CLASS APART
AS STEPHEN O’Donnell said his goodbyes to the Dundalk players on Monday morning, shortly after being relieved of his duties as head coach, the selflessness that Robbie Benson had grown so familiar with was evident once again.
Despite the very personal trauma of losing his job, O’Donnell was already thinking about others. “The first thing was he just thanked us for our efforts,” said Benson, recalling the conversation with a man he first encountered as a team-mate just over eight years ago.
“He was disappointed because he felt like he could turn it around, and we felt we could turn it around. “But it’s the owner’s prerogative at the end of the day and he is doing what he feels is right for the club.
“He just thanked us and wished us all the best. He said if we ever needed anything in the future, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone.
“He is a good person; aside from football stuff he is someone you can rely on.”
Benson first linked up with O’Donnell ahead of Dundalk’s unforgettable 2016 campaign, when the club became the first Irish side to pick up points in the Europa League group stages.
First
It was also Benson’s first year as a full-time footballer after spells with Athlone Town and UCD.
“He was a great teammate originally when I came here, he was a great captain and a great coach as well,” said Benson.
“He is someone I have learned a lot from. He has given me a lot of guidance and I am very grateful to him for that.
“As a player, going back to the European run when I first came in (in 2016), we really hit the heights that year, it was as good as it gets. I was probably spoiled.
That was a great run.
“Then beyond that to him as a coach, obviously the Cup win with Pat’s was very good, and just learning a lot from him.
“If you sit down with Stephen and talk about football, you will see how much he knows.
“Just because he has lost his job here, it doesn’t make him a bad coach overnight.
“The year before he came here, Dundalk were down towards the bottom of the table and in the mix for a relegation play-off, with a team vastly more experienced than it was here.
“The next year he turned it around and finished third.
“At Pat’s, they were in the wilderness for a few years after they won the league back in 2013. But he went in and won a Cup and really challenged Rovers that second year I was there.
“So he does have that capability and wherever he goes in the future he’ll make a success of it.”
Reflecting on the past few days, Benson said: “Tough, yeah. It’s a strange one starting off Monday morning and the manager is coming in and saying goodbye.
Move
“But that’s football, you have to move on. There is a game on Friday and that is the important thing for us as players.”
“You feel for him as a person, from human to human..
“When a manager loses his job it’s a reflection on the team as well.
“We know we have a lot of work to do to get back up to where the club should be.”