Kenny still has business to do
DUNDALK manager Stephen Kenny expects to make three additions to his squad before next Wednesday’s SSE Airtricity League transfer deadline.
Two members of last season’s squad are expected to re-sign before the weekend, while a move for an attacking player is also in the pipeline.
With goalkeeper Gary Rogers picking up a calf injury in last Thursday’s Leinster Senior Cup, former U-19 netminder Ben Kelly is set to rejoin the club as back-up.
The 19-year-old was third choice goalkeeper with the club last season but, as he is no longer eligible for the U-19 league, departed for Leinster Senior League side Malahide Utd last month.
With Rogers possibly out of action for up to six weeks, Kelly is set to re-sign and should be on the bench as back-up to Gabriel Sava for Friday night’s President’s Cup tie against Cork City at Turner’s Cross (kick-off 7.45pm).
Meanwhile, locally-based defender Shane Grimes is also set to be handed a new contract for what will be his seventh season at Dundalk over two spells, the first of which began in 2005.
Grimes, who will turn 30 next month, is currently recovering from a serious hamstring injury which he picked up in last October’s 5-2 defeat away to St Patrick’s Athletic at Inchicore.
While he will be unavailable for some time yet, Kenny insists he will be delighted to have the left full back on board.
‘Shane won’t be available for a couple of months but he has had a brilliant attitude since getting injured and been an exemplary professional.
‘Fergal Kerin has been delighted with his attitude and we’ll be delighted to have him back on board.
‘While he had to support Dane a lot last season, he played in some very important games and it’s a sign of his quality that every game he played in we won,’ said Kenny.
With last season’s top scorer David McMillan also set to miss the start of the season with a knee injury, Kenny has also turned his attention to a striker.
‘We will add one more attacking player,’ he said.
‘It’s within our resources to do that. We had been looking at another wide player but with David being injured we may need to get someone in who can play up top.
‘I’m looking at a few options at the moment and we’ll see what happens.’
The manager said he hoped to have the deal done by the weekend although insisted the new recruit would not be in the squad to face Cork City on Friday night.
Dundalk will be without a number of players for the trip to Turner’s Cross.
The aforementioned McMillan and Rogers will both miss the start of the season. No comeback date has as yet been scheduled for McMillan while Rogers faces anything between a month and six weeks out with a grade two tear of his calf.
New signing Jamie McGrath will also miss the Cork game due to a shin splints problem. Fellow new recruit Steven Kinsella returned from La Manga on Monday where he was with the Republic of Ireland U-19s and will feature in tonight’s (Tuesday) friendly away to Longford Town.
Another new signing, Michael Duffy, is set to sit out the game at the City Calling Stadium but will be in contention to play against Cork.
Dundalk, who on Monday received their Premier Division licence for the coming season from the FAI, have been given a further boost ahead of the new campaign with the news that Stephen O’Donnell is set to receive an amnesty on the suspension which was due to rule him out of the league opener at home to Shamrock Rovers on Friday week, February 24th. That game will now be shown live on eirSport, with a later kick-off time of 8pm.
A taster for the season ahead will be served up when Dundalk and Cork City go head to head once more in Turner’s Cross on Friday where the Lilywhites will be looking to retain the trophy which the Rebels won last year courtesy of goals in either half from Gavan Holohan and Sean Maguire.
Speaking ahead of the game, Kenny said: ‘We wanted the game to be at home but unfortunately it’s not and we’ve to go to Turner’s Cross. It’s a good place to play and will be a good test for us.
‘Some of the players are really looking good at the moment. Ciaran Kilduff is in great form and midfield is probably our strongest area at the minute. Conor Clifford has had a very good pre-season and Patrick McEleney I think is a bit special.
‘If he can just avoid injury he could have a big season for us but he’s in very good condition at the minute. Robbie Benson is in very good form too and has really matured.’
While pleased with how his side have performed in pre-season so far, Kenny insists his team have been given the hardest possible start to the new campaign.
‘Between players leaving and players injured we’re going into the season without over half our first team from last year and that’s the big challenge. It’s no accident that in the first six games we’re facing the top six from last season, plus Limerick.
‘We’ve Sligo, Derry and Cork all away and Limerick, Rovers and Pat’s at home.
‘That’s not an accident. The computer just didn’t decided that, the same way as it didn’t just decide I’d face Shamrock Rovers in my first game at Dundalk back in 2013.
‘It’s strategic and that’s a real challenge but we’ll just have to hit the ground running.
‘Hunger is not an issue. A lot of the players we’ve brought in are quite young and there has been an age shift in the squad so the big challenge is to ingregrate them all,’ he said.
‘We play Cork on Friday and they are many people’s favourites for the league. Their big plus point is they have continuity from last year. Ironically people didn’t fancy us last season after we lost Richie Towell but players stepped up and they can again. The players we have brought in such as Michael Duffy, Jamie McGrath and Steven Kinsella can also have a big impact.
‘We’ve also got Niclas Vemmelund and Sean Hoare which gives us real options at the back as well,’ said Kenny.