Dundalk FC defender Mayowa Animasahun says the incredible home support “genuinely carried us through large parts of the game” as he reflected on a winning start to the 2025 SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division campaign.

The Lilywhites were backed by almost all of the 2,600-strong crowd in the league opener against Athlone Town at Oriel Park on Valentine’s Night and the 21-year-old centre-half certainly felt the love from the crowd as Ciarán Kilduff’s side started with a victory and a clean sheet.

While Dundalk broke a club record for most consecutive home clean sheets last season, amazingly rattling off eight-in-a-row despite their position at the bottom of the table, wins on the Carrick Road were hard to come by with just four from their 18 league outings.

Now back playing First Division football for the first time since 2008 – a period in the second tier which lasted seven long, mostly painful, seasons – they are determined to bounce back to the top flight at the first time of asking, and Friday was the perfect start.

“We’re delighted with it. It’s always a good day getting three points,” Mayowa told dundalkfc.com.

14 February 2025; Mayowa Animasahun of Dundalk celebrates at the final whistle of the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division match between Dundalk and Athlone Town at Oriel Park in Dundalk, Louth. Photo by Emma Gaughran.

“The fans were great, the atmosphere they brought to the game was surreal, unbelievable, honestly, the tifo, the words on it, the whole atmosphere and the noise was unbelievable. That’s what I think genuinely carried us through large parts of the game. It was great.”

He added: “It’s massive coming out and seeing that. It’s nice seeing support, knowing that we’re backed. It’s not just silence or having no noise. It’s having the best fans in the country, that’s what it is. It’s massive for us.”

On the team’s fast start…

“It’s tough to not start well with a crowd like that, with an occasion like that. I’m glad we started well, I’m glad we didn’t start flat, and we gave the crowd something to work on. As it goes, you can bubble down again.

“But we kept it up for the second half, we kept going and we defended strongly. I’m delighted with the points and the clean sheet.”

14 February 2025; Vinnie Leonard of Dundalk celebrates scoring his side’s first goal during the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division match between Dundalk and Athlone Town at Oriel Park in Dundalk, Louth. Photo by Emma Gaughran.

On Vinnie Leonard…

“He’s a great prospect. He’s going to be a great player, he’s only young. I’m delighted for him. He deserves it.”

And on the young defence he’s part of…

“I’m feeling like a senior in there, to be fair! This time last year, I was playing beside Andy Boyle and he told me he’d take care of me. Now the roles are reversed, I’m playing beside Vinnie and I’m telling him I’ll take care of him.

“It is a young defence and we’re all learning on the job. I’ve got Chief (Conor O’Keeffe) beside me and he’s a nice calm head to play with, a great presence. I’m enjoying it so far.”

14 February 2025; Dundalk manager Ciaran Kilduff, left, celebrates with Mayowa Animasahun of Dundalk after their side’s victory in the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division match between Dundalk and Athlone Town at Oriel Park in Dundalk, Louth. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile.

On seeing out the final minutes for the 1-0 win…

“That’s where defenders can earn their stripes in a way. The pressure is on the defenders and that’s the only time I feel defenders actually get praised and noticed, when we have a goal to defend.

“It’s what you play football for. That’s where we get our little pat on the back. I take it on head-on.

“Three clean sheets in a row, probably could have kept a clean sheet prior also. We’ll take it and keep building on it. Oriel is a fortress and we want to carry this momentum into away games as well.”

On confidence for the season ahead…

“We’re very confident. We had a great pre-season. We carried on the momentum from the Drogheda game into Rovers and now into the start of the season, so we have to just keep bouncing week by week and carry it on, and keep getting stronger.”