Euro odyssey is even beyond King Kenny’s wildest dreams

DUNDALK manager Stephen Kenny described his side’s historic victory over BATE Borisov last Tuesday as something ‘beyond our wildest dreams.’

For the second time in the space of 13 years the 44-year-old Dubliner overcame a 1-0 first leg deficit to guide his side to a 3-0 victory over the Belarusians.

The difference between then and now is huge though. In the intervening years BATE have grown to become a huge force in their own domestic league and Champions League regulars.

Beating them sent shockwaves right around Europe and the result is that only Legia Warsaw and 180 minutes stand between Dundalk and a place in this season’s Champions League. Even if they fall at that hurdle later this month, Europa League football is assured right through to December and millions of euro with it that should sustain the club’s future.

It really was the stuff of dreams and marked another huge stepping stone in the club’s remarkable journey under Kenny since he took charge of the club in late 2012.

‘I just can’t believe it,’ he said afterwards.

‘It’s amazing to qualify for the group stages from where we’ve came from from the bottom of the league. That is beyond our wildest dreams really.

‘This club was seven years in the First Division and it is really a backwater the First Division and it is difficult to get out of. A club can die down there and I’ve seen one or two clubs absolutely go out of existence and Dundalk went close to that apparently the year before we came in.

‘When Andy Connolly and Paul Brown came in to take over the club they travelled up to the Inishowen Peninsula where I live and said they don’t want to advertise the job or to interview anyone we just want you to take the job.

‘I wasn’t jumping through hoops but I said I’d consider it.

‘I felt I could work with them and I knew Dundalk had a tradition and a fanbase from a passionate football town and they were the real things that stood out for me and those two ingredients were the main reasons why I went.’

Despite dreaming big from the moment he arrived at Oriel, not even Kenny could believe how far and how quickly his side have come.

‘No I would never have believed you but since taking the job we’ve just tried to find players who are good footballers and really want to get better and have the right character. We have recruited players of real character and they’ve shown that week in, week out and I’m very proud of them.

‘Everyone who was here will know they were part of something special and it’s not often that happens. You never forget it. All of the players families, it’s special for them and all of the staff.’

Kenny said he knew his side had more to show after losing the first leg and was delighted he was proven right.

‘It was an incredible night really to be involved with Dundalk Football Club. We felt winning the league as convincingly as we did last season would give us the confidence to go and qualify for the group stages of a European competition. That’s easier said than done though because it’s bloody hard and history proves that.

‘We got a bit of a chastening in Belarus last week but I think it was just the culmination of missing a night’s sleep coming from Iceland and getting back on a plane to go to Belarus and the impact that had on us. But we showed character to stay in the game over there when other teams would have been beaten out the door. This was just a brilliant football display from players who believe in themselves and they showed their true talent to win in style.

‘We were in a situation where we couldn’t afford to concede the first goal or we needed to get three and against a team of BATE’s experience if they get the lead against you then you’d find it very hard to get three goals.

‘They’ve such a brilliant record in European competition but we showed our quality tonight to beat them 3-0. People will be shocked right throughout Europe at that but I think it was fully merited.’

Kenny admitted he didn’t overly celebrate David McMillan’s second as he knew an away goal at that stage would put BATE back in the driving seat but he described Robbie Benson’s third as a ‘ pure ecstatic moment’.

He said: ‘The thing about BATE is they always find a way of getting through. We’ve looked at their results and they go through on an away goal a lot. They have a great winning mentality.

‘They’ve won 10 leagues inrow and always find a way to get through. Even at 2-0 I was thinking they’ll get a chance here so we need to concentrate. That’s why I didn’t celebrate the second goal so wildly. We needed to stay very focused because they could have come straight back to score and we’re out.

‘The third goal was just a sea of emotion everywhere. It was just ecstacy and it was great to be a part of that.’

While he prize money for the win got plenty of mentions after the game, for Kenny it was all about the glory.

‘I’m sure it does go along way to securing the club’s future and these are all discussions we can have in the future but to me it’s about the glory of the football tonight.

‘To win a game of that magnitude in such style and to know you’re going on to play a further two games of that magnitude is the beauty of it.’

Now Kenny is targeting further progression to the group stages of the Champions League.

‘It’s a big opportunity now to get to the Champions League and one we must take seriously,’ said the manager.

‘We can take great confidence from beating BATE.

‘Tonight was just sheer ecstacy because people didn’t expect it. BATE have just such pedigree and they get there nearly every year in the group. They took four points of Roma, beat Bayern Munich the year before and consistently get good results. They have more than 600 European appearances between them and everyone is an international but we don’t have any internationals. It was just sheer ecstacy and sheer joy.

‘It’s a culmination of your life’s work to get to the group stages. You have a desire and work towards that every day and prepare for it. You want to be in with Europe’s elite. All of the clubs in the fourth round are clubs from major cities with major fanbases in major stadiums but we are a small club but what this group of players have achieved so far is unbelievable but it doesn’t have to stop here,’ he said.