Win against Cork would be music to all our ears

DUNDALK FC Sheppard expects Dundalk to have too

MICKEY Duffy has been known to divide opinion at times with some of his musical choices at Oriel Park.

Quite often the club’s long-standing PA announcer has a mischievous side to some of the tracks he plays but one constant this season has been the playing of local tenor David Martin’s version of Nessun Dorma just before kick-off.

The track has proved a little bit like Marmite at home games this season, with supporters loving and hating it in equal measure.

On this occasion though, there is method to Mickey’s madness.

The Blackrock man first played the aria from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot before the final home game of last season against Bohemians.

It was Dundalk’s first match in almost exactly three years where they didn’t carry the tag of champions. Cork City had taken their crown and it hurt.

That night, myself and Mickey spoke of the relevance of the track and that conversation undoubtedly led to its current residency on the match night track list.

Best associated with Italia 90, Nessun Dorma actually translates to ‘Nobody Shall Sleep’.

The idea behind playing the song before each home game is an acknowledgement on Mickey’s behalf that no one at Oriel Park will rest until the league title is back where he feels it belongs.

Dundalk have a chance to take a big step towards that goal and banishing Nessun Dorma from the playlist in the process when they take on Cork City at the Carrick Road venue this Friday night.

The importance of the head to head meetings between the sides in recent years cannot be underestimated and given the form of both sides in recent weeks it is likely they could well decide the outcome of this year’s title too.

In 2014, it was three wins over Cork City – including that memorable final day win at Oriel – which secured the first of Kenny’s titles at the club.

A win and two draws in the head-to-head was also vital to the double success of 2015 while in 2016 it was a Daryl Horgan-inspired performance in a 2-1 win that October at Oriel Park which ultimately set the Lilywhites on course for three in-a-row.

Even last year, for all the plaudits Cork City took for their stunning start to the season, it was the seven points they took from matches against Dundalk which ultimately separated the sides at the end of the campaign.

This year it’s a case of one won, lost won for both.

The respective for of the two sides means that neither look like slipping up against the rest of the division.

So, if either can steal a march by winning on Friday night it could be massive come the end of the season.

After the weekend’s game there will still be a dozen matches left but such has been the consistency of both that Dundalk going two ahead or Cork four could be massive.

The visitors are likely to play defensively in the knowledge that a point keeps them at the summit with Dundalk still having to travel to Turner’s Cross in September.

There’s no side better at sitting back and frustrating and then hitting a team with a sucker punch than Cork though and that remains a worry.

Dundalk can take heart from their recent performances and the fact that they have already beaten Cork City on home soil this season.

That game in March might have ended up as just 1-0 but, in truth, it was as comprehensive a victory as you’re likely to see.

The Lilywhites have really found their shooting boots since then and if they bring them on Friday night they can take a huge step towards banishing Nessun Dorma from the PA’s speakers for at least 12 months.

The song’s ending will be familiar to all who know it. ‘Vinceró! Vinceró! Vinceró!’ Translated this means: ‘I will win! I will win! I will win!’

You can imagine Dundalk and Kenny will have a similar mantra when they take to the field as its rings out on Friday night. HAD things worked out a little differently last winter then Karl Sheppard might have been feeling a case of deja vú this week.

The winger was heavily linked with a transfer to Dundalk FC in the close season, even signing a pre-contract with the club, only to do a U-turn after last November’s FAI Cup final to opt to remain at Cork City.

While last season will be best remembered on Leeside for their league and FAI Cup double, another highlight of 2017 for the Rebels was Europe where they ironically faced both of the sides that Dundalk have been paired with in the Europa League qualifiers last month.

Dundalk have been drawn against Levadia Tallinn, a side Cork City beat 2-0 in Estonia and 4-2 in Turner’s Cross last year, in the first qualifying round with the prize up for grabs for the victor a second qualifying round tie against AEK Larnaca, who won 1-0 at home and away to knock John Caulfield’s side out of Europe 12 months ago.

‘What are the odds on that?,’ remarked Sheppard when discussing the draw with The Argus on Wednesday.

While no two matches are the same, the 27-year-old said he fully expects Dundalk to advance from their game with Levadia Tallinn.

‘I’d fully expect Dundalk to be very happy with that draw,’ he said.

‘We played them last year and I think we beat them quite comfortably on aggregate.

‘We found them quite direct. Going abroad we thought teams would be a bit better at keeping the ball but with them they were all about hitting their striker. It was almost like you were playing a League Two team in England, it was that sort of style.

‘They leave themselves quite open to counter attacks and even just attacks in general but they are quite strong at crossing the ball but at the back they’re not the best. You’d definitely expect Dundalk to be happy with that draw. For me, I think they’ll beat Levadia quite comfortably.’

Sheppard warned the Lilywhites though that they could have to deal with high winds in the first leg on July 12th.

‘I just remember that pitch being quite dry. It’s a nice enough little stadium but it’s very windy and open to the elements.

‘Even on a summer’s day it was very, very windy because there’s no back or front to the stadium but it’s a nice area for the fans going over.

‘At home Levadia were probably worse than they were in Turner’s Cross. They actually started quite