DID YOU KNOW
SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
CHRIS Shields’ long run without a league goal finally came to an end against Shamrock Rovers on Friday night, albeit in fortuitous circumstances. The last time the 27-year-old was on target in the league was back on August 16th 2013 in a 2-0 victory over Sligo Rovers at Oriel Park - a game which current team-mate Pat Hoban also scored in. On what was his 135th league start for Dundalk on Friday night, Shields brought that drought of 1,636 days or 4 years, 5 months and 24 days since his last league goal to an end. It was the 13th goal of the midfielder’s career and his third against Shamrock Rovers. His last goals in any competition came in August 2016 when he was on target twice against Crumlin Utd in the FAI Cup. Now that Shields’ league drought is at an end, Daniel Cleary is the Dundalk player with the longest gap sinec scoring a league goal. He hasn’t been on target in a league fixture since scoring in a 2-1 win for Liverpool U-23s against Leicester City U-23s in a Premier League 2 game on May 4th 2015. Excluding the new arrivals, Sean Hoare now has the longest drought without a league goal having not been on target since notching the opener for former club St Patrick’s Athletic in a 3-0 win away to Galway Utd on May 10th 2016. AS match winners go they don’t come much more unlikely for Dundalk than Chris Shields.
The midfielder’s somewhat fortuitous goal just after the hour mark against Shamrock Rovers on Friday night proved to be decisive as Dundalk moved top of the table for the first time this season.
It ended a run of 1,636 days or 4 years, 5 months and 24 days since his last league goal for Dundalk against Sligo Rovers back in August 2013.
While he has scored in cup competitions since then - most recently hitting a brace against Crumlin Utd in the FAI Cup in August 2016 - Dundalk hadn’t won the title since 1995 the last time he was on target in the league.
Since his last goal Dundalk have played 149 league games, with Shields involved in 123 of them.
He might have had a stroke of luck in scoring on Friday night but the nature of the goal couldn’t keep the smile off the 27-year-old’s face as he made his way out of the dressing room after the game. ‘I’ll definitely take it,’ he beamed.
‘It has been a long, long time since I scored in a league game and thankfully it was a decider in what turned out to be a tough game in the end.
‘I was disappointed because I had scuffed the cross but then I seen it just trickle towards the back post. I think there was a mix-up between their keeper and their centre half and it just bounced off the post and went in. I was one happy man,’ he said.
That 62nd minute goal added to Robbie Benson’s opener 10 minutes earlier and Shields praised his midfield colleague’s persistence in following up a move he had started by bundling in the rebound after Patrick Hoban’s shot had been saved by Kevin Horgan.
‘It was brilliant play from Robbie so I suppose he deserved the goal at the end of the play. It’s good for him because goals are a big part of his game and tonight he got a goal that his performance deserved.’
The one slight downside for Shields was that Dundalk lost their impressive clean sheet record when Daniel Carr headed home 15 minutes from the end to set up a nervous finish.
‘I suppose it wasn’t going to go on forever,’ he said.
‘We are disappointed to concede such a sloppy goal. We pride ourselves on setting up right from set pieces so to concede a goal in that manner was disappointing and then it puts pressure on us going into the last few minutes. Thankfully though we dug in to see the game out.
‘We went top tonight though and that’s where we want to stay. Now we want to kick on and starting from now our big plan is to stay there.’
It’s Shields’ old club Bray up next at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday night and the midfielder is hopeful Dundalk can keep their winning run going at the seaside venue.
‘We dropped two points to them on the opening day of the season so we want to rectify that in a big way so hopefully we can keep these consecutive wins going,’ he said.
After so long off the scoresheet, sometimes goals can come a bit like buses. So can we expect to see Shields on target again on Friday?
He doesn’t think so.
‘That’s me for another five,’ he laughed on what was a memorable night for Dundalk’s joint longest serving player. GOALKEEPER Gary Rogers is hopeful of being back in action for Dundalk’s trip to the Carlisle Grounds to face Bray Wanderers on Friday night.
The 36-year-old sat out the 2-1 victory over Shamrock Rovers last weekend having torn his calf in the early stages of the win over Bohemians the previous week.
Prior to the game with the Hoops on Friday, Rogers was put through his paces by goalkeeping coach Steve Williams and incredibly he could now miss just one league game despite initial reports he would be out for up to a month.
‘I’d be hopeful of being back next week,’ said the Meath man.
‘I’m progressing well and I’m feeling good. It just has to keep improving like it has but I’d be hoping to be in contention for Bray. Everything has gone to plan so far but it’s the manager’s decision as well whether I’m right or not.’
Rogers admitted he was more nervous watching on as a spectator than he would be if he