“I’LL NEVER FORGET THIS PLACE” – JOHNSON

Zak Johnson says Dundalk is a place that he will “never forget” after he pulled on the white jersey for the final time at Oriel Park on Friday night, with the young defender disappointed that he could not “end on a high” in front of the home support.

The centre-half, who only turned 19 in late May, will return to his parent and hometown club Sunderland after this Thursday’s trip to reigning champions Shamrock Rovers, following a successful loan spell which included collecting two of The 1903 Supporters’ Club Player of the Month awards.

Johnson has made 17 league appearances, 16 of them starts. He was a key player as Dundalk set a new club record of eight consecutive home clean-sheets between March and June, a proud run that came to a close with a 2-0 defeat by Waterford on Friday, as Johnson amazingly conceded for the very first time on the Carrick Road.

Following the departure of fellow youngster Zak Bradshaw as he returned to Lincoln City after the conclusion of his loan deal, Dundalk will have another huge void to fill ahead of the Louth Derby on July 12th.

And Johnson could not speak more highly of the club, its supporters and the League of Ireland, as he prepares to say a “very sad” final goodbye at Tallaght Stadium, stating that Dundalk will have played a “massive part” in his development whatever level he reaches in his career.

On leaving Dundalk…

“I just firstly want to say a massive thank you to the fans. They have supported me my whole time here. It’s a place I’ll never forget. I think it’s a huge learning curve for me going forward. Dundalk have a massive part to play, however high I get and achieve.

“Secondly, obviously I’m gutted for the lads that I couldn’t end on a high here. We’ve got Rovers to look forward to, so hopefully we can put it right there, which will be my last game. I’m fully focussed on recovering now and preparing for that game.”

On if he wanted to stay…

“It wasn’t necessarily my decision. I would have loved to stay, but it’s a mutual agreement where there’s an opportunity to play in a higher division, which is ultimately my aim. I think that is everybody’s aim in their careers.

“I feel it was a no-brainer to go back and try to push myself as much as possible. But that’s not taking away from how much I’ve loved it here and how much I love the lads. It’s a brilliant group, it’s an unbelievable team with an unbelievable fan base. I’m very sad to be going.”

On his progress in the team since March…

“I made my debut against Waterford (March 15th) all those months ago. Looking back, two Player of the Month awards and a nomination for the Soccer Writers’ Player of the Month, I think it has been a very positive loan spell.

“I felt that everyone supported me, the fans, whoever has come to watch the games has always supported me. I’ve always tried to give my best for them, 100 percent every game. It’s just sad that I haven’t ended up with a win in Oriel, but I’ll never forget this place.”

On the strength of the defence at Oriel since his debut…

“Eight games without conceding, I was hoping it was going to be nine. That would have been amazing for me. But I think it’s a record that probably won’t be broken and I’m privileged to be a part of that.

“I played every single game. I loved stepping out at Oriel. It has been amazing for me. Just again, the fans have been unbelievable in supporting me and supporting my journey here. I’m just so thankful.”

On the result against Waterford…

“It was just moments in the game. If you take away those two goals, I think they were their only opportunities, there was nothing between the teams. We had chances. Mounts (John Mountney) had a few chances, Cami (Elliott) had a header, we probably had more of the chances.

“But it’s moments at the end of the day and that’s probably why Waterford are so high up the table. They take those moments and they kill teams off. They’ve got very good attacking power in their lineup, they’re a strong side. We tried our best but they were just the better team on the night.”

On Dundalk’s position going forward this season…

“I see them climbing much higher in the table. The group of lads that we have isn’t a reflection of where we are. I think you can see that with the teams we’ve gone toe-to-toe with. No team has come here and got an easy game in a long time.

“I feel that’s a credit to us, and if we improve our away form, I think there’s no doubt we can climb the table.”

On Jamie Gullan’s absence…

“He’s a huge miss. He’s a brilliant outlet for us up front, allowing us to progress the ball higher. I’m not sure how long it will be before he’s back in the side but hopefully his injury isn’t too severe and we can get him back in as soon as possible.”

On Zak Bradshaw leaving…

“Me and Zak got on really well. We were probably two of the closest in there together, so it was really sad to see him go. But that’s no excuse for not keeping that clean-sheet. I feel like whoever gets thrown in there, with the quality of players that we’ve got in our team, can do that job.

“It’s a massive credit to Seán Keogh, I thought he was absolutely brilliant on the night. I thought he was one of our best players. He filled in that left-back role, which was a big role from missing Zak. He didn’t look out of place at all, which was a credit to him.”

On his return to Sunderland and getting into the team there…

“That’s my aim. You’ve always got to aim as high as possible. Sunderland is my home club, so it would be an absolute dream to play for them and even get a run of games for them in the Championship.

“That’s the aim – go back, have a good pre-season and try to get in the team. The lads are back in currently but I go back in after the Rovers game.”

On his outstanding moment at Dundalk…

“I would probably say beating Rovers here. That 1-0, John Mountney, last minute, I think that’s the standout moment. There was a lot of pressure on us in that game and up until the 90th minute I think there were eight points between us and Drogheda.

“At the end of that game, we closed the gap to three, which was huge for us. I feel like that’s probably the most standout moment, but every moment has been unbelievable, every clean-sheet I’ve got has always felt special. The feeling has never gotten dull, I’ve always loved it. I’m going to miss here.”

On League of Ireland football…

“It’s a very good league and I urge any player to get out of their comfort zone and come and test themselves in different leagues. Move away from their families and try to test themselves as much as possible, because I feel that’s when you grow up and mature as a player.

“I’ve loved every minute of it.”

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