Dundalk fans not running buses to Derry on Friday due to safety fears

The window of one of the Anchor Tours buses after the last trip to Derry in March

Dundalk FC supporters will have to find alternative means if they want to support their side when they travel to the Brandywell to take on Derry City this Friday.

Margaret and Tony Curtis from Oliver Plunkett Park, who organise buses to the Lilywhites’ away games under the guise of M&T Travel, have confirmed they will not be running a bus to the game, with suppliers Sevens also not willing to travel due to a lack of assurances regarding supporter safety.

This follows an incident at the end of Dundalk’s last visit to Derry back in March when buses were pelted with stones by a group of youths and one fan sustained a nasty gash just below his eye. Both Sevens and Anchor Tours had vehicles damaged in the attack at the start of the season.

That was the second time in as many seasons that Dundalk fans were subjected to such an attacking leaving the Lone Moor Road venue.

The decision not to run a bus came after Derry City refused to guarantee Dundalk fans a safe journey to and from the ground. One option is for a steward escort to be arranged before and after the game.

According to The Derry Journal, Candystripes officials are due to hold talks later today with local community groups in a bid to avoid a repeat of the recent attacks on Lilywhites fans.

Dundalk supporter Danny denied entry to Belarus for Champions League clash

Danny O’Connell

A Dundalk FC supporter has earned the sympathy of fans all across Ireland after becoming stranded in Lithuania in his attempt to follow his beloved Lilywhites in their Champions League clash with BATE Borisov in Belarus tonight.

Danny O’Connell had been attempting to gain access to the Eastern European country ahead of Dundalk’s game in Barysaw yesterday when he was stopped at passport control. It is reported that customs officials deemed his passport unacceptable and subsequently tore a page out of it. That left him unable to travel and, as there is no Irish embassy in Belarus, he was forced to go to neighbouring Lithuania.

It appeared that Danny would be stranded there but the intervention of Dundalk fans Orla Taaffe and Margaret Curtis – who got former Minister for Foreign Affairs and fellow Lilywhites fan Dermot Ahern involved – ensured that Danny at least got a hotel for the night in Lithuania last night.

It is understood he will not be able to attend tonight’s match but should be able to get back to Ireland on a flight tomorrow.

Commenting on the matter via his Twitter page, Danny described the incident as an “absolute nightmare”, adding that he’d never been so let down before.

He added: “The frustrating thing is the exact same passport was good enough for the Belarus embassy in London to charge me 100 euro for the visa.”

In another post he said: “Worst trip and easily the worst experiences of my life. I just want to get home and see my family/friends.”

On a brighter note for the rest of the Dundalk travelling support, they found a bar in Minsk serving Harp Lager. Tonight’s game has a kick-off time of 6.30pm.