Already-relegated Dundalk will look to end Shamrock Rovers’ five-in-a-row dreams when the two clash on Sunday evening (kick-off 5.45pm), in what will be the Lilywhites’ last SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match at Oriel Park for at least 16 months.
Dundalk’s fate was finally sealed last Friday week when Derry City scored in either half at Oriel as Jon Daly’s men’s winless run in all competition extended to 11 matches, and left them out of reach of neighbours Drogheda United at the bottom of the table.
This season’s bottom two was confirmed 24 hours later when eighth-placed Bohemians won in Sligo, condemning Drogheda to the playoff, meaning that next week’s Louth Derby on Boyneside, which at one stage appeared that it would be a relegation decider, is now a dead-rubber.
Dundalk, though, still have pride to play for in their remaining two games and will hope to see out their 16-season stay in the top flight by snapping what has been a poor run of form since beating Drogheda on the Carrick Road back on July 12th.
Since the midseason break, that victory over their local rivals is their only one in 14 outings between League and FAI Cup, with ten defeats in that time. Indeed, since overcoming Drogheda that night, they have gone on to lose their subsequent five home games, scoring just once.
While Dundalk are down, they can still have a big say in the destination of a league title which the club won five times in the past decade. Should they manage a win or even draw against Rovers on Sunday, Shelbourne will be crowned champions for the first time since 2006.
17 May 2024; John Mountney of Dundalk celebrates after the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers at Oriel Park in Dundalk, Louth. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.
Dundalk have won just five of their 34 league games this year but one of those came against the Hoops, in Liam Burns’ only game in sole charge of the team in May, when John Mountney fired in at the death at the Town End on what was undoubtedly the moment of a mostly forgettable and painful season.
At the time, it was a sixth consecutive clean-sheet at Oriel, a sequence which would eventually end at a new club record eight, an incredible statistic given the team’s overall form in 2024. Now, however, Dundalk are without a clean-sheet in seven at home and 14 anywhere.
They face into a difficult final home fixture against a Rovers side hungry for a fifth title on the trot. Stephen Bradley’s players have won their last three in all competitions, and come into this on the back of a comfortable 4-1 win over Larne in the UEFA Conference League in Belfast on Thursday night.
Rovers now have four points from their opening two games in that competition, and after league wins in between over Shels and Drogheda, they will look to continue that momentum to get them over the line to bag what at times has seemed an unlikely fifth straight title.
Rovers finish their campaign with the visit of Waterford to Tallaght next Friday. If they win both remaining league games, Shels have to go to Derry on the final day and get three points, otherwise the Hoops will be champions again, with it entirely possible that they could snatch it on goal difference.
Dundalk, meanwhile, begin preparing for life in the First Division, but will want to end what has been a rollercoaster stay in the top flight with one last blast.
Match Officials
Referee: Robert Harvey
Assistants: Allen Lynch and Emmett Dynan
Fourth Official: Paul Norton
For those who can’t make it to Oriel, the match is live on Virgin Media Two, with coverage beginning at 5.30pm.
