IT’S SAFE TO say Dundalk’s unprecedented achievements in Europe this year have put the club from Ireland’s smallest county on the map.
Unbeaten in two Europa League group matches with four points from a possible six, Stephen Kenny’s side have proved they can hold their own against opponents whose pedigree and financial resources are far superior.
They’ve also earned plaudits for their attractive style of play, which in turn has re-ignited a debate about why the international side aren’t as easy on the eye to watch.
“There’s talk of the Irish DNA that you have to sit back and defend and be hard to beat – in a sense every team has to be hard to beat but you can always play,” says Daryl Horgan, one of the team’s stand-out performers this season. “That’s the way I have always looked at it.
“People have different philosophies, that’s fine but the way I like to think about it is, you always have to have a good shape about you and be ready for everything but when you have the chance you can play. It’s only a football at the end of the day.
“I think we’ve shown against opposition of a certain quality that you are able to get the ball and play around with it.”
Domestically too, the Lilywhites remain on course to replicate last season’s Premier Division and FAI Cup double.
And while their success has been built around a real sense of togetherness and team unity, the individual brilliance of Horgan has often seen him grab the headlines — just as he did at Oriel Park on Tuesday night.
Two first half goals from the 24-year-old winger, the second of which was an outstanding solo effort, were enough to earn them a 2-1 victory over his former club Cork City and re-establish a four-point lead over the Leesiders at the top of the table.
During a frantic 90 minutes, the home side showed a real toughness to go along with their technical ability.
“It wasn’t the most gracious game of football you’ll ever see but there was a lot of heart, passion, determination — all the stuff you do need as well,” adds Horgan, who won SSE Airtricity League/SWAI Player of the Month for September this week.
“I thought we pressed really well. We had a really good shape. The back four were incredible. Real hearts on the sleeves stuff. We won every header. When we had opportunities, we broke very well too.
You can’t be set up to play one way unless you’re Barcelona. It is good to be able to mix it up and I think we showed that we can play different ways.”
This time last year, everyone was raving about Richie Towell’s exploits in the white and black of Dundalk. The 2015 PFAI Player of the Year earned a move to Brighton in December and Horgan has since taken up his mantle.
But things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Towell in England thus far. After just two senior appearances for the Seagulls in his first season, the midfielder picked up an injury over the summer and has since been sidelined.
“Richie had never been injured and then gets two of them,” he says of his former team-mate.” That sets him right back and it’s obviously very disappointing for him because he’s a brilliant player and it just hasn’t kicked on the way he was hoping for.
“I’d still back him to do very well because he’s a brilliant player with a tremendous attitude.”
Horgan, who has previously had trials with Peterborough United, Barnsley and Torquay United, is being touted as the next League of Ireland export to make a switch across the water and, just yesterday, he was being linked with Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich Town as well as Damien Duff’s old club Melbourne City.
When asked about their interest yesterday, former Ireland boss McCarthy replied: “He plays for Dundalk, he’s been playing particularly well and there were about about 100 scouts watching him against Cork on Tuesday night, I can tell you that.”
It’s easy to see why the Galwegian is enjoying his time in the Wee County, but with a young family to think about (he’s got a 15-month old son) he’d have to consider any offers that would bring about greater financial security.
“You’re not going to make enough money here to retire on or even take a couple of years out,” explains Horgan, who is out of contract at the end of this season.
“That’s just unfortunately the way it is in Ireland. There just isn’t the money in the game and once you know that there isn’t an issue with it. If it comes to it you’d have to make that decision and see what the conditions and offers are. If there even are offers.
“There’s no guarantee there will be. I’m very, very happy at Dundalk at the minute. It’s been brilliant and we’ll see how we get on. The plan at the moment is to win the league, win the cup and hopefully get out of the group in the Europa League.”
He went on: “You’d have to consider everything that is thrown your way but I can’t see myself leaving Dundalk for something that’s not going to be of a higher or similar standard.
We’re showing that we can compete in the Europa League. The financial aspects are that there’s so much money in England it’s nearly disgusting but, look, you’d have to see and at the minute I’m really, really happy at Dundalk.
“With the Europa League, there is potential there to possibly do something along the lines of BATE Borisov. They’ve really kicked on in the Champions League but at one stage they were a small club who hadn’t qualified for years.
“Then they were in five out of seven Champions League group stages and the money just rises from there.”
In terms of earning international recognition, the ‘Horgan for Ireland’ campaign continues to grow and Tuesday’s win over Cork was the latest game attended by Martin O’Neill.
Dundalk’s manic schedule will have died down in time for Ireland’s next World Cup qualifier — away to Austria on 12 November — but the former Ireland U21 international has no idea whether that first call-up will come while he’s still playing in the LOI.
“That would be up to Martin O’Neill and whether he thinks we’re playing at a standard that is up to the Championship or Premier League. Obviously, we’re not playing at a Premier League standard but the Europa League is very high.
It’s a different style of football and probably more akin to international football at times. Look, Martin O’Neill knows the game far better than I do and he’ll make the decision. I wouldn’t even think of second-guessing him.”
For now, full focus is on Dundalk’s ten remaining fixtures (five league, four Europa League and the FAI Cup final) of 2016. Three of those will be played in the next six days as they face Shamrock Rovers away tonight, before travelling to the City Calling Stadium to take on Longford Town this Monday.
Then it’s back to Tallaght Stadium for the visit of Group D leaders Zenit St Petersburg on Thursday.
“Everyone will be up for it against us and we’ll be up for every single game we’ve to play,” Horgan says of the title run-in.
“I fully expect Cork to win all five games, so we will have to win at least four. Rovers can be a really tough game, they gave us a very good game up in Oriel a few weeks ago.
“It was a real battle and we’ll have to be right at it.”
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