Almost the green light for Keogh
REPUBLIC of Ireland international central defender Richard Keogh has targeted a return to action in October.
Keogh, 33, who joined MK Dons last week, has been sidelined since suffering serious knee ligament damage in a car crash last December which led to his sacking by Derby County.
He will miss the start of the season next month and Dons’ boss Russell Martin said: “He’s desperate to get back, but we have to be patient with him.
“He’s not a million miles away.
“Once he’s on the pitch, he will add a huge amount.
“He’ll help make our young players better.
“He has been one of the best defenders in the Championship for a long while.
“I know he has been out for a while but sometimes you have to be brave.
“We’ve worked really hard on it for quite a while.
“Once I knew he was available, I was desperate to bring him in.
“I’ve played against him for a number of years and played with him many moons ago.
“I know what he’s like as a character, and think he’s exactly what we need on and off the pitch.
“It’s a really big statement of intent of where we want to go.
“He will add a huge amount to the culture of the club.
“He’s desperate to be involved in football, he really sees the potential here and he really wants to be a part of it.
“And that’s so important – that someone wants to be here. He has been my number one target in that position for a long time.”
VINNY PERTH is confident Dundalk have the firepower for Europe – but only if they bring their ‘A game’.
The league champions have slipped eight points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers after banking just one point from six since the resumption.
They don’t look themselves and Perth hopes they find their best form in time for the Champions League clash with Slovenian side NK Celje tomorrow week.
That one-off game is set to be played in Budapest – one of UEFA’S ‘neutral hubs’ - and
Perth (above) said: “We’re comfortable that we have the firepower to do well in Europe, albeit it hasn’t been good enough in the last two games.
“Our team really relishes European football and we’ve a lot of experience in the group in that regard.
“We’ve had over 40 European ties in the last seven or eight years and that gives us a good insight into what we’re facing and how we prepare.
“But what we do on the pitch is the only thing that matters. We have to bring our A game – and we’ve not done that in recent games.”