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Dundalk start what they hope will be a quick fling with the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division when they take on fellow promotion hopefuls Athlone Town at Oriel Park on Valentine’s Night, kick-off 7.45pm.2025 Season Tickets & CLUB 500 Access are available HERE.Match Tickets for Friday night are available HERE.
As a new era begins, the 2025 season opener sees Dundalk’s European history-maker Ciarán Kilduff take charge of the Lilywhites for the first time in a league match and pits him against his former club Athlone, where he won the league and FAI Cup with their women’s team over the past two seasons.
Kilduff has been busy building a new-look squad since taking over on 6th November, with just two players from the opening day of last season – Daryl Horgan, who now takes over the club captaincy, and Mayowa Animasahun – still at the club.
Dundalk, relegated last year with just four wins from their 18 home games, will look to make Oriel a fortress this season as they aim to bounce back to the top flight at the first attempt.
They last played First Division football in 2008, winning the league and promotion in the most dramatic of circumstances on the final day of the campaign, an evening when Kilduff was playing for their opponents Kildare County.
The manager has assembled a very young team, which includes 16-year-old defensive pair Vinnie Leonard and Seán Spaight who have been away with the Ireland Under-17 squad for two friendlies in Spain this week, both featuring against Finland on Wednesday.
There is experience, too, with Keith Ward returning for a fourth spell, 2023 First Division title winner Conor O’Keeffe joining from Galway United, and last season’s top scorer in the division, Dean Ebbe leading the line having moved from Athlone over the winter.
The 30-year-old, and Horgan (32), are by far the oldest players in an exciting attack which includes Academy product Eoin Kenny (19), New Zealand winger Norman Garbett (20) as well as new faces Leo Gaxha (22), who has caught the eye in pre-season, and Gbemi Arubi (20).
Dundalk have looked good in pre-season. After a 1-0 defeat in a behind-closed-doors friendly with League of Ireland Champions Shelbourne at the AUL Complex early last month, they beat Malahide United 4-0 in the Leinster Senior Cup at Oriel Park on 17th January for their first win since July.
The Lilywhites were disappointingly beaten by Usher Celtic three days later, but they have bounced back from that with a draw against the Ireland Under-19s before beating Drogheda United 1-0 in the Malone Cup at Oriel a fortnight ago and Shamrock Rovers 4-0 in the Leinster Senior Cup at Roadstone last Friday, which sealed their place in the quarter-finals.
Dundalk last met Athlone on their way to winning the 2020 FAI Cup, beating the Midlanders on a record-breaking 11-0 scoreline in the semi-finals at Lissywollen during COVID-19, on a Sunday evening when Filippo Giovagnoli’s side had nine different scorers.
The previous year, Athlone knocked Vinny Perth’s Dundalk out of the Leinster Senior Cup with a 1-0 victory on the Carrick Road after a second-half goal from Shamrock Rovers loanee Dean Williams, who has this season returned to play for Dario Castelo’s Athlone team having spent last season at Shelbourne.
Last season, Athlone finished fourth in the First Division, just a point off second place and beat Wexford in the playoffs before losing out to Bray Wanderers on penalties, with the Seagulls instead going on to play Drogheda United in the final at Tallaght Stadium, losing 3-1.
Quotes – Ciarán Kilduff In his programme notes for the game, Kilduff looked forward to a special night for him and the club. “When I was saying it at the start of the year about how special this game will be, I meant that I just couldn’t wait for this moment tonight which will mean that all of the work that has been going on is worthwhile, justified and we’ll have that opening night feeling of ‘we can concentrate on football’. “I think we got a taster against Drogheda two weeks ago of a couple of thousand in the stadium. Opening league night, when there were some really, really worrying times about not even having a licence, I’m not saying the result doesn’t matter, but it is a victory in itself that the club has an opening night game in the league this year. “That’s not lost on me or the players and the staff. We appreciate that and we’re going to use that as a driving force this season.” Team News Centre-half Seán McHale (heel) and winger Norman Garbett (hamstring) are back in full training and available for selection. However, defender Ethen Vaughan (hamstring) requires a scan and misses out. Match Officials Referee: Marc Lynch Assistants: Shane O’Brien and Darren Corcoran Fourth Official: Gavin Colfer 2025 SQUAD & NUMBERS 1. Enda Minogue (GK) 2. Conor O’Keeffe 3. Seán Keogh 4. Mayowa Animasahun 5. Seán McHale* 6. Aodh Dervin (vice-captain) 7. Daryl Horgan (captain) 8. Harry Groome 9. Dean Ebbe 10. Leo Gaxha 11. Gbemi Arubi 12. Luke Mulligan 14. Norman Garbett 15. Vinnie Leonard 16. Eoin Kenny 17. Keith Ward 18. Peter Cherrie (GK) 19. Seán Spaight 20. Sammy Safaei (GK) 22. Ethen Vaughan 23. Andy Paraschiv *On loan from Saint Patrick’s Athletic.