Cold turkey not nice but keep the faith

THE loyal Dundalk supporter is starting to suffer withdrawal symptoms.

Fed on the high octane of success for over three seasons, indeed at times sparkling champagne football during last season’s glorious European campaign, they are now finding it difficult to cope.

Friday night’s 2-1 defeat to bottom of the table, Galway United, who had failed to win any of their previous nine games and scored just six goals in those games was a real blow to Dundalk’s prospects of lifting their fourth League title in a row.

They are now twelve points behind runaway leaders, Cork City after the completion of the first series of games.

Ironically though had Dundalk beaten Galway, as expected, they would have had an accumulation of 24 points for the first series of 11 games, just four short of last season’s tally of 28 after the eleven games.

At that stage Dundalk, who had won 9, lost 1, and drawn 1, of their opening series of eleven games, led the table by four points from Cork City on 24, points, with the Leesiders winning seven, drawing 3, and losing just one of their opening series of games.

The stark contrast with this season is Cork’s exceptional run of 11 straight wins from their first series of games - a feat never previously accomplished and which has led to the conclusion that the League is already over with just a third of the games completed.

It is a deduction that is entirely reasonable for apart from Dundalk, who are struggling for form, and Bray Wanderers who, to their credit, took Cork all the way in their Friday night encounter, it is difficult to see any of the contenders who were identified before the start of the League, Shamrock Rovers and Derry City, mounting a challenge to Cork at this stage as they are 20 and 18 points respectively behind the leaders.

For Dundalk caught in the Cork mainstream it has been a very sobering League campaign to date, losing four of their 11 games. Their patchy form caused in part by injuries and trying to settle a host of new players into the side would have been sufficient to at least keep them in touch with Cork had the leaders not set such a blistering pace which, even in their wildest dreams, could not have predicted their yield of 33 points from their first eleven games.

Indeed it is worth recording that Cork’s tally of 33 points is not far short of half the average tally of points needed to win the League in recent seasons.

The trouble now for Dundalk is the stark realisation that even if they beat Cork in their remaining home and away games against the leaders, it will only half the current deficit, leaving the champions the considerable task of winning all their remaining games and hoping that Cork will drop points to other opponents, which seems a forlorn hope given the form of the leaders and the quality of opposition.

It is therefore a massive task for manager, Stephen Kenny and the players to find the motivation to sustain the remainder of their season. True they have the prospect of participation in the European Champions League, and Cup competitions but will that be sufficient to inspire them in their search to product the quality of football seen in recent seasons at Oriel Park ?

Supporters too, nurtured on success for the past three seasons, will also be searching for the same motivation to sustain their attendance at Oriel Park, for while unquestionably the loyal fan will remain, it will be a fidelity test for the many who have jumped on the bandwagon.

It goes without saying that the team and the club need all the support they can muster at this critical stage and not just to maintain the investment in the team and the ground but to provide the encouragement that the manager, his staff and the players themselves need to produce their best form.

Cork’s outstanding run in total contrast to Dundalk’s faltering start could never have been anticipated, and illustrated yet again that football, and all sport can be unpredictable - it’s one of the main reasons why we love it.

Who is not to say that this season may yet have many twists, and end in glory for the town.

We must keep the faith.