The debate may persist in some quarters about whether they are the best Irish side of all time, but when it comes to the way they have repeatedly picked themselves to produce another performance, Dundalk are surely out on their own at this stage. If they can do it again on Sunday, it will be quite a night at Oriel Park.
With another two league games to come, Dundalk will, barring some sort of catastrophe for the club, complete their three in a row between Sunday and next Friday and so keep themselves on course to equal, perhaps even surpass, the achievements of the great Rovers team of the mid-1980s, but their manager Stephen Kenny is anxious to wrap things up at the first attempt.
“To win one league was amazing,” says Kenny, “and Dundalk’s had a litany of successful teams in the past but never retained the league title, so to do three in a row would be an incredible achievement by the players.
“It would be a great feeling and to do it on home [ground], in the town on Sunday night, with the level of passion would be really something great to witness.
“But you know, if we’re less than focused with our performance . . . if it’s not what it needs to be . . . we’ll get turned over by Bohemians.
“They are a good team and they will make it difficult for us. They’ll want to do well themselves
“We’ve a tough game on Sunday night, we’ve got minimal turnaround time again so we’ll have to get ready and go.”
Bohemians do indeed, their manager insists, want to win the game, but Keith Long is clear about the challenge they face.
Bridesmaids
“We don’t just want to be bridesmaids at their wedding,” he says. We want to turn up, put in a decent performance and try to win the game ourselves if we can.”
That said, he continues, “there is no debate for me; you can make an argument for other teams from down the years but my own view is that this Dundalk side is the best team managed by the best manager.
“They might have lost on Thursday, but the Zenit game showed again just what a good side they have become, although that’s been a three-year process; they didn’t just spring from nowhere overnight and what the rest of us have to do is look to the future too and work hard at becoming the best sides we can possibly be.”
His own team has not, he admits, lived up to his own hopes or expectations this season, but the absence for prolonged periods of key players and the departure of one or two others has not helped, as the club tried to build on what was a surprisingly good campaign in 2015.
“We even did quite well against Dundalk last year,” he says, “whereas we haven’t really this year, but we’re in transition and we’ve missed players at times. It’s been a tough year but a great one to learn from.”
Kenny and his men are certainly an example of just what is possible, but quite how they can be beaten on a night when they will have Stephen O'Donnell back is hard to see. as Bohemians will again be without Ismahil Akinade, as well as, on this occasion, Dylan Hayes and Ian Morris.
On Saturday evening, meanwhile, Drogheda United head to Cobh Ramblers for the first leg of their promotion play-off. Kick-off at St Colman’s Park is 7.15pm.
