STADIUM ‘ROCKIN’ AS FANS DARE TO DREAM
EUROPA LEAGUE
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH
Chris Shields (Dundalk)
When you reflect how far Dundalk have come in recent years it’s hard not to think of Chris Shields, a man who was booed in his debut season at the club back in 2012. Since then he has gone from strength to strength and he continues to get better. He was superb again on Thursday night in frustrating Levadia as they pushed for a way back into the game in the second half. He was excellent in midfield on the night and is quickly becoming more and more of a club legend. Special mention also to Michael Duffy for one of the finest goals you’re likely to see in Oriel Park for some time.
TALKINGPOINT
Just how far can this European adventure go? Dundalk weren’t brilliant over two legs against Levadia and will need to up their game ahead of the meeting of AEK Larnaca but there’s little doubt they have that in their locker. Dundalk fans have been spoiled by European nights and we’ll have at least two more to look forward to now. Here’s hoping that’s not all for 2018 though.
HOWTHEYSTAND
PW D Dundalk 25 19 4 Cork City 25 18 3 Waterford 26 13 5 Shamrock Rov 26 11 7 Derry City 25 11 3 St. Patrick’s A 26 10 3 Bohemians 26 7 7 Sligo Rovers 25 7 5 Limerick 26 5 6 Bray Wand 26 4 3 L F 2 63 4 46 8 36 8 40 11 39 13 30 12 29 13 25 15 19 19 17 A Pts 12 61 16 57 29 44 22 40 44 36 38 33 35 28 33 26 48 21 67 15 Ah here we are and here we are and here we go
All aboard and we’re hitting the road Here we go, rockin’ all over the world Ah giddy-up and giddy-up and get away We’re going crazy and we’re going today Here we go, rockin’ all over the world And I like it, I like it,
I like it, I like it I li-li-like it, li-li-like Here we go, rockin’ all over the world
THE Status Quo anthem has long been a firm favourite at full-time in matches at Oriel Park but it took on new meaning on Thursday night.
Victory over Levadia Tallinn had just set up a Europa League second qualifying round tie with AEK Larnaca and the old venue was quite literally ‘rockin’ as its fans plotted another trip to another corner of the continent.
Another European adventure was firmly underway and boy did the sold out crowd know it.
Forget age, forget what part of town you’re from, what job you do or how long you’ve been following the club. The exploits of Dundalk FC have unified a town and brought a huge smile to the face of its people. That alone is a victory that almost betters any silverware this team has or will manage.
It’s not that long ago that a trip to the likes of Finn Harps was considered exotic. Now Dundalk fans are plotting the best way to get to Cyprus in early August.
This incredible European journey that Stephen Kenny has taken the club on over the past five seasons has seen supporters embark on journeys they could have only dreamed about not so long ago.
It’s 11 countries in total: Luxembourg, Croatia, Belarus (twice), Iceland, Poland, the Netherlands, Russia, Israel, Norway, Estonia and now Cyprus and there will be a genuine hope that this year’s adventure won’t end there.
Thursday’s second leg was far from a classic with the Lilywhites never really moving up through the gears like we all know they can. Nevertheless it served up two moments of magic that will live long in the memory.
Pat Hoban’s header to open the scoring on 31 minutes was exquisite but it paled in significance to Michael Duffy’s second just two minutes later when he volleyed high to the net from what seemed like an impossible angle on his weaker left foot. What made the finish even more impressive was that Jamie McGrath admitted afterwards that he had overhit his delivery. It said a lot about it that there were more than a couple present proclaiming it the best goal they’ve ever seen live.
Those goals had cut the nervous tension in the air but it was soon to return when Roman Debelko pulled a goal back for the visitors just before half-time.
Credit to Levadia, they threw the kitchen sink at Dundalk after that but, in truth, there was never anything really thrown at him that would have had Gary Rogers worried.
It was by no means the perfect display. Dundalk, which is most unlike them, went a long period of the second half without creating anything while a number of displays were sub-par. The players won’t need their manager to tell them that they will have to be better when Larnaca ccome to town. Yet we all know there is more in the tank and that gives reason for excitement.
That said, there were positives to take from the match. Each game at this level brings about the kind of experience that can’t be coached into players. In the second half when the going got tough the likes of Chris Shields came to the fore. It’s easy for fans to bemoan the calming influence of Stephen O’Donnell in games like these but Shields is getting better and better and his determination and drive are a source of inspiration for those around him. The defence too can be pleased overall with their display. Levadia did plenty of pushing over the two legs but Dundalk were rarely swayed.
There will be harder tests ahead but then again sometime the first hurdle is the toughtest to get over. Dundalk weren’t outstanding against FH in 2016 either and look where that campaign took them.
No one is getting ahead of themselves and looking beyond Larnaca but the past five years have made us all dream and last Thursday’s victory has only refuelled those passions.
It was a tetchy first half of few chances and six bookings, four of which went the visitors’ way. Levadia, just like in the first leg, embarked on a physical approach and one thing that can’t be taken for granted is how well Dundalk maintained their discipline. Well into the second half the foul count read 18-3 as a number of the Estonian side’s players walked a thin line between being aggressive and being nasty.
The visitors were fired up for it in the early stages but it was Dundalk who conjured up the first shot on target on six minutes when Sergei Lepmets got down to save from Hoban after Robbie Benson had won the ball back on the edge of the area.
There was a definite needle to it and that continued when Hoban went close again on 25 minutes. Shields floated a ball into the box with the striker getting up above Lepmets to crash a header off the bar but referee Adrien Jaccottet gave a free out.
If Hoban had no luck on that occasion then there was no stopping him on 31 minutes. Sean Gannon found space on the right to cross with the Galway man getting across Igor Dudarev to send a deft header to the net off the inside of the lefthand post for what was his 22nd goal of the season.
Within two minutes Dundalk were two ahead with a truly mag- ical goal. Hoban was involved again as he showed the other side of his game in picking the pocket of Maksim Podholjuzin. Still there appeared to be little on when McGrath picked the ball up. He dinked a ball to the back post more in hope than anything else but despite it being overhit Duffy met it first-time on the volley to hammer a shot past Lepmets from the tightest of angles.
Levadia were in no mood to throw in the towel though and after Marcellin Gando had a goal ruled out for offside they pulled one back three minutes before the break when Debelko raced through to fire low past Rogers after the referee had played advantage after Brian Gartland had upended Nikita Andreev in the build-up.
The Ukrainian striker then went close to levelling matters within five minutes on the restart when he found space on the right to get a shot away but thankfully for Dundalk his effort was across the face of goal and wide.
Aleksandar Rogic’s side be- gan to pile on the pressure with Nikita Andreev heading just over on 65 minutes before Svraka stung the palms of Rogers a minute later as they pressed for a way back into the game.
Andreev then dragged another effort wide on 75 minutes before glancing another header off target eight minutes later.
A deft header that Lepmets saved from Krisztián Adorján was the biggest threat Dundalk served up for a long period of the second half but the home side did have a chance to seal the game three minutes from the end when a Hoban cross just evaded the inrushing Benson.
It might not have been superb stuff but it was equally a tie that Dundalk never looked like losing.
Oriel Park partied as the full-time whistle went as ‘Rockin all over the World’ proved the perfect soundtrack as people soaked up the atmosphere.
It was followed by Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Glory Days’. These are glory days, indeed. We should all savour them while we can.