Weekend of awards for Dundalk FC as Kenny, Horgan and Hoban all scoop individual honours

Pat Hoban will his Player of the Month award

It was a weekend of awards for Dundalk FC with three players scooping individual honours.

On Sunday, Pat Hoban was named the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers’ Association of Ireland Player of the Month for October.

That followed on from Stephen Kenny being named Manager of the Year and Daryl Horgan being selected as Young Player of the Year at the PFAI awards in Dublin on Friday night.

Both Hoban and Richie Towell had also been nominated for the Player of the Year award but missed out to Christy Fagan of St Patrick’s Athletic.

The Player of the Month award was the second claimed by Hoban this season.

An injury to David McMillan left the 23-year-old to shoulder the burden of leading the line for the Oriel Park outfit and he did so with a series of excellent performances in the title run-in.

Hoban scored a brace against Athlone Town and the equaliser against Bray Wanderers as Dundalk won the league title.

The striker admits the month could not have gone better but he did not anticipate winning the player of the month award.

“I didn’t really expect it,” said Hoban. “I got a call from Stephen Kenny who told me I won the award and I was absolutely delighted.

“It was a great month, a very important month for us to win the league and I’m glad I done well in it.

“The feeling is hard to describe but just to get over the line and win my first trophy and a lot of lads’ first trophy was just great.

“It was a great team effort. We set our sights out at the start of the year to win the league and to achieve that is brilliant.”

Hoban reckons the title showdown against Cork City at Oriel Park on the final day was the most intense game he has ever played in.

“Oh yeah, it was quite intense going out onto the pitch for the first time,” he added.

“Once it kicked off, I personally felt comfortable in the game and felt relaxed. I don’t know how the other lads felt.”

In winning the award, Hoban saw off competition from Dundalk team-mate Stephen O’Donnell, who finished second. St Pat’s star Conan Byrne and Galway’s Ryan Manning were joint third.

Stephen Kenny picked up his Manager of the Year award on Friday night at the PFAI Awards

Daryl Horgan picked up his Young Player of the Year award on Friday night at the PFAI Awards

Dundalk boss Kenny nominated for Manager of the Year award

Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny

Dundalk FC manager Stephen Kenny has been shortlisted for the PFAI’s Manager of the Year award.

The 43-year-old enjoyed arguably his most successful season as a manager last term by guiding Dundalk to a league and EA Sports Cup double, as well as reaching the Setanta Cup final and winning three out of four matches in the Europa League, including a hugely impressive victory away to Hajduk Split.

Also nominated for the award are Cork City manager John Caulfield, who came within 90 minutes of guiding the Rebels to the title in his first season in League of Ireland management, and Tony Cousins who helped Longford Town clinch the First Division title.

The PFAI awards take place in Dublin on Friday night with Richie Towell and Pat Hoban nominated for the Player of the Year awards and Sean Gannon and Daryl Horgan up for the Young Player of the Year prize.

Six Dundalk players in PFAI team of the year and quartet up for individual awards

The PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year

Six Dundalk players have been named in the PFAI’s Premier Division Team of the Year.

The team, announced this afternoon in Abbotstown, includes defenders Sean Gannon, Brian Gartland and Andy Boyle, midfielders Daryl Horgan and Richie Towell and the league’s leading scorer, Pat Hoban.

Hoban and Towell, who were both nominated for personal honours last season are both nominated for the Player of the Year award along with Christy Fagan of St Patrick’s Athletic and Cork City’s Colin Healy.

Meanwhile, Gannon and Horgan are up for the Young Player of the Year with Dylan Connolly of Shelbourne.

The Manager of the Year nominees are released at a later date.

Winners will be announced at an award ceremony in Dublin on November 7th.

Dundalk cruise to victory in Tommy McConville Memorial Match

Thomas McConville Jr, son of the late Tommy McConville, accepts a presentation from the PFAI’s Stephen McGuinness at Oriel Park last night

Dundalk FC continued their preparations for the new campaign with a comfortable 6-0 win over a local selection in the Tommy McConville Memorial Match at Oriel Park last night.

Before the game the PFAI’s Stephen McGuinness – a former Lilywhite – made a presentation to the McConville family honouring Tommy’s contribution to the league over several decades.

All proceeds from the game went to the North Louth Hospice with Bill Elliott, Tony O’Kane and friends paying a remarkable €440 for a portrait of Tommy by local artist Michael Duffy.

On the field it was largely one way traffic.

Dundalk took the lead in the 15^th minute when Kurtis Byrne volleyed past Padraig Gorham.

The second goal then arrived in the 33^rd minute with local lad Simon Kelly volleying home after getting on the end of a superb cross from Darren Meenan to make it 2-0.

That’s how it remained at half-time with the third goal arriving just after the hour mark when anotehr local – Marc Griffin – made it three with a superb chip over goalkeeper Robert Arthur.

Substitute Richie Towell then made it 4-0 in the 75^th minute after slotting home a penalty following a foul on David McMillan.

Meehan then added a fifth three minutes later after getting on the end of a superb cross from Sean Gannon.

Last season’s leading scorer Pat Hoban then added a sixth with the last kick of the game to complete a comfortable win for the hosts.

There was also a late appearance from 16-year-old Irish U-17 international Georgie Poynton, who yesterday signed pro terms with the club ahead of the new season.

Dundalk FC: Cherrie (Sava), Gannon, Gartland, Mountney (Towell), Byrne (Hoban), Rossiter (O’Connor), Kelly, Meenan, Higgins (O’Donnell), Horgan (McMillan), Griffin (Poynton).

Tommy McConville XI: Gorham (Arthur), McCartney, Hutchinson, O’Kane, O’Callaghan, McArdle (Duffy), Fisher, Lynch, Smith, Clarke (Ward), McSorley.

Former Dundalk players included in squad for FIFPro Tournament in Oslo

Tiarnan Mulvenna is on the look out for a new club after being released by Dundalk at the end of last season

A number of former Dundalk players have been named in Liam O’Brien’s 17 man squad for the FIFPro Tournament 2014, which will take place on Thursday at the Vallhall Arena in Oslo, Norway.

The four-team tournament for out of contract players will be made up of teams from Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Finland and this is the fourth year that the tournament has been played.

The squad travelled to Oslo this afternoon having been training in the AUL since the start of December.

Amongst the former Dundalk players involved are John Sullivan, Tiarnan Mulvenna and Garreth Brady, who were all released by Stephen Kenny at the end of last season.

Also involved are former Lilywhite Stefan McKevitt and Mark Griffin, who was released by Derry City recently having made the switch from Oriel Park to the Brandywell at the start of last season.

Yesterday the side took on Leinster Senior League outfit Cherry Orchard in a challenge match and won 5-1, with two goals each from Muirhevnamor men Griffin and Mulvenna and a further strike from Don Cowan, who was released by Stevenage Borough.

The squad in full is as follows:

• Gabi Sava (Drogheda United)
• Peter Higgins (Waterford United)
• Conor Powell (Shamrock Rovers)
• Daire Doyle (Bray Wanderers)
• John Sullivan (Dundalk)
• Glenn Cronin (Shelbourne)
• Don Cowan (Stevenage Borough, England)
• Robert Bayly (Shelbourne)
• Dean Kelly (Shelbourne)
• Mark Griffin (Derry City)
• Sean Russell (UCD)
• Daniel O’Reilly (unattached)
• Tiarnan Mulvenna (Dundalk)
• Garreth Brady (Dundalk)
• Gary Dunphy (Waterford United)
• Keith Quinn (Longford Town)
• Stefan McKevitt (unattached)

Horgan signing complicated by compensation issue

Daryl Horgan

Dundalk FC have been strongly linked with the signing of Cork winger Daryl Horgan in recent days but the Irish Independent are reporting today that the deal could be held up by the complicated issue of compensation.

The 21-year-old, who was nominated for the PFAI’s Young Player of the Year award, has stated he would like a move to Oriel Park according to a report in today’s Irish Independent.

However, because he is under the age of 23 and spent two years as a professional at Cork, the rules stipulate that Dundalk must pay 100% of the gross wages for the player in the last 12 months – a figure that is believed to be between €15,000 and €20,000.

Dundalk goalkeeper Cherrie picked to appear in O’Neill fundraising calendar

Dundalk goalkeeper Peter Cherrie will be amongst a number of Airtricity League players taking part in a photoshoot at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow for a fundraising calendar in aid of Drogheda’s Gary O’Neill, who was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Amongst the other League of Ireland players to take part are Bohemians’ Luke Byrne, Bray Wanderers’ Daire Doyle, Cork City’s Gearóid Morrissey, Derry City’s Barry Molloy, Drogheda United’s Paul O’Conor, Limerick’s Stephen Folan, St Patrick’s Athletic’s Jake Kelly, Shamrock Rovers’ James Chambers, Shelbourne’s Graham Gartland, Sligo Rovers’ Raffaele Cretaro and UCD’s Michael Leahy.

The fundraiser is being organised by the PFAI.

Dundalk famously made a Calendar Girls-themed calendar back in 2004, featuring semi-naked players. Cherrie’s shoot is unlikely to earn him the same publicity that then goalkeeper Chris Bennion got but it is for an equally good cause.