Dundalk head coach Stephen O’Donnell says that his players are fully aware of the threat that Wexford can cause ahead of Friday night’s Extra.ie FAI Cup second-round tie at Ferrycarrig Park.
Wexford, who are managed by former Dundalk centre-back Ian Ryan, currently sit in sixth place in Division One but caused a shock in the first round of the competition when they beat Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds.
And O’Donnell, who has Andy Boyle available again after suspension, said Dundalk would be making the long trip to the southeast taking nothing for granted.
You can read his pre-match comments below.
Impressions of Wexford…
“I watched them against Longford Town last Saturday. They’re a good footballing side and they try and play and build out from the back. If we let them, they’ll have good passages and get into dangerous areas so we will have to be on our mettle. If you look at their results in the first division, they have done well against the top teams and they also beat Sligo Rovers away in the last round of the cup.”
2013: Stephen O’Donnell holds off Shelbourne’s Ian Ryan in an FAI Cup tie at Tolka Park. Both men will be in opposing dugouts at Ferrycarrig Park on Friday. Photo by Mick Slevin
On the make-up of Ian Ryan’s squad…
“They have a good mix of young players and lads who have played in the Premier Division over the years like Danny Corcoran, Aaron Dobbs, Joe Manley and personnel like that. They have good players and if you give them time, they will hurt you. We just have to focus on our game and play with the intensity we want to play.”
On facing an underdog…
“Everyone has been in that position where you play a game that can be seen as a shot to nothing. We just have to go and bring our game and be hungry. We’re three games away from getting to the final at the Aviva Stadium and we want that to be down to two when the final whistle blows on Friday night.”
On Ferrycarrig Park…
“It’s a good facility but I’m not sure what way the pitch is at this stage of the season. The last time we played down there was in 2016, post-Warsaw, and we won thanks to a David McMillan goal. It’s a tough place to go and it’ll be a tough game. They’ve had plenty of joy against teams from the first division and we know what we will have to bring to the table.”
On a busy weekend ahead…
“It is a busy couple of days but you have to completely forget about Monday’s game away to Sligo. It’s a different competition on Friday night and if we had one eye on any other game it would leave us very vulnerable to getting turned over. It’s won and done on the night in Wexford and our full focus is solely on that game.”
