KILDUFF DELIGHTED WITH IRISH UNDER-19S WORKOUT

Ciarán Kilduff says Dundalk’s behind-closed-doors friendly with the Ireland Under-19s at Oriel Park on Saturday morning was “a proper workout”, after the teams played out a 1-1 draw, with Dean Ebbe’s opener quickly cancelled out by Charles Akimrintoyo’s penalty.

The match had been due to take place at Abbotstown on Friday evening but was called off early due to Storm Éowyn. However, Kilduff and Irish Under-19 boss Tom Mohan agreed to rearrange it for Oriel the following morning, and it proved a beneficial match for both sides.

Dundalk should have been at least one in front by half-time after creating a couple of good openings, but they eventually made the breakthrough right on the hour mark when Ebbe bundled in captain Daryl Horgan’s cross.

The Irish Under-19s responded within ten minutes, though, with Shamrock Rovers’ Akimrintoyo slotting in a 70th-minute penalty after the hosts were adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.

“It was great. Obviously, it was due to be on last night and we were desperate to get it on. We managed to get it on this morning here, it was better than any training session, lads got minutes that needed it. Some looked very sharp and ready to go. It was a good morning’s work all-round,” Kilduff told dundalkfc.com.

“We created a lot of chances. We were on the front foot for a lot of the game. They have some good players themselves, trying to play through us. We were working on a couple of aspects of our game that we knew were going to be specific for the way we want to go this season.

“A lot of it was good. Some of it wasn’t perfect, but we’ll have the video clipped for them now and we’ll chat to them about it on Monday. We’ll address some of it.

“In the end, a penalty is given, you don’t even know if it is one or not. I was having a laugh with the referee afterwards, obviously it was a pre-season friendly, but the game probably should have been out of sight by then.

“We had other chances that probably should have made that insignificant and in the end the game finishes 1-1. But it was a great morning’s work, lads looking sharp and are getting sharper week-on-week, which is a good thing to see.”

Enda Minogue played the first 66 minutes of the match having missed the two recent Leinster Senior Cup matches, with the goalkeeper wearing a protective mask having suffered a fracture to his nose in training earlier in the month.

“It was good for him,” Kilduff said, “obviously, he’s wearing that new mask on his head! It was important for him to build confidence up on that side of things. He’ll be better for it. I thought he commanded the area well and his kicking was very good at times as well. He’ll be delighted with that.

“The other time he played was down in Shelbourne in the first half and he didn’t concede then either, so he’s doing quite well. Hopefully, he’ll be feeling confident after his morning’s work.

“But it is a pre-season friendly and there are bigger things and the stakes are higher in the coming weeks. We’ll get a real taste of where the lads are then.”

New signing Ethen Vaughan played the full 90 minutes, and having been impressed with the defender in training, Kilduff was happy with his first performance in a match.

“I thought he was excellent,” the 36-year-old said. “He obviously came over and did a bit of pre-season with us before committing his future to us. I think you can see how physical he is and the way he wants to play. He’s fit and he’s hungry.

“Kind of what we said when we were starting this rebuild here, these are the types of people we want around the place. I’m delighted to have him. I think the lads are happy to see him back as well. He’s another man in the dressing-room for us, which is something we really felt we needed at this time.”

Kilduff introduced Eoin Kenny, Horgan and Ebbe at half-time and the trio combined for a goal with a swift move on the hour mark.

“In all of the games so far, we’ve been splitting up young lads and experienced lads,” the manager said. “In the weeks to come, we’ll be putting all that together with experience plus the young ones that are ready.

“We addressed that at full-time. Daryl’s decision-making to pick up the ball, take a quick throw, play a one-two and set up a goal for Dean, you don’t really coach those things, it’s just instinct.

“But it’s the mindset of being aggressive, positive and high energy, and that’s what we’re trying to get into everyone, not just a couple – that instinct to smell an opportunity, and to do it with conviction.

“I’m delighted for Dean, another goal in pre-season, which is what strikers always want, and Eoin again linking up from that 10 position. There were a lot of positives in that phase in particular.”

Dundalk finished the game with two 16-year-olds at centre-half, Vinnie Leonard and birthday boy Seán Spaight, and 18-year-old Seán Keogh at left-back in their back four, all Irish underage internationals.

“That was the whole purpose,” Kilduff explained, “to let these lads test themselves against the best that we have around in Ireland at Under-19 level. I think none of them looked out of place.

“Seán Keogh getting the 90 minutes, I thought he was excellent, to be honest, as he has been so far in everything he has done since I’ve come to the club. I’m really happy with him.

“There are a lot of lads in that bracket too that I’m delighted with. Seeing Seán Spaight, 16 today, it’s his birthday, and then Vinnie Leonard at 16. The future is bright both for the club and Ireland with these lads coming through.”

Dundalk started the game with TJ Molloy playing in behind Muhammad Haris and the 15-year-old had two big opportunities to score in the opening 45.

“That’s the only thing that we were probably lacking in the first half, was that final killer finish,” Ciarán said. “That probably comes with the way we’re playing, sometimes having the lads working a lot out of possession, that with in-possession stuff you probably lack a little bit of composure when you’re tired.

“I thought him, Mo and Aidan (Russell Vargas) as well, you’re talking about the lads that finished, but the lads in the attacking unit at the start, these are lads who are getting opportunities and coming through.

“They’re the new kids on the block, so to speak, for Dundalk. We’ve been doing that as you can see with a lot of the pre-season games, giving the lads the right amount of minutes.

“TJ’s enthusiasm, his work rate and effort is never anything that I’ve questioned since I’ve come in. I’m delighted with him. Yeah, maybe he could have had one or two today, but I’d have bigger issues if he wasn’t getting the opportunities and working as hard as he was. He can be happy with his morning’s work as well.”

Overall, Kilduff was delighted to get a different type of test in pre-season.

“It was a proper workout,” he said. “You’re playing a high quality opposition that’s not in your league and that’s hard to get in this country. We were trying to maybe get some top Northern teams to come down and play us, but obviously the way their season is on right now, it’s hard to get them.

“I thought that was a perfect test for us this morning, because they had a lot of quality as well on show. They’re well set up. Myself and Tom spoke after the game, we were both delighted with the morning’s work, we’ll both take what we can from it and hopefully be better for it moving forward.”

Dundalk dominated possession in the first half and could have hit the front in the tenth minute, but Leo Gaxha saw his shot beaten away by the ‘keeper before he was unbalanced for the follow-up.

On 31 minutes, the lively Gaxha made a great break through the middle of the park and laid the ball off to Aidan Russell Vargas, who put a perfect cross into the path of Molloy in the box but he saw his effort saved.

Five minutes before the break, Harry Groome, who caught the eye, played a neat through-ball for Molloy but the 15-year-old had his shot blocked.

In what was a competitive game, each team received a yellow card towards the end of the first half, the first for Russell Vargas after he stopped an Irish Under-19s break before the visitors picked up one for a tough tackle on Keogh.

Kilduff made four changes at half-time and, five minutes into the second half, one of those, Kenny went close with a glancing header. At the other end, Mohan’s side had a big opportunity to open the scoring but the shot was straight at Minogue.

Dundalk deservedly broke the deadlock on the hour mark when Kenny played a lovely through-ball for Horgan to run onto and his delivery into the six-yard box was bundled into the net by Ebbe.

Ireland, though, responded in the 70th minute. Dundalk were harshly penalised after the ball struck a hand in the box and Akimrintoyo coolly converted from the spot, sending Peter Cherrie the wrong way, after the Scot had only been on the pitch for four minutes.

Shortly after, Ireland went close to winning it with a header that went just over the crossbar, but in the end both sides had to settle for a draw in what was a good workout. Dundalk now prepare for the Jim Malone Cup against Drogheda United at Oriel Park on Friday night, kick-off 7.45pm.

DUNDALK FC V IRELAND U19S: Enda Minogue (Peter Cherrie 66); Ethen Vaughan, Conor O’Keeffe (Vinnie Leonard 66), Mayowa Animasahun (Seán Spaight HT), Seán Keogh; Aodh Dervin (Keith Ward 66), Harry Groome (Andy Paraschiv 66); Leo Gaxha (Gbemi Arubi 66), TJ Molloy (Eoin Kenny HT), Aidan Russell Vargas (Daryl Horgan HT), Muhammad Haris (Dean Ebbe HT).

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