Kenny keen to keep his Euro stars together for next year

SOCCER SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE

DUNDALK manager Stephen Kenny insists he wants to keep the bulk of the current squad together for next season.

With just 39 days between now and the end of the domestic season, this is traditionally a time when clubs would start to tie down their key men.

The majority of the current Dundalk squad are out of contract at the end of this season, although their deals have at least been extended until December to accommodate the club’s Europa League campaign.

After a week in which the Lilywhites impressed again in Europe, there have been fears that cross channel clubs might look to snap up some of Kenny’s leading lights.

However, while he does not know when contract talks will begin, Kenny told The Argus on Monday that it was not his intention to let any key men leave.

‘I’m not sure what we have planned,’ he said when asked about contracts.

‘It is a busy time but everyone will get a chance to take stock in the coming weeks.

‘We do want to keep our best players though,’ he said.

Dundalk’s busy period continues this week with home league games against Shamrock Rovers tonight (kick-off 7.05pm) and on Friday against Derry City (kick-off 7.45pm), both of which will be televised on RTÉ Two.

With Cork City closing the gap at the top to four points with victory over Finn Harps on Monday night, Kenny is well aware of the importance of the two matches and expects ‘two tough games’ against sides currently looking to secure European football for next season.

‘Shamrock Rovers have had a lot of young players in their team of late but they’ve had a couple of big defeats in the last few days against Cork so it’s likely we’ll see a more experienced team at Oriel Park.

‘They’ve five or six really experienced lads who weren’t in the team in recent weeks but there’s a good chance we’ll see them. Either way it will be a really tough game.

‘It’ll be the same on Friday as well. Derry are still very much in the title race and in the race for Europe. The fact that both games are on TV will only get players more motivated.

‘The challenge for us is to remain focused,’ he said.

Kenny said he has been happy with his side’s preparations for the two matches against the sides currently side third and fourth respectively.

He knows Shamrock Rovers will be without the suspended Trevor Clarke and the injured Brandon Miele and Luke Byrne but he is hopeful of having a full panel to choose from with Darren Meenan expected to return from to the squad, meaning Ciaran O’Connor (hip) is the only absentee.

While Dundalk have earned plenty of plaudits in the last few days for their exploits against AZ Alkmaar last Thursday, Kenny insists his side must put thoughts of Europe behind them to avoid suffering a European hangover.

‘It was a great finish to the game in Holland with Ciaran Kilduff scoring in front of our supporters. It was a deserved result for the efforts we put in I thought but we have no time to dwell on that.

‘We’re facing two teams in the top four and we have to be psychologically prepared and make sure we’re ready for that,’ he said.

Reacting to the 1-1 draw in Alkmaar last Thursday, Kenny admitted it felt like a victory.

‘I said to the players after the game that we didn’t win the game but it felt like a win because being 1-0 down with a goal that we probably didn’t need to concede and then to have our captain sent-off, to still have the belief to come back and get an equaliser was superb.

‘I thought my players were extremely courageous and I can’t speak highly enough of them.

‘I felt our first half display, we had a lot of good play and some mistakes. Daryl Horgan lit the place up with a dazzling display of wing play and our passing was quite good at times. The second half obviously changed on the goal and the sending off.

‘AZ looked to get a second goal a few times but out of nowhere defenders just put their bodies on the line. We’ve had that spirit for the last three seasons and that’s why we’ve won league titles because the players are willing to put their bodies on the line for each other. You can’t win anything without that determination to fight for each other.’

With two home matches to come, Kenny said he would be targeting further upsets with one eye on a spot on the latter stages in the New Year.

‘We’ve two home games now and we’ll have to see how that goes. We can review it after those three games and we’ll have a better idea of where we stand.

‘For people in Ireland it’s very important for them to know that that’s not it for us. We didn’t just qualify for the group and then say that’s it. It doesn’t have to end here. We want to show we can do well in the group and try to get some results and we hope that they really get behind the team against Maccabi and Zenit over the next month. It’s an important result in that regard,’ he said.