Connolly answers his critics with away goal
EUROPA LEAGUE
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH
Dylan Connolly (Dundalk)
There were plenty of good displays from Dundalk players in Tallinn with Chris Shields, Robbie Benson and the centre half pairing of Sean Hoare and Brian Gartland all impressing. However, this game felt like a coming of age for Dylan Connolly. The winger had been receiving flak from fans earlier in the season but after his manager came out towards the end of April to defend him, his performances have been steadily improving. He got the goal that has given Dundalk a great chance of advancing to the second qualifying round and was a constant threat throughout. He was perhaps unlucky not to add a second himself while he also set up Pat Hoban for a great chance before departing to a deserved standing ovation.
TALKINGPOINT
It’s not too often you go away in Europe and outnumber the home side in terms of support but that’s exactly what happened in the Kadriorg Stadium on Thursday. There was a great travelling support in Tallinn for the game. They’ll be hoping it’s not their last trip abroad following their side this season.
HOWTHEYSTAND
Dundalk Cork City Waterford Shamrock R Derry City St. Pat’s Ath Bohemians Sligo Rovers Limerick Bray Wand
PW 25 19 25 18 25 13 25 10 25 11 25 9 24 6 24 6 25 5 25 4
D 4 3 5 7 3 3 7 5 6 3
L F 2 63 4 46 7 36 8 39 11 39 13 28 11 23 13 22 14 18 18 17
A Pts 12 61 16 57 28 44 22 37 44 36 37 30 32 25 33 23 46 21 61 15 EVERY so often you have to pause and appreciate the incredible journey Dundalk FC have been on in recent years.
It might be clichéd at this stage but it’s still less than six years ago that the future of the club was in doubt and attendances were struggling to reach the 300 mark.
Yet here the club are in 2018, outnumbering a home side in terms of support in a Europa League qualifier.
It’s one of a number of special subplots to what has been an incredible 21-game European journey under Stephen Kenny.
The story of Dylan Connolly can now be added as another.
Dundalk’s match winner in Tallinn, the 23-year-old’s 53rd minute strike was the icing on the cake of a dramatic U-turn in his fortunes at Oriel Park.
Connolly, perhaps more than any other player, came in for criticism quite a bit in the past 12 months since his transfer from Bray Wanderers last summer.
That criticism reached such a point that in late April his manager was forced to come out and defend him. At the time Connolly was a bit-part player
Levadia Tallinn Dundalk 0 1
but since then he has taken his opportunity in the first-team and his performances have been ever-improving.
There was a time when many Lilywhite fans felt the running track around Levadia’s Kadriorg Stadium might have been a more appropriate place for Connolly than on one of the flanks. A standing ovation as he came off the field two minutes from the end shows that attitude has been well and truly buried.
It wasn’t just his goal that had fans on their feet. It can take time to settle at a club and there have been numerous examples of players progressing in their second season at Oriel Park - Michael Duffy, Jamie McGrath and Sean Hoare amongst them of the current crop. Connolly had several fewer months at the club than those trio but in recent weeks it’s clear that Kenny’s message of what is expected of him is now ingrained within him.
Even prior to his goal on Thursday, his defensive work, crossing and sheer effort all showed signs of a marked improvement on just a few short months ago.
Then just three and a half months on from having to be defended by his boss, he was being celebrated as Dundalk’s hero in Europe after bursting in at the back post to finish off Duffy’s cross.
Perhaps the one regret about Connolly’s performance was that he didn’t take advantage of a superb chance to add a second after that. A second goal would have made Thursday’s second leg in Oriel Park more of a formality but as things stand this tie is very much alive.
Levadia were a lot better than many supporters had expected with their two wingers Jevgeni Harin and Marcellin Gando causing plenty of problems in the first half. Thankfully from Dundalk’s point of view they lacked a cutting edge with the biggest test Gary Rogers faced over the 90 minutes being to save a cross that had deflected off Brian Gartland. On the whole though the visitors did quite well in dealing with what Aleksandar Rogi ’s side threw at them with Gartland and Hoare barely giving their top marksman Roman Debelko a sniff.
On the whole it wasn’t a great Dundalk performance but as they’ve shown so often in the past they were still able to come away with a result despite not playing at their best.
An away win in Europe should never be taken for granted and while the opportunities were there to win by more than a single goal margin, Connolly’s goal has still given the side a superb chance of ensuring there’s at least another continental adventure for supporters to enjoy this year.