DUNDALK BIG ON BEN
DUNDALK are expected to complete their first signing of the off-season later this week with the capture of UCD’s Robbie Benson.
Manager Stephen Kenny had initially said he would be happy to hold on to his double-winning squad for the 2016 campaign but the departure of Richie Towell to Brighton and Hove Albion last week has pressed him into action.
Athlone native Benson (23) is now understood to be the first of two expected arrivals at Oriel Park.
The top scoring midfielder in the country with nine goals in 2013, he scored the winner in 3-2 victory for the Students at Oriel Park that season – a match that his new team-mate David McMillan also scored a brace in.
Benson also scored against the Lilywhites in 2014 but on this occasion it was a consolation goal from the spot in a 5-2 defeat.
While he spent last season in the First Division, scoring seven times in 18 league games as well as featuring in all four of the Belfield outfit’s Europa League matches, it is only now that the former Irish underage international has sought a move having completed his studies.
Asked about the possible arrival of Benson, Kenny told The Argus that ‘something might happen’ in that regard.
The manager did confirm that he was looking to make two additions to his squad following Towell’s departure, with the club still heavily linked with a move for Derry City’s Patrick McEleney. According to The Irish Sun last week Dundalk would have to pay €28,000 to the Candystripes in consolation for the 23-year-old midfielder but they have recent history in that regard having paid Cork City €20,000 for Daryl Horgan in 2014.
Horgan handed the Lilywhites a significant boost last week when he put pen to paper on a new contract for 2016, despite reported interest from League One side Peterborough and Dutch Eredivisie side Den Haag.
‘We’re very pleased to be holding on to Daryl,’ said Kenny.
‘A couple of weeks ago I felt like we might lose Richie Towell and Daryl. Richie got an exceptional move to Brighton so keeping Daryl is very important. He is a year-anda-half younger than Richie so he has plenty of time to follow in his footsteps.
‘He was terrific for us last season. He really had an outstanding season and he was only second to Richie in the Player of the Year voting.
‘We were a decent team before we signed him but he gave us another dimension and is the best winger in Ireland for me,’ said Kenny.
Asked could Horgan now thrive even more in the role of ‘main man’ following Towell’s departure, Kenny said: ‘I think he flourished a lot last season.
‘He had an outstanding year but there is capacity for improvement with him which is exciting.’
The next player Dundalk hope to tie down to a contract for 2016 is right back Sean Gannon although Kenny admitted that deal was being complicated by the ankle injury the 24-year-old sustained in the FAI Cup final victory over Cork City in the Aviva Stadium a month ago.
‘Sean’s injury is problematic and not straight forward,’ said Kenny.
‘He may need an operation but he hasn’t been able to see a specialist yet. He went away for almost three weeks after the cup final and since he came back we haven’t had a chance to sit down with him but we’ll look into that this week.
‘We would like to keep him,’ said the manager.
Kenny also welcomed the €38,970 windfall that the club received from UEFA last week for complying with the Financial Fair Play payment system.
Derry City, Sligo Rovers, and St Patrick’s Athletic will also receive the same amount for complying with UEFA’s strict financial guidelines for the season before last. That year Stephen Kenny’s side competed in the Europa League, beating Luxembourg outfit Jeunesse Esch before bowing out to Hajduk Split on away goals despite a famous win in Croatia.
This is a redistribution of monies withheld from other clubs who competed in European competition in the 2014/15 season and breached the Financial Fair Play rules.
This amount is on top of the €100,000 received for winning the league and the €4,000 received last month for topping the SSE Airtricity League’s Fair Play rankings.
Kenny said: ‘ We earned that by winning the league. We also won the fair play award for the second year in-a-row so these are things that indirectly we’ve earned from our success and it is very welcome.’
He really had an outstanding season and he was only second to Richie in the Player of the Year voting.