IGNORE ALL THE sub plots and soap opera storylines.
The only thing of consequence that matters here is that for the first time in three months Dundalk are off the bottom of the Premier Division table.
A thrilling, nerve-wracking 3-2 win over St Patrick’s Athletic saw them leapfrog Louth rivals Drogheda United.
It’s the best possible start to life at Oriel Park for new boss Jon Daly, four points from the last two games bringing new life to their season.
That this win – courtesy of a fine brace from Jamie Gullan and a Ryan O’Kane strike in the first half – came against the club that sacked him just last month will be all the sweeter.
The same can’t be said for Stephen Kenny in the opposite dugout, taking charge of a game against the side he won four league titles with and led into Europe for an historic Europa League campaign before eventually becoming Republic of Ireland manager.
Kenny enjoyed his first win in four games courtesy of a late goal against Galway United on Friday but this defeat just cut through optimism. Pat’s are third bottom, a third defeat in five, and while there is a seven-point cushion on Dundalk the haphazard nature of how they conceded two goals inside the opening four minutes shows there is serious work to do.
The revival that came before the interval, with Chris Forrester scoring from the spot and Jamie Lennon lashing one home from cloe range, proved hope but little else.
After seven minutes there were ironic chants of “There’s only one Stephen Kenny” and “Stephen Kenny, he’s one of our own” from the travelling supporters.
They had two superb goals – albeit the second was also fortuitous – to celebrate before some home fans had even taken their seats.
Gullan’s sensational free kick found the top right corner from a central area 25 yards out. The award of the set-piece may have been soft, Lennon making minimal contact on Cameron Elliott, but the finish was emphatic.
There were only two minutes on the clock and two minutes later the lead was doubled, a stunning counter attacking move from a poor Jake Mulraney free kick catching the Saints cold.
Daryl Horgan – one of Kenny’s stalwarts during the golden era at Oriel Park – collected the free on the right corner of the Dundalk box after it had been easily cleared.
The superb Archie Davies galloped forward in support and almost reached the opposite penalty area before chopping back inside on Lennon. He weighed up his options and fizzed a ball to the left where O’Kane was arriving.
Mulraney had also retreated by this point but the winger couldn’t prevent his man cutting inside and O’Kane’s low shot somehow squirmed under the body of Rogers and trickled over the line.
It was vintage Dundalk; sharp, incisive and exciting.
Kenny was there to watch but would not have been enjoying it.
His evening got worse on 22 minutes when, once again, Davies and Horan combined down the right. The latter used his experience to pick a clever pass inside for Gullan rather than playing a blind cross into the box.
The Dundalk attacker had time to take a touch and set himself, driving a low show with his left past Rogers.
Daly and his players celebrated as one by the away dugout.
But there’s a reason Dundalk have picked up just two points on the road this season and the getting-to-know you phase delivered a reminder of their vulnerabilities as Pat’s rallied with two goals in eight minutes.
The first was from the penalty spot, Horgan penalised for a handball at the back post when he denied Luke Turner’s goal-bound effort.
Forrester sent Ross Munro to his left and slotted the ball in the opposite corner.
There were 27 minutes gone but the evening was whizzing by in a whirlwind.
It continued on 35 minutes when, amid a sea of bodies in the Dundalk box, Lennon retained the composure required to fire the ball into the roof of the net from Cian Kavanagh’s knock-down at the back post.
Again it was a set-piece that was Dundalk’s undoing from Forrester’s initial corner.
The breathlessness continued after the break even if the goals didn’t.
Davies was shown a yellow card for a lunging tackle on Kian Leavy and could easily have been shown a second yellow moments later for a deliberate handball. Mason Melia was carded for a high challenge on the full back and Paul Doyle was forced off from midfield with a bloodied face just after the hour.
Dundalk looked shaky at the back when under pressure but Pat’s just weren’t capable of sustaining attacks with conviction.
The home crowd grew restless and agitated as Dundalk’s understandable game management – time wasting if you’re not reading a coaching manual – kicked into full gear.
Goalkeeper Munro went down with a phantom muscle strain to kill some seconds as Dundalk headed for the final quarter with a one-goal lead to protect.
Both sides made changes with Kenny re-jigging things by dropping Lennon to right back and bringing Romal Palmer and Brandon Kavanagh into the midfield with Melia moving centrally in attack.
Last week’s match winner Alex Nolan also replaced left full Luke Turner in another attacking gamble with 19 minutes remaining.
Daly was imploring his players to push higher up the pitch and avoid defending on their own 18-yard box. He needed a fresh attacking impetus to relieve some pressure and the introduction of Eoin Kenny – Stephen’s son – provided it.
Instead it was Gullan who almost sealed the points, and his hat-trick, when he nipped in ahead of Conor Keeley and raced through one-on-one with Rogers. He was coming in from an angle on the left but the goal was at his mercy only for his shot to be well saved by the goalkeeper.
Eoin Kenny forced a save from Rogers in injury time but there was to be no final twist after a wild, chaotic evening.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Rogers; McLaughlin (B Kavanagh 59), Redmond (captain), Keeley, Turner (Nolan 71); Melia, Lennon, Forrester, Leavy, Mulraney (McClelland 78); C Kavanagh (Palmer 59).
Dundalk: Munro; Davies, Johnson, Boyle (captain), Bradshaw; Horgan, Muller, Doyle (Mountney 63), O’Kane (Durrant 63); Elliott (Kenny 75), Gullan (Ainmasahun 84).
Referee: R Hennessy.
Attendance: 3,934
Written by David Sneyd and posted on the42.ie
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