Benson injury woe makes Murray’s debut bitter sweet
SEAN Murray arrived at Oriel Park determined to break into the team.
Little did he think he would be called into action so early though having replaced the luckless Robbie Benson, who suffered a cracked fibula when winning an early penalty for Dundalk in their 1-1 draw against Sligo Rovers on Friday night.
With Benson and Patrick McEleney set to be on the sidelines for some time, Murray (right) could be a key player for Vinny Perth’s side over the next few weeks.
Capitalising on an injury was not how he wanted to break into the side but the 25-year-old knows you’ve to take your opportunities when they come about and he did so with an eye-catching display against Liam Buckley’s side that included an early second half equaliser.
‘You never really want to get called on when something like that happens to one of your team-mates so that’s a bit disappointing and I feel sorry for Robbie,’ he said.
‘I never expected to play that long. I was hoping to just get on towards the end but you always prepare as if you’re going to start a game. I think that’s important because you never know what’s going to happen.
‘It’s a bit of a funny game. One week you’re not in and then the next week you’re playing.’
It was a night of mixed emotions for the former Republic of Ireland U-21 international. While he was happy with his goal, he was disappointed not to have added at least another on a night when the Lilywhites were left frustrated by the visitors.
‘I think on any other day we could have been three or four up at half-time. In the second half we had wave after wave of attack so there were positives and we have to take them away from this because some of the forward play was brilliant and if you look at the shots they had, it was very rare that they tested our goalkeeper.
‘With the way the game went we definitely didn’t want to draw. We created a lot of chances and for me personally I felt like I should have got a few more. I was happy to get a goal but disappointed I didn’t get a few more and help the team win the game.
‘We came out in the second half raring to go and to get a goal inside three or four minutes was important but we’re just disappointed we couldn’t nick a few more.’
One chance in particular that Murray felt he should have buried was a downward header in the first half that bounced up and over from about six yards out.
‘It was probably easier to score that than it was to miss but I saw it pretty late so it just sort of smacked me on the nose and the eye,’ he revealed.
‘It wasn’t ideal but that was one of the chances I should have scored. I’m frustrated with myself about that but it’s going to be a long old season so we can’t get too disheartened at the moment.’
Looking at the positives, Murray was pleased to have found the net for the first time since also scoring an equaliser for Colchester Utd in their 1-1 draw at home to Grimsby Town on January 20th last year and hopes it is the first of many for his new club.
‘I just came out of nowhere. I thought the defender was going to kick it so I just went to smash through it and luckily it found a gap somewhere and went in.
‘I’m happy because it was my first goal in a while. I’m happy to get off the mark and hopefully now I can use that to kick on a bit and score some more.
‘It all changes if we go to Finn Harps next week and get three points. Everyone’s mood will be high then. Not that it’s low now but it will give us that little boost and that will be good,’ he said.
The former Watford player also said Lilywhites fans could expect big things from his former team-mate Jordan Flores.
‘I played with Jordan when I was at Wigan so I know he’s a very, very good player. He’s got a wand of a left foot so hopefully you’ll see a lot of positives for him. He has been getting his fitness up and I think it’s important for him to do that so he stays injury free for the season.’ NEW Dundalk head coach Vinny Perth spoke about continuity in the build-up to his first league match in charge but it was frustration that was the order of the day against Sligo Rovers on Friday night.
The Lilywhites, playing their first serious game without new Republic of Ireland U-21 boss Stephen Kenny in the dugout, dominated Liam Buckley’s side from start to finish but just as in last year’s season opener against Bray Wanderers they had to settle for a draw.
Goalkeeper Ed McGinty was inspired for the Bit O Red having saved an early penalty from Pat Hoban and at least a dozen more efforts on his goal throughout.
That meant that when Jack Keaney found the net with a free kick just before the break that the upset was on. Former Irish underage international Sean Murray did manage to level early in the second half but despite 26 attempts at goal in total last season’s double champions couldn’t find a second.
It’s difficult to be too critical of the display overall. On another night Dundalk would have shown a more ruthless streak and won this at a canter. The major concern is the injuries to Robbie Benson and Patrick McEleney, which are likely to sideline both for several months.