DID YOU KNOW
SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
DUNDALK’S seventh clean sheet in-a-row is a new League of Ireland record for clean sheets at the start of the season. Only once before, Drogheda Utd in 2006, has a team opened a campaign with seven consecutive shut outs. However, one of those matches that Drogheda played against Dublin City was expunged after the club went bust meaning Dundalk now hold the new outright record. Should they manage another clean sheet at home to Bohemians on Friday night then Stephen Kenny’s side will equal the club record of eight clean sheets in-a-row achieved by goalkeeper Alan O’Neill’s back four in the 1990/91 title winning campaign. DUNDALK defender Sean Gannon believes it is vital that his side finish off the first series of matches in this year’s SSE Airtricity League with a win over Bohemians on Friday.
Barring the postponed game against Derry City which has been rearranged for May 14th, the Good Friday clash with the Gypsies at Oriel Park will see the first quarter of the season come to a conclusion.
While Bohs have been tricky opponents for Dundalk in recent seasons, even winning at Oriel at the end of last season, Gannon feels it is crucial that the Lilywhites maintain their unbeaten start on Friday night.
A win over Keith Long’s side would leave Stephen Kenny’s side at worst just a point off Cork City, a far cry from last season when they trailed the eventual champions by 12 points after the first series.
Given the number of changes to the Dundalk squad again this season, Gannon insists being in the mix at this early stage is more than satisfactory.
‘The first series of games are always very tricky because there are a lot of new squads. We’ve had a lot of new signings ourselves. We didn’t start the season well last year and we