PREVIEW: DROGHEDA UNITED V DUNDALK FC
Twelve-time winners Dundalk FC start the road to what they hope will be lucky number 13 when they face-off with Drogheda United in a 2024 Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup second-round Louth Derby at Weavers Park on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm).
The second-most successful club in the competition, Dundalk reached six consecutive FAI Cup finals between 2015 and 2020 and will hope to return to the Aviva Stadium this year under Jon Daly, who led Saint Patrick’s Athletic to the trophy only last November.
The Lilywhites have certainly improved since the appointment of Daly less than two months ago, winning three of their last six games to shoot them five points clear of local rivals Drogheda at the bottom of the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division table.
Daly has been busy in the July transfer window and will have been thrilled in particular with the performance of recent arrival Jad Hakiki in last Friday’s 4-2 league win over the Boynesiders at Oriel Park, where the former Shels man earned the Blackstone Motors Man of the Match award.
Local winger Ryan O’Kane netted shortly after Hakiki’s eighth-minute opener and Daryl Horgan added two delicious second-half strikes as Dundalk earned their first win in the derby this season at the fourth attempt, which sends them 22 miles down the road in confident mood.
On the horizon is a huge league clash with Bohemians, who sit four points above Dundalk in safety, at Dalymount Park next week. But, for now, their focus will firmly be on progressing in the Cup and, for supporters, somewhat burying the ghost of 11 years ago.
In October 2013, the Lilywhites – in the early stages of what would become a dominant Stephen Kenny era – travelled to United Park for an FAI Cup semi-final clash with their neighbours but saw Darren Meenan and Chris Shields controversially sent off within five minutes of each other, with Drogheda edging into the decider 1-0 through Gavin Brennan’s 31st-minute penalty.
That was the last time the clubs met in this competition in Drogheda. Three players who played for Dundalk that day, Peter Cherrie, Andy Boyle and John Mountney, are part of this year’s squad, although the first two are unlikely to feature here.
Mark Rossiter, who missed that tie through injury, recently joined Daly’s staff. Another, Tiarnán Mulvenna who almost snatched a late equaliser for the nine men that day, is now on the Drogheda coaching team.
Last week’s meeting at Oriel Park will also add spice to this encounter, as Drogheda’s winless run was extended to ten matches despite Walsall loanee Douglas James-Taylor scoring twice. Kevin Doherty’s side have not tasted victory since beating Dundalk 2-1 at Weavers Park on the May Bank Holiday.
That was a fixture not short on drama either. Dundalk gifted Frantz Pierrot a 55th-minute lead goal for the hosts who then had ‘keeper Jethren Barr sent off 14 minutes from time for cleaning out Cami Elliott, before Jamie Gullan hammered in the resulting free-kick.
Dundalk looked certain to take at least a point from the game at that stage but they were stunned by a 94th-minute winner from Hayden Cann, who is now a Lilywhites player. Goalkeeper George Shelvey was also shown red after the final whistle, in what would prove to be his last appearance for the club.
That was the same day that Daly’s St Pat’s lost in Sligo, leading to his departure from Richmond Park just six months after lifting the FAI Cup with them. What was the Saints’ loss has certainly been Dundalk’s gain and the Dubliner will now set about masterminding another Cup run, starting against one-time winners Drogheda.
However, Dundalk will need to improve on the form they have shown on the road in the Premier Division so far this season. They have taken just five points from the 36 on offer on their travels, scoring nine while conceding 22, their sole away win coming in Inchicore last month.
This will be the 13th time that the sides have met in the FAI Cup and the first since September 2017 when Michael Duffy, Dylan Connolly, Brian Gartland and David McMillan scored in a 4-0 win for Dundalk at Oriel Park on their way to the final.
Dundalk will be aiming to win a Cup tie away to Drogheda for the first time this week, having lost there in 1996, 2004 and 2013, while drawing in 1981 and 2011 – going on to win both of those replays back at home.
This Friday, there will be no chance of a second date, as the outcome must be decided on the night, with extra time and penalties if necessary.
The Louth Derby is one of three all-Premier Division ties in the second round with Bohemians drawn at home to Shamrock Rovers while 2022 winners Derry City entertain 2023 winners St Pat’s.
Tickets for Friday night’s game are now on general sale.
Team News
Paul Doyle misses out with a hamstring injury that he picked up in last week’s derby win but new signing Aodh Dervin is in contention to make his debut after arriving from Galway United earlier this week.
Quotes – Jon Daly
“We’d like to go as far as we can obviously. I’m the current holder of the FAI Cup in terms of the manager and I would like to go and retain it and I would like to go and win it at a different club. I know that’s very, very difficult to do and going away from home to your local rivals in the first round is very tough.
“Last week’s game will have no kind of impact or any sway on what happens on Friday night. It’s going to be a totally different game and it’ll bring its own problems.
“They’re going to outnumber us fans-wise so it’s going to be another intense atmosphere that we’re going to have to deal with and a lot of our new players will be experiencing that for the first time.
“I’ve been to a couple of Louth Derby games in pre-season, the Jim Malone Cups and stuff like that and they’ve always been good atmospheres so I’m looking forward to it.”
Match Officials
Referee: Damien MacGraith
Assistants: Allen Lynch and Chris Campbell
Fourth Official: Gavin Colfer
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