Dundalk entered the 1990–91 season having ended the previous season trophy-less for the first time since Turlough O'Connor's debut season as manager in 1985–86. They also had no European football, having not qualified for any of the competitions the season before. It was Dundalk's 65th consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.
| 1990–91 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Turlough O'Connor | ||
| Premier Division | 1st (champions) | ||
| FAI Cup | 1st Round | ||
| League Cup | Group | ||
| Leinster Senior Cup | 2nd Round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Peter Hanrahan (18) All: Peter Hanrahan (20) | ||
|
| |||
Season summary
editA number of key players from the Double-winning 1987–88 season had moved on at the end of 1989–90, and they were joined early on by Tony Cousins, who signed for Liverpool in September.[1] A new look side opened the season with a 7–0 hammering of Longford Town in the Leinster Senior Cup,[2] but some poor results saw early exits in both the Leinster Cup and the League of Ireland Cup.[3] The 33-round League programme commenced on 2 September 1990, and in the opening match Dundalk were well beaten by Shelbourne, 5–1.[4] That defeat, after a poor sequence, sparked a recovery and, with the exception of two defeats to newly promoted Sligo Rovers, they went the rest of the season unbeaten. Midway through the season, however, they suffered a shock 1–0 defeat in the FAI Cup to non-League Ashtown Villa.[5] The league schedule was completed on 21 April 1991 and, in an end of season, winner takes all match in Turner's Cross against Cork City, Dundalk won the title for the eighth time, with the winning goal being scored by cult hero, Tom McNulty.[6]
First-Team Squad (1990–91)
editSources:[7]
| No. | Name | Years | League | FAI Cup | League Cup | Leinster Cup | Total | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alan O'Neill
|
1985–1993 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 0 |
| 2 | Martin Lawlor
|
1977–1995 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 0 |
| 3 |  James Coll
|
1989–1995 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 3 |
| 4 | Ronnie Murphy
|
1990–1993 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 1 |
| 5 | Gino Lawless
|
1986–1994 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 2 |
| 6 | Dave Mackey
|
1988–1993 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 3 |
| 7 | Michael Kavanagh
|
1990–1994 | 29 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 35 | 1 |
| 8 | Tom McNulty
|
1984–2000 | 32 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 10 |
| 9 | Peter Hanrahan
|
1990–1994 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 20 |
| 10 | Terry Eviston
|
1986–1993 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 10 |
| 11 | Mick Shelley
|
1985–1993 | 33 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 1 |
| 12 | Paul Brady
|
1990–1993 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 1 |
| 13 | Tony Cousins
|
1988–1990[a] | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| 14 | Roddy Collins
|
1989–1991 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| 15 | Eamon Synnott
|
1990–1992 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 1 |
Competitions
editLeinster Senior Cup
editSource:[8]
- First Round
| 16 August 1990 | Dundalk | 7–0 | Longford Town | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
- Second round
| 23 August 1990 | Dundalk | 0–1 | Athlone Town | Athlone |
| Stadium: St Mel's Park |
League Cup
editSource:[8]
- Group
| 19 August 1990 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Monaghan United | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
| 26 August 1990 | Drogheda United | 0–0 | Dundalk | Drogheda |
| Stadium: United Park |
| 30 August 1990 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Athlone Town | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
Did not qualify for Quarter-final
Premier Division
editSource:[8]
| 2 September 1990 Round 1 | Dundalk | 1–5 | Shelbourne |
| 9 September 1990 Round 2 | Athlone Town | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| 13 September 1990 Round 3 | Dundalk | 4–1 | Bohemians |
| 23 September 1990 Round 4 | Limerick | 0–4 | Dundalk |
| 30 September 1990 Round 5 | Dundalk | 0–0 | Waterford United |
| 7 October 1990 Round 6 | Sligo Rovers | 0–2 | Dundalk |
| 14 October 1990 Round 7 | Dundalk | 3–0 | St Patrick's Athletic |
| 21 October 1990 Round 8 | Derry City | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| 24 October 1990 Round 9 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Galway United |
| 4 November 1990 Round 10 | Shamrock Rovers | 0–0 | Dundalk |
| 11 November 1990 Round 11 | Dundalk | 0–0 | Cork City |
| 18 November 1990 Round 12 | Cork City | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 23 November 1990 Round 13 | Shelbourne | 1–2 | Dundalk |
| 29 November 1990 Round 14 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Athlone Town |
| 9 December 1990 Round 15 | Bohemians | 0–2 | Dundalk |
| 23 December 1990 Round 16 | Waterford | 1–3 | Dundalk |
| 30 December 1990 Round 17 | Dundalk | 0–2 | Sligo Rovers |
| 13 January 1991 Round 18 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Derry City |
| 20 January 1991 Round 19 | Galway United | 2–3 | Dundalk |
| 27 January 1991 Round 20 | Dundalk | 0–0 | Shamrock Rovers |
| 31 January 1991 Round 21 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Shelbourne |
| 10 February 1991 Round 22 | Athlone Town | 1–3 | Dundalk |
| 14 February 1991 Round 23 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Bohemians |
| 17 February 1991 Round 24 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Limerick |
| 19 February 1991 Round 25 | St Patrick's Athletic | 0–0 | Dundalk |
| 24 February 1991 Round 26 | Limerick | 0–3 | Dundalk |
| 3 March 1991 Round 27 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Waterford United |
| 17 March 1991 Round 28 | Sligo Rovers | 0–0 | Dundalk |
| 31 March 1991 Round 29 | Dundalk | 0–0 | St Patrick's Athletic |
| 1 April 1991 Round 30 | Derry City | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| 14 April 1991 Round 31 | Shamrock Rovers | 1–2 | Dundalk |
| 14 April 1991 Round 32 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Galway United |
| 21 April 1991 Round 33 | Cork City | 0–1 | Dundalk |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk (C) | 33 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 52 | 17 | +35 | 52 | Qualification to 1991–92 European Cup |
| 2 | Cork City | 33 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 45 | 18 | +27 | 50 | Qualification to 1991–92 UEFA Cup |
| 3 | St Patrick's Athletic | 33 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 46 | 21 | +25 | 44 | |
| 4 | Shelbourne | 33 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 59 | 30 | +29 | 42 | |
| 5 | Sligo Rovers | 33 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 34 | 22 | +12 | 38 | |
| 6 | Shamrock Rovers | 33 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 51 | 37 | +14 | 37 | |
| 7 | Derry City | 33 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 51 | 28 | +23 | 35 | |
| 8 | Galway United | 33 | 9 | 5 | 19 | 34 | 61 | −27 | 23 | Qualification to 1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup |
| 9 | Bohemians | 33 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 27 | 42 | −15 | 22 | |
| 10 | Athlone Town | 33 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 53 | −31 | 19 | |
| 11 | Waterford United (R) | 33 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 22 | 62 | −40 | 17 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
| 12 | Limerick City (R) | 33 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 21 | 73 | −52 | 17 |
FAI Cup
edit- First Round
| 10 March 1991 | Dundalk | 0–1 | Ashtown Villa | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
Awards
editPlayer of the Month
edit| Month | Player | References |
|---|---|---|
| October | Peter Hanrahan
|
[9] |
| April | Tom McNulty
|
[10] |
Footnotes
editReferences
edit- Bibliography
- Murphy, Jim (2003). The History of Dundalk F.C.: The First 100 Years. Dundalgan Press. ASIN B0042SO3R2.
- Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 1-86223-135-4.
- Citations
- ^ "Uncle Kenny signs Cousins for Liverpool". Irish Independent. 28 September 1990. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Four for Cousins". Irish Independent. 17 August 1990. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Peter to the rescue". Irish Independent. 31 August 1990. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Newe look suits Shels". Irish Independent. 3 September 1990. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Cryan, Tom (11 March 1991). "Ashtown Villa grab glory in Dundalk". Irish Independent. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "'Mighty Mac' hits glory goal". Irish Independent. 22 April 1991. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- ^ Murphy, Jim (2013). A Dundalk FC Miscellany. Ireland: Self-published. p. 279.
- ^ a b c d Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC - the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 474.
- ^ "Dundalk's Peter Hanrahan". Cork Examiner. 20 November 1990. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Title-clincher McNulty takes final award". Irish Independent. 3 May 1991. Retrieved 30 November 2019.