out McDaid, but he was denied by good defending from James Crawford. Wexford weathered the storm and when Michael McCarthy played a long ball forward for Aaron Dobbs to run on to in the 38th minute and the striker was taken down by goalkeeper Enda Minogue, it briefly looked like the visitors would have a route back into the game. However, the offside flag was quickly up for what was a marginal call, so the referee didn't have a decision to make. Muhammad Haris, who only recently joined Wexford from the Lilywhites, was introduced for the start of the second-half and he quickly came back to haunt his former side as he brought the visitors back into the contest in the 50th minute. Another former Dundalk player, Robbie McCourt, played a hopeful ball forward which Minogue inexplicably allowed to slip from his grasp, and Haris had the simple task of rolling to the net for his first League of Ireland goal. Unfortunately, the wind was soon taken out of Wexford's sails when another substitute, experienced campaigner Keith Ward, grabbed Dundalk's third goal in the 63rd minute. A dangerous McDaid cross was only cleared as far as Ward and the playmaker fired a stunning volley that flew past Martin and into the net. Having started the second-half well it was a bitter blow for the Slaneysiders but, to their credit, they kept plugging away and Dean Larkin steered a McCormack free-kick narrowly wide moments later. Arubi and Ward were both off target with efforts as the hosts tried to put the contest to bed, while McDaid couldn't generate enough power on a header from a Horgan cross. Wexford managed to just about stay in the game though and, after McCormack shot wide, they were right back in the contest in the 87th minute when Mikie Rowe grabbed a lifeline. McCourt clipped a free-kick to Calum Flynn, with the substitute lifting the ball across the box and when it fell to Dean Larkin, he nodded on to Rowe, who applied a tidy finish past Minogue for his 16th league goal of the season. Aodh Dervin's strike deflected wide off McCourt as Dundalk threatened a quick response, but Wexford almost rescued an unlikely share of the spoils in the 94th minute as Dean Larkin got his head to a Cian Browne long throw, but the ball drifted narrowly wide of the far post. It was Wexford's second successive 3-2 defeat to the league leaders, having suffered the same fate in their previous meeting in Ferrycarrig Park at the end of May. Wexford will be hoping to get a much-needed win when they host Finn Harps on Friday and the Donegal side should be in high spirits, having held high-flying Cobh Ramblers to a 2-2 draw at the weekend. Dundalk: Enda Minogue; John Ross Wilson, Conor O'Keeffe, Vinnie Leonard, Shane Tracey; Aodh Dervin, Harry Groome; Declan McDaid, Eoin Kenny, Daryl Horgan; Gbemi Arubi. Subs. – Andy Parashiv for Groome (56), Keith Ward for Kenny (56), Rohan Vaughan for Horgan (78), Dean Ebbe for Arubi (78), Luke Mulligan for Tracey (90+1), also, Peter Cherrie, Sammy Safaei, Seán Spaight, T.J. Molloy. Wexford FC: Paul Martin; Michael McCarthy, Dean Larkin, Robbie McCourt, James Crawford; Matthew O'Brien, Kaylem Harnett, Ben McCormack; Mikie Rowe, Aaron Dobbs (capt.), Ajibola Oluwabiyi. Subs. – Muhammad Haris for Harnett (HT), Darragh Levingston for O'Brien (58), Cian Browne for Crawford (64), Filip Wasilewski for Oluwabiyi (64), Calum Flynn for Dobbs (71), also, Alex Moody, Zayd Abada, Ryan Butler, Patrick Manning. SSE AIRTRICITY FIRST DIVISION P W D L F A Pt Dundalk 24 15 7 2 39 18 52 Cobh Ramblers 24 14 4 6 41 24 46 Bray Wanderers 23 14 1 8 39 29 43 UCD 24 10 6 8 27 23 36 Treaty United 24 9 7 8 38 25 34 Wexford FC 24 7 6 11 28 33 27 Longford Town 23 6 7 10 22 39 25 Finn Harps 24 5 9 9 26 31 24 Kerry FC 24 6 3 14 24 41 21 Athlone Town 24 3 8 13 18 39 16
Irish Independent
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Early FAI Cup exit as Dundalk FC leave their shooting boots behind
Friday's FAI Cup tie was billed as a good chance to see the potential difference between the top of the First Division and the bottom half of the Premier. On the basis of this game there is very little – apart from in front of goal. While Dundalk may well have won on points had this been a boxing match, not for the first time in recent weeks Ciarán Kilduff's side lacked power in their punches. By contrast, a Sligo Rovers side whose manager John Russell was missing due to illness were able to deliver two killer knockout blows in the space of four second-half minutes from, firstly, James McManus and then Jake Doyle-Hayes. While Bit O Red goalkeeper Sam Sargeant was certainly in the shake-up for the man of the match award, having pulled off a number of fine saves, it will be of concern to the Lilywhites that for the second week running they created a plethora of chances without taking any. Harry Groome's effort just before half-time was as gilt-edged as they come and perhaps had that found the net then a shock might have been on the cards. However, a screamer from on-loan Bohemians midfielder McManus rattled the Lilywhites, with a soft header conceded just three minutes later from Doyle-Hayes effectively ensuring that there would be no early-round exit for Sligo for the fifth year running. Dundalk, to their credit, did their best to avoid a first home FAI Cup defeat in 17 matches stretching back to their quarter-final defeat against Shamrock Rovers in 2014, but the closing 35 minutes or so were almost a reminder of last season's relegation campaign when there was plenty of hustle and bustle without much real belief that something could be rescued from the game. While the Lilywhites weren't looking for silver linings, they can take some heart from the way they conducted themselves either side of the Sligo goals. The men from The Showgrounds came into this game on a real high following a 2-0 victory over Derry City the week before. They named an unchanged side in Oriel Park and, with a bit more of a cutting edge, could have been upset. It would be dangerous to read too much into one 90-minute game, but the fact Dundalk were competitive showed that maybe the gap isn't that big , if they were able to secure promotion. Either way this will surely have whet the appetite to get back to playing against some of the country's bigger clubs. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more The visitors almost got off to a dream start when Will Fitzgerald slipped Jad Hakiki in on the left inside the opening two minutes, but he was denied by Enda Minogue at close range at the expense of a corner. That would prove to be Sligo's only noteworthy attempt of the opening half, with Dundalk slowly growing into it after a nervous opening. Their own first attempt arrived on 16 minutes when Daryl Horgan's corner found Vinnie Leonard, but his looping header was comfortable for Sargeant to deal with. The former Waterford goalkeeper was then called into action again eight minutes later when he was forced to spring to his right to push Groome's long-range attempt away. The former Bray midfielder should have given the home side the lead in first-half stoppage time. Good work on the right by Declan McDaid, Shane Tracey and JR Wilson saw the latter pull back for Groome 10 yards out, but he curled his effort just the wrong side of the post. Sligo then hit the front within six minutes of the restart with a classy strike from McManus, who met a partially cleared corner at the edge of the box with a stunning right-footed effort that flew past Minogue to the top right-hand corner. It was then 2-0 on 54 minutes, with Fitzgerald's cross from the left flicked on by the head of Doyle-Hayes and into the bottom right-hand corner. Dundalk almost responded five minutes later when Shane Tracey's ball in from the right was met first-time by Gbemi Arubi, but his low effort was brilliantly turned around the post by Sargeant low to his left. Andy Paraschiv then let fly from distance on 68 minutes with an effort that dipped just over the bar before fellow substitute Dean Ebbe let the visitors off the hook on 84 when he latched onto a slack back pass to beat Sargeant, but his effort lacked the power to get across the line. Horgan then forced another fine save from Sargeant a minute later as Sligo held out for the win. Dundalk's Cup dreams are over at the first hurdle for the second year running. The main target, though, is promotion to get back to having nights like this more regularly in Oriel. Dundalk: Minogue; Wilson, Leonard, Sean McHale (O'Keeffe 22), Keogh (Spaight 71); Dervin, Tracey (Parashiv 61); McDaid (Kenny 61), Groome, Horgan; Arubi (Ebbe 61). Sligo Rovers: Sargeant; Reynolds, Denham, McClean, Fitzgerald; Doyle-Hayes (Patton 66), McManus; Elding, Hakiki, O'Kane (McDonagh 77); Waweru (Quirk 46). Attendance: 2,083
Irish Independent
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
James McManus sets Sligo Rovers on way to victory over wasteful Dundalk
Sligo Rovers' recent history in this competition has been a tale of shock exits to First Division opposition and while Dundalk's standing makes them an unlikely underdog, the gap between the two leagues is arguably growing rather than closing. For an in-form Rovers side that is showing signs that they can make a late push to avoid a relegation playoff, exiting the cup to the Lilywhites would have been hard to swallow. But they had to ride their luck to advance here, with the final scoreline not quite telling the full story of proceedings. They were under the cosh for a large part of the first half and were extremely fortunate to avoid going in behind with Harry Groome firing a left-footer wide of the post when it appeared easier to score. The let-off galvanised the guests who didn't appear to be enjoying the unpredictable surface. They emerged from the break to effectively put the game to bed with two moments of quality. Russell's July window business has centred around bringing in Premier players that know the league. The spotlight coming into the game was on Dundalk native Ryan O'Kane's first visit to Oriel Park since his loan move from Shelbourne to the Bit'O'Red. He was booed throughout, but the locals were silenced when James McManus – a temporary arrival from Bohemians – found the top corner with a delicious right-footer after a corner broke in his direction. Before Dundalk could recover from the gut punch, they were two down with Jake Doyle-Hayes glancing a Will Fitzgerald cross past Enda Minogue. It was hard to take for Ciaran Kilduff as for the second week in succession, his team fired blanks in a two-goal defeat where they had most of the chances. Their league loss to Bray is more important in the bigger picture, but Kilduff will still be frustrated by the wastefulness. His team are doing a lot of things right in the attacking department, but they met another in-form goalkeeper with Sam Sargeant making big saves from Gbemi Arubi and Daryl Horgan as the Lilywhites tried to provide a grandstand finish. Dean Ebbe squandered another big opportunity, and it's stating the obvious to declare that Dundalk will need to be more clinical if they are to achieve their aim of returning to the top flight at the first attempt. Otherwise, they could be reunited with Rovers in an end-of-season playoff. Russell and his players are thinking bigger and Drogheda's success in this competition last term has proven that cup joy and battling the drop can go hand-in-hand. With an improved league ranking meaning this is the most lucrative renewal of the competition ever with €700,000 in UEFA money guaranteed to the winners. That is a distraction that every participant will welcome. There could be further negative consequences from the night for Dundalk after the match officials noted an offensive comment made to visiting player Owen Elding in the first half. It's understood the comment from the home section was related to the player's nationality. English-born Elding is actually in the process of declaring for Ireland via citizenship rules. Elding went on to play a big role in the second half when switched to a central role and assistant boss Ryan Casey said the player wasn't bothered by the episode. Dundalk: Minogue, Wilson, Leonard, McHale (O'Keeffe 22), Keogh (Spaight 73); Dervin, Tracey (Paraschiv 60); McDaid (Kenny 60), Groome, Horgan; Arubi (Ebbe 60)
