DUNDALK MANAGER STEPHEN Kenny placed a substantial weight of expectation on the shoulders of Patrick McEleney before the beginning of the season, and so far the 24-year-old has thrived in his new role as Dundalk’s offensive talisman.
After the departures of Daryl Horgan and Ronan Finn following the end of the 2016 campaign, many wondered how Dundalk would cope — just as they did when Patrick Hoban left for England in 2014 and Richie Towell followed suit a year later.
It’s early days yet, but McEleney has looked exceptional as Dundalk’s playmaker. On Saturday at the Showgrounds, the Derry native opened the scoring with a sublime 12th-minute free-kick in the Lilywhites’ 4-0 victory over Sligo Rovers.
So impressed was Stuey Byrne by the goal, the former Shelbourne midfielder got slightly carried away last night on Soccer Republic on RTÉ 2, comparing it to the kind of strike you might associate with legendary Brazilian Ronaldinho.
“People of my age will remember a certain Ronaldinho taking free-kicks like that for AC Milan or Barcelona,” he said. Nevertheless, few would argue with Byrne’s assessment of McEleney as “an incredible player… it’s important that we highlight players of his quality.”
McEleney pulled the strings for Dundalk throughout the game. After his own goal, he carved open the Sligo defence with a beautiful lobbed pass, only for Robbie Benson to drag his shot wide.
McEleney did have a hand in Dundalk’s third goal, however. Talented with both feet, the 24-year-old picked out Sean Gannon wide on the left, and the full-back’s cross found the head of Ciaran Kilduff.
“There hasn’t been a player like him — talent wise or as good as him — in the league for the past 15 years,” Stephen Kenny said of McEleney last month. Should he continue in this vein of form, he’s likely to be the next Dundalk player to be coveted by clubs in the UK.
McEleney has experience across the water too. As a 16-year-old, the former Republic of Ireland underage international spent 18 months with Sunderland before returning home to Derry due to homesickness.
In the meantime, he’s likely to play a crucial role in Dundalk’s bid to win a fourth consecutive Premier Division title.
Highlights from all six of last weekend’s SSE Airtricity League Premier Division games are available to watch now on Soccer Republic via the RTÉ Player.
