Hobinator plotting a sequel to blockbuster 2018 season
DUNDALK striker Pat Hoban has fired a warning to the rest of the league that he is starting 2019 with records and silverware in his sights.
Despite 32 goals in all competitions and a league and FAI Cup win last season, the 27-year-old believes he and his team-mates can top that this season.
While 2018 was a year Hoban will never forget, he wants this year to be even better.
Whatever end of season honours he ends up with, the Loughrea man can ensure his place in the club’s history books for definite in the coming weeks. With 63 league goals to his name for the Lilywhites he is just seven shy of breaking Joey Donnelly’s record of 69 which has stood since he netted his last league goal for the club almost 76 years ago - a penalty in the 3-0 victory over Cork
Utd at Oriel Park on February 21st 1943.
It’s something which Hoban has now targeted after closing the gap dramatically with a club record 29 league goals on his return to the club last season.
‘It has to be in your sights,’ he said.
‘It’s a target I never thought of until it was said last year and now it’s a target I’d definitely like to beat and then set a new target for whoever is next in line to come in years to follow.
‘I’d like to set a healthy sum of goals for them to try to reach in years to come.’
So how does he top a season in which he set a new
Premier
Divi- sion goals record?
I just have to keep doing the same thing, putting in hard working performances and then the goals will come,’ he told The Argus.
‘I always work hard and hopefully the boys keep creating chances for me and then it’s up to me to put the ball in the net. The only way you can beat last year is to put the ball in the net more times than I did last year.’ Despite his record breaking return last season, when it came to personal honours one Player of the Month award was all Hoban won with not even a further nomination. He says he’s happy to continue to prove his doubters wrong.
‘That’s their point of view. All I can do is keep concentrating on myself and what we’re doing here as a team.
‘Personally to get plaudits for scoring goals is not up to me. All I can do is keep putting in a shift because when I get better hopefully the team can keep getting better behind me.
‘Doubters can keep doubting me but at the end of the day I have to just keep proving them wrong.’
While Dundalk have their doubters as well following Stephen Kenny’s departure to take up the Republic of Ireland U-21 job last November, Hoban says the Lilywhites are still top dogs. ‘We’re the team to beat at the end of the day. We’ve won the double last year so everyone is trying to catch up to us.
‘We have to treat the league like we haven’t won anything. We have to do it all over again because at the end of the day what we’ve achieved is all in the past now. My 29 goals last year to me is all in the past. You’ll look at those things when you finish your career but this year we have to go and try to win everything and to try and improve again because teams are improving so we have to make sure we’re on our game come Friday.
‘There’s a point to prove for everyone to try and go on and do better. Stephen has left a very good legacy here but we’ve to carry that on now and strive to do better. There’s no point resting on what we did last year. We have to go and do it again. That’s what proper champions do.
‘You’re playing for Dundalk Football Club. When you come sign for this club your aim is to win trophies and it’s going to be no different this year,’ said Hoban.