CHAMPS’ NIGHT TO SAVOUR
ON the night the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title returned to Oriel Park, Dundalk served up a five-star display against managerless Sligo Rovers to lift the trophy in record breaking fashion.
To mark their coronation night a new banner adorned ‘The Shed’ side of the old venue declaring “We got our trophy back”.
That has been something of a formality for a few weeks but the retrieval mission was one that actually started at the end of last season.
Exactly 12 months ago today Dundalk hosted Bohemians in what was their first match in almost exactly three years without the tag of champions.
As the sides took to the field before kick-off the club’s PA operator Mickey Duffy opted to play the Pavarotti classic ‘Nessun Dorma’.
Not many would have got the association at the time but the track was a nod to the fact that the Louth men had been officially dethroned by Cork City three nights earlier.
‘Nessun Dorma’ translates to ‘Nobody Shall Sleep’ with the reference being that no one at Oriel Park would rest until Dundalk reclaimed their position as ‘Champions of Ireland’.
The song has been a topic of constant debate at Oriel Park this season but last night, 364 days after its first airing, it was officially retired with a live performance by the man whose voice has greeted each of the other nine Premier Division sides on their visit to the Co Louth venue this season, David Martin — a son-in-law of club president Des Casey.
The song’s ending will be familiar to all who know it. ‘Vinceró! Vinceró! Vinceró!’ ‘I will win! I will win! I will win!’ Stephen Kenny’s men have had that exact mantra for much of this season. New chief executive Mal Brannigan, brought in at the start of February by the club’s new American owners Peak 6, had vowed on his introduction to fans that Dundalk had only loaned Cork the title and would be taking it back again. He, his manager and the players have been good to their word.
The presentation might have been in the offing for some time but in summing up their year, his side did it in record-breaking style by overtaking Bohs’ record from a decade ago of most points in a League of Ireland season.
That tally of 85 points now stands at 86, with still a game to be played away to The Gypsies next Friday.
Despite Pat Hoban having a penalty pushed onto the post by Ed McGinty after just five minutes, it took the rampant Lilywhites just four more minutes to break the deadlock when John Mountney lifted the ball over the Sligo keeper from Ronan Murray’s pass.
Michael Duffy then doubled the lead with a neat finish on 33 minutes for his 13th league goal of the season before Mountney made it 3-0 at the break with a brave header from Dean Jarvis’ cross.
The champions didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second half with the league’s leading scorer Hoban adding a brace.
The first arrived from the penalty spot on 59 minutes after Sean Gannon was felled by Niall Morahan and he added his 29th league goal of the season just six minutes later after finishing Dylan Connolly’s cutback.
Liam Buckley, the hot favourite to replace the sacked Gerard Lyttle, was amongst the 3,877 in attendance last night.
Their evening was perhaps summed up in stoppage time when Mikey Drennan had an effort blocked on the line by Gannon before Lewis Morrison blazed the follow up wide.
For them a rebuilding job awaits after a difficult year.
For Dundalk, it’s one down with the possibility of a double to follow..
It’s four league titles out of five and the first under their new owners.
Nessun Dorma might have been retired last night but you suspect there’ll be plenty to sing and dance about in Oriel Park for some time to come. DUNDALK: Rogers; Gannon, Gartland, Hoare, Jarvis; Shields (Massey 77), McEleney; Mountney (Connolly h-t), Murray (McGrath 63), Duffy; Hoban. Scorers: Mountney 9, 41; Hoban 59, 65; Duffy 33. SLIGO ROVERS: McGinty; Callan-McFadden, Sharkey, Mahon, Keaney (Morrison 65); Lynch, McCabe; Twardek, Wixted (Morahan h-t), Kerrigan (Collins 74); Drennan. Referee: Rob Rogers (Dublin).