Stephen Kenny deserves his dream job but we weren’t ready to lose him

THE town has been through the ringer in the last week as the Irish manager’s job came up following the departure of Martin O’Neill.

Would Stephen Kenny get a chance at the Irish job?

The town was abuzz with speculation.

Last Friday morning as I walked through the town centre I had three or four conversations with people I met who wanted to talk about what was likely to happen and I overheard several other conversations on the same topic with the first question after a greeting, ‘what about Stephen Kenny?’.

I overhead two ladies who I would never have suspected of being football supporters discussing Stephen Kenny’s job prospects.

We all now know, what has transpired with Stephen Kenny leaving Dundalk for the Irish Under 21s before taking over the senior job from Mick McCarthy in 2020, but it was a mark of the man and the impact he has made in Dundalk that he was the only topic of conversation in the town during the past week.

I was at a family wedding at the weekend and as the text message pinged on my phone about the deal the FAI had constructed I was briefly guilty of turning the mood from one of celebration to a wake as the news settled on our table and those nearby.

We all knew that the day would come when Stephen Kenny would outgrow Dundalk and move on to pastures new.

He is an ambitious football manager and wants to test himself at a higher and higher level.

We just didn’t want the end to come so soon and so quickly. We certainly are numb at the suddenness with which it has all happened.

It is ironic that his departure has come at a time when his stock has never been higher having completed a second league and cup double or at a time when he has a settled squad of players with no significant departures from his squad unlike previous seasons when he has lost players such as Pat Hoban, Richie Towell, Ronan Finn, Andy Boyle, Daryl Horgan, David McMillan or Patrick McEleney.

All his star players are tied down with contracts and the club are seeded in the Champions League draw.

Still he will be hugely missed. He was the best manager the club has ever had.

Away from the pitch, he is a gentleman who had made a lasting impression on all who met him.

WE ALL KNEW THAT THE DAY WOULD COME WHEN STEPHEN KENNY WOULD OUTGROW DUNDALK AND MOVE ON TO PASTURES NEW