DUNDALK HAVE BEEN handed a major boost with the news that club captain Stephen O’Donnell has signed a new deal to remain with the club for the next two seasons.
O’Donnell had been linked with a return to former club Shamrock Rovers, but in the end chose to commit to a fifth consecutive season with the Lilywhites.
The 2016 PFAI Player of the Year nominee today expressed his delight following the news.
“Always happy to sign a new deal so I am delighted to get things sorted before Christmas. I am in for the next two years so a bit of stability for myself as well, which is good, but delighted to stay,” he told Dundalk’s official website.
“I am really looking forward to getting going again next season. I can’t wait for it all to start again now.”
Having been part of a historic campaign with Stephen Kenny’s side, O’Donnell is now firmly focused on next year.
“The season just gone is all in the past now. It’s over with and we did have a good adventure. There’s no denying that but we have to focus on next season now.
It’s something that we want to try and do again. We want to do even better next season than we did this year. It was a great experience this year but the focus is to make sure we get the same experience next year.
Key players including Andy Boyle, Daryl Horgan and Ronan Finn have moved on, but O’Donnell is confident Dundalk will still be a force to be reckoned with in the coming campaign.
“We have lost a couple of players but them leaving is yesterday’s news. We have to focus on ourselves going forward and what we can do.
We are under no illusions and it is going to be very tough, we know that. People seem to be writing us off already after losing the players but we aren’t worried. There will be a rejuvenated hunger in the squad don’t worry.
“There’ll be a huge motivation in the players still here and those coming in to prove everyone wrong yet again to show that we are still the team to beat.”
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