Dundalk entered the 1994–95 season coming off a poor 1993–94, in which a general decline on and off the pitch reached a nadir – when they had missed out on the "Top Six" round-robin format that decided the title. They had also gone out early in both the FAI Cup and the League of Ireland Cup. Manager Dermot Keely was entering his first full season in charge, having replaced Turlough O'Connor early the previous season. It was Dundalk's 69th consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.
| 1994–95 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Manager | Dermot Keely | |
| Premier Division | 1st (champions) | |
| FAI Cup | Quarter-final | |
| League Cup | Runners-up | |
| Leinster Senior Cup | Runners-up | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Stephen Kelly (9) All: Stephen Kelly (11) | |
|
| ||
Season summary
editIn pre-season, veteran Gino Lawless was awarded a testimonial, and Manchester United were the visitors. In front of a packed Oriel Park, Dundalk took a 2–0 lead, and Eddie van Boxtel saved an Eric Cantona penalty, before United ran out 4–2 winners.[1] Manager Dermot Keely, a Jim McLaughlin protege who had won the Double in 1978–79 as a player at Oriel,[2] had to rebuild the squad due to its age profile, despite a worsening financial position.[3] Early in the new season, however, the financial issues came to a head, and a number of local businessmen formed a new Interim Company to take the club over, saving it from bankruptcy.[4]
Dundalk had started the season poorly, but a steady improvement in results saw them climb the league table. They reached finals in both the League Cup, (losing 2–1 on aggregate),[5] and the Leinster Senior Cup (losing 2–1), and in the FAI Cup they were defeated in the quarter-final.[6] With seven games to go in the League as many as eight clubs were in contention, but Dundalk were the most consistent, and Keely steered his team to a ninth league title on a final day of drama. They defeated Galway United at home, then, with players and supporters waiting on the pitch to hear the results of Shelbourne's and Derry City's matches, news filtered through that both had failed to win, confirming Dundalk as Champions - their third title in eight seasons. The trophy presented was that won in 1991, as the new trophy lay unopened in Athlone, where Derry City had been favourites to win out on the day. Notably, despite winning the title, nobody at Dundalk won a monthly or end of season award.[7][8]
First-Team Squad (1994–95)
editSources:[9]
| No. | Name | Years | League | FAI Cup | League Cup | Leinster Cup | Total | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Eddie van Boxtel
|
1991–1996 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| 2 |  Martin Lawlor
|
1977–1995 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 0 |
| 3 |  James Coll
|
1989–1995 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 4 | John Coady
|
1994–1996 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 2 |
| 5 | Mick Doohan
|
1993–1999 | 33 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 43 | 8 |
| 6 | Anthony Whelan
|
1994–1996 | 30 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 41 | 0 |
| 7 | Brian Byrne
|
1994–1999 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 39 | 8 |
| 8 | Tom McNulty
|
1984–2000 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 2 |
| 9 | Joe Hanrahan
|
1992–1997 | 24 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 34 | 7 |
| 10 | Stephen Kelly
|
1993–1996 | 32 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 43 | 11 |
| 11 | Mick Byrne
|
1994–1996 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 7 |
| 12 | Jody Byrne
|
1994–1995 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 0 |
| 13 | Matt Britton
|
1992–1996 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 33 | 4 |
| 14 | Ken DeMange
|
1994–1995 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 3 |
| 15 | Brian Irwin
|
1991–1995 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 4 |
| 16 | Keith Long
|
1993–1996 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 0 |
| 17 |  Tony Loughlan
|
1994–1995 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 6 |
| 18 | Warren Patmore
|
1994–1995 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 9 |
| 19 |  Peter Withnell
|
1994–1999 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
Competitions
editLeague Cup
editSource:[10]
- Group
| 11 August 1994 | Drogheda United | 0–5 | Dundalk | Drogheda |
| Stadium: United Park |
| 18 August 1994 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Monaghan United | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
| 21 August 1994 | Longford Town | 1–6 | Dundalk | Longford |
| Stadium: Strokestown Road |
- Quarter-final
| 31 October 1994 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Shamrock Rovers | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
- Semi-final
| 1 December 1994 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Derry City | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
- Final
| 15 January 1995 | Cork City | 1–0 | Dundalk | Cork |
| Stadium: Bishopstown Stadium |
| 22 January 1995 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Cork City | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
Cork City won 2–1 on aggregate
Leinster Senior Cup
editSource:[10]
- First Round
| 18 October 1994 | Dundalk | 3–1 | Whitehall Rangers | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
- Quarter-final
| 22 November 1994 | St. Kevin's Boys | 0–1 | Dundalk | Dublin |
- Semi-final
| 6 December 1994 | St James's Gate | 0–8 | Dundalk | Dublin |
- Final
FAI Cup
editSource:[10]
- First Round
| 29 January 1995 | Kilkenny City | 0–5 | Dundalk | Kilkenny |
| Stadium: Buckley Park |
- Second Round
| 26 February 1995 | Dundalk | 5–0 | St James's Gate | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
- Quarter-final
| 9 March 1995 | Dundalk | 0–1 | Derry City | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
Premier Division
editSource:[10]
| 28 August 1994 Round 1 | Bohemians | 2–0 | Dundalk |
| 1 September 1994 Round 2 | Dundalk | 0–0 | Monaghan United |
| 4 September 1994 Round 3 | St Patrick's Athletic | 1–0 | Dundalk |
| 11 September 1994 Round 4 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Cobh Ramblers |
| 17 September 1994 Round 5 | Sligo Rovers | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| 24 September 1994 Round 6 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Derry City |
| 6 October 1994 Round 7 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Shelbourne |
| 9 October 1994 Round 8 | Shamrock Rovers | 3–0 | Dundalk |
| 16 October 1994 Round 9 | Cork City | 2–0 | Dundalk |
| 20 October 1994 Round 10 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Athlone Town |
| 27 October 1994 Round 11 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Galway United |
| 6 November 1994 Round 12 | Galway United | 0–0 | Dundalk |
| 10 November 1994 Round 13 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Bohemians |
| 20 November 1994 Round 14 | Monaghan United | 0–4 | Dundalk |
| 24 November 1994 Round 15 | Dundalk | 2–0 | St Patrick's Athletic |
| 3 December 1994 Round 16 | Cobh Ramblers | 2–2 | Dundalk |
| 8 December 1994 Round 17 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Sligo Rovers |
| 3 December 1994 Round 18 | Derry City | 2–0 | Dundalk |
| 27 December 1994 Round 19 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Shamrock Rovers |
| 30 December 1994 Round 20 | Shelbourne | 1–0 | Dundalk |
| 8 January 1995 Round 21 | Dundalk | 1–3 | Cork City |
| 13 January 1995 Round 22 | Athlone Town | 0–2 | Dundalk |
| 20 January 1995 Round 23 | Bohemians | 0–0 | Dundalk |
| 2 February 1995 Round 24 | Dundalk | 6–0 | Monaghan United |
| 11 February 1995 Round 25 | St Patrick's Athletic | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 19 February 1995 Round 26 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Cobh Ramblers |
| 19 March 1995 Round 27 | Shamrock Rovers | 2–0 | Dundalk |
| 23 March 1995 Round 28 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Derry City |
| 26 March 1995 Round 29 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Shelbourne |
| 9 April 1995 Round 30 | Cork City | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| 16 April 1995 Round 31 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Athlone Town |
| 19 April 1995 Round 32 | Sligo Rovers | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| 23 April 1995 Round 33 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Galway United |
League table
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk (C) | 33 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 41 | 25 | +16 | 59 | Qualification to UEFA Cup preliminary round |
| 2 | Derry City | 33 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 45 | 30 | +15 | 58 | Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round |
| 3 | Shelbourne | 33 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 57 | Qualification to UEFA Cup preliminary round |
| 4 | Bohemians | 33 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 48 | 30 | +18 | 53 | Qualification to Intertoto Cup group stage |
| 5 | St Patrick's Athletic | 33 | 13 | 14 | 6 | 53 | 36 | +17 | 53 | |
| 6 | Shamrock Rovers | 33 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 45 | 36 | +9 | 51 | |
| 7 | Cork City | 33 | 15 | 4 | 14 | 55 | 42 | +13 | 49 | |
| 8 | Sligo Rovers | 33 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 43 | 42 | +1 | 43 | |
| 9 | Galway United | 33 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 39 | 53 | −14 | 39 | |
| 10 | Athlone Town (O) | 33 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 31 | 44 | −13 | 32 | Qualification to Relegation play-off |
| 11 | Cobh Ramblers (R) | 33 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 29 | 51 | −22 | 26 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
| 12 | Monaghan United (R) | 33 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 22 | 75 | −53 | 19 |
References
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
- ^ "Ince perfect". Sunday Independent. 31 July 1994. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- ^ Quinn, Philip (5 November 1993). "Keely is just the man to lead Dundalk back to top". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- ^ "Season at Oriel "ends with a whimper"". Dundalk Democrat. 2 April 1994. p. 24. Retrieved 21 September 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- ^ Hyland, Paul (4 November 1994). "New backers save Dundalk from the threat of closure!". Evening Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- ^ Stuart, Charlie (23 January 1995). "League Cup win perfect tonic for Cork City". Irish Press. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Stuart, Charlie (10 March 1995). "Derry Delight". Irish Press. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Brennan, John (24 April 1995). "Wild scenes of celebration at Oriel Park". The Irish Press. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- ^ Dunne, Noel (24 April 1995). "Keely manages a miracle at Oriel". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- ^ Murphy, Jim (2013). A Dundalk FC Miscellany. Ireland: Self-published. p. 287.
- ^ a b c d Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC - the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 475.