Dundalk equalled their win tally from their ill-fated 2024 season by collecting their fifth win at their sixth attempt and continuing their unbeaten start to the 2025 SSE Airtricity League First Division campaign, with a 2-1 win over Longford Town at Oriel Park.
A 29th minute penalty from Dean Ebbe and a 79th minute winner from Eoin Kenny proved sufficient for Ciarán Kilduff’s team to retain top spot in the league standings – two points clear of Cobh Ramblers - after Darragh Murtagh had given the visitors an unexpected early lead.
With international call-ups for Seán Keogh and Vinnie Leonard, the Dundalk manager was forced to once more shuffle his defence, with Harry Groome slotting in at centre-half alongside Seán McHale, while Seán Speight made his competitive league debut at left-back. This also provided an opening for another debutant, with local midfielder Shane Tracey taking Groome’s regular midfield role. Leo Gaxha also came back into the starting line-up following his two-match ban after being dismissed away to Kerry.
Dundalk created the first chance in the ninth minute when Daryl Horgan volleyed a cross from right-back Aodh Dervin over crossbar. Then McHale’s long-ball wasn’t dealt with by Longford goalkeeper Harry Halwax, and Horgan passed to Kenny, who in turn fed Ebbe, only for his goal-bound effort to be blocked by Oisín Hand.
Longford then took the lead as Dundalk switched off in defence after 18 minutes. Although Dean O’Shea’s long throw-in had been cleared by Dervin, Aaron Doran put the ball back into the Dundalk penalty area, where Murtagh pounced to evade two defenders and lob the ball over Peter Cherrie and into the empty net.
Kilduff has to be happy with the response, as the goal stirred Dundalk into action and Horgan’s quick throw found Kenny, whose effort forced a decent save from Halwax. Dundalk were pressing, and a clumsy tackle on Ebbe inside the area by Osaze Irhue from Gaxha’s pass, resulted in referee Ryan Maher pointing to the spot. Ebbe sent Halwax the wrong way, dispatching his spot-kick into the bottom right-hand corner for his fourth goal in as many matches.
Dundalk were in total attacking flow, Kenny’s cross from the left finding Ebbe, but he headed over the bar when well placed. Soon after, the home side were awarded a second penalty when Halwax, caught off guard by Kenny’s pass, collided into Ebbe inside the area. With Ebbe opting for the same corner as before, Halwax atoned for his error by saving both the spot-kick and Gaxha’s follow-up. The ball then fell kindly to Ebbe, who then slotted home, but celebrations were cut short as, after nearly a minute of deliberation, the Offaly official ruled the goal out for offside following a discussion with his assistant referee.
Although denied what would have been a deserved lead, Dundalk continued to press with Ebbe and Kenny creating further chances before the break, only to be denied by Halwax on both occasions.
Dundalk remained in total control during the second half but without creating any genuine clear-cut opportunities, bar a Harry Groome effort, which flew over the crossbar. However, one moment of magic ultimately delivered the win after 78 minutes when substitute Andy Paraschiv, held off Irhue on the right side of the penalty area before nutmegging the Longford defender to play in Kenny, who slotted home from eight metres to seal a deserved win against a stubborn opponent.
Having had the opportunity to give competitive debuts to Spaight and Tracey, and with Keogh and Leonard back from international duty, as well as another week for Conor O’Keeffe and Mayowa Animasahun among others to recover from recent injuries, Kilduff will be hoping to have a much strengthened panel available for upcoming home fixtures against North End United (Tuesday, Leinster Senior Cup) and Wexford (Friday, SSE Airtricity League First Division).
Dundalk FC: Peter Cherrie; Aodh Dervin, Harry Groome, Seán McHale, Seán Spaight (Luke Mulligan 76); Keith Ward (Andy Paraschiv 62), Shane Tracey; Leo Gaxha, Eoin Kenny, Daryl Horgan; Dean Ebbe (Gbemi Arubi 90+1).Subs not used: Samuel Safaei (GK), Conor O’Keeffe, Mayowa Animasahun, Muhammad Haris and TJ Molloy-Murray.
Longford Town FC: Harry Halwax; Osaze Irhue, Oisín Hand, Aaron Walsh (Jacob Flood-Norton 90+2), Dean O’Shea; Pharrell Manuel (Stefan Ugbesia 74), Eric Yoro; Josh Giurgi, Aaron Doran (Emmanuel James 85), Dean George (Mohamed Boudiaf 74); Darragh Murtagh (Francis Campbell 74).Subs not used: Jack McCarthy (GL), Jamal Ibrahim, Ryan Boyle and Andrew Spain.
Referee: Ryan Maher (Offaly)
