NO HIDING PLACE FOR DUNDALK BY DANUBE
We haven’t been good enough, says McEleney
ON the banks of the Danube, it’s sink or swim time for Dundalk this evening (5.45) in the Champions League when they square off against Slovenian kingpins Celje. Already eight points adrift of Shamrock Rovers after eight games in the league, there have been signs of battle fatigue creeping into the ranks of a hardened crew, many of whom have been on the march since 2014. Under head coach Vinny Perth, nothing short of victory is expected against unseeded Celje, especially as the tie has been moved to neutral Hungary.
Perth knows he’s in the spotlight, arguably even more so than his players.
Following his touchline spat with John Sheridan last Friday at Oriel, the focus is on Perth to oversee a performance worthy of Dundalk’s champion status. That would silence Sheridan and any other doubters.
The worrying thing for Perth is Dundalk’s stuttery form. Since the restart, they have managed one win, against Waterford in the Extra.ie FAI Cup, and have looked vulnerable, – quite unlike the team who have dominated domestic football since 2014.
‘We just haven’t been firing. The players look at ourselves, nobody else, and it’s not good enough. We all know that. It is up to the players and there are big characters to turn that over,’ acknowledged midfielder Patrick McEleney.
Dundalk need to deliver not just for themselves but for the league, as it would be an embarrassment if the Irish champions were unable to survive a lower round of Euro competition.
‘Champions League football is what we worked hard for all last year and what every player wants to play in. The boys are looking forward to it,’ McEleney added.
‘We’ve won so much domestically here that we really, really want to do well in it.
‘We have before so there is no reason why we can’t. We’re ready and excited.’
There is no shortage of Euro experience and know-how in the Dundalk ranks.
The likes of Gary Rogers, Sean
Gannon, Dane Massey, Brian Gartland, Chris Shields and John Mountney have been there from day one.
Top scorer Patrick Hoban, ace winger Michael Duffy, schemer McEleney and central defender Sean Hoare have been around the Euro block too.
The Lilywhites squad did their video analysis on Celje on Sunday and they have also been briefed about Slovenian football by winger Nathan Oduwa who spent 18 months in the country with
NK Olimpija Ljubljana between 2017 and 2018.
Victory for Dundalk would top up their Euro earnings by a minimum of €560,000 and set up a second qualifying round home tie next week at Oriel Park.
All financial rewards are welcome, especially as Dundalk had to split the cost of hiring Budapest’s Ferenc Puskas Stadium with Celje.
Technically sound like all teams from the Balkans, the Slovenians are playing their first Champions
League tie; in contrast Dundalk are chalking up their 33rd game in the competition, and their 75th in Europe overall.
This is Dundalk’s third European Cup/Champions League visit to the Hungarian capital. In 1967, they were humbled 8-1 by Vasas before holding Honved 1-1 in 1991.
‘We have too many big characters to be where we are, and too big to be performing how we are,’ added McEleney.
TV: Celje v Dundalk, RTÉ2, KO 5.45.