O’Donnell lifts Dundalk over the line

They called him ‘Captain Fantastic’ and the black and white hordes sung his praises when he was named over the public address man of the match.

And, on the fairytale night that was in it, both accolades applied perfectly to skipper Stephen O’Donnell who, on his first start since suffering a cruciate ligament injury in April, scored the first of the two goals which extinguished Cork’s title hopes and made Dundalk the SSE Airtricity League champions for 2014 in a delirious Oriel Park.

Cork City’s near extinction has been well chronicled but Dundalk too have bounced back magnificently from a flirtation with the abyss. This time two years ago, as last night’s match programme reminded a 5,500 crowd, Dundalk were concluding their Premier Division campaign in a desperate scrap for survival, their final home game played in front of just 260 people before they completed the great escape by beating Waterford United in a promotion/relegation play-off.

Just two seasons on, and under Stephen Kenny’s transformative leadership, the club is unrecognisable from what it was in those dark days.

Now, after last night’s deserved victory, they are League of Ireland champions for the first time in 19 years. And what it all meant to the faithful was joyously evident as the formal presentation at Oriel Park was overtaken by a pitch invasion which, for a time, meant the new champions were trapped in their dressing room.

It was, by contrast, a night of crushing anti-climax for John Caulfield and his Cork City players who came so close to bringing the title back to Leeside for the first time since 2005.

Before Dundalk took control of the game, Cork had their chances last night — especially in the first half — but when the disappointment dies down, all connected with the club will be able to reflect on a season of huge progress on and off the pitch and the tantalising prospect of European football coming back to Turner’s Cross.

In a pre-match boost for City, Gearóid Morrissey passed muster to rejoin Colin Healy in midfield while, for Dundalk, on a night already heavy with emotion at an electric Oriel Park, there was an additional charge with confirmation of the first start since April for O’Donnell.

When his name was read out over the public address before kick off, the announcement was greeted with the first huge ovation of the night from the packed attendance.

By the end, as he received the glittering prize, the noise could hardly have been louder.

Against Bohs at a throbbing Turner’s Cross last Friday, when any slip-up could have handed the title to Dundalk, Cork had seemed a bundle of nerves until a freak Billy Dennehy goal on the stroke of half-time settled the side down and set them up for the crucial three points which, with their rivals being held scoreless in Bray, sent them in to last night’s decider with a point advantage at the top of the table.

A rip-roaring opening in Oriel Park, in which Cork began at their customary high tempo, saw Billy Dennehy with an immediate glimpse of goal but his touch was too heavy and Peter Cherrie was able to make the save. Early yellow cards for Darren Dennehy and Gary Buckley also confirmed that the visitors were in full battle mode.

But, with their supporters roaring every touch by a white shirt, Dundalk were quick to respond as they got their trademark passing game going, though after just nine minutes they suffered the blow of losing Chris Shields to injury.

From the first whistle it was clear that the battle between City captain John Dunleavy and former Cork winger Daryl Horgan would be a feature of the evening up while Morrissey versus Richie Towell in the middle of the park was another enticing contest. But all over the pitch, Cork were closing down space and harrying the man on the ball, intent on disrupting Dundalk’s attempt to generate their usual fluent momentum. And when Lilywhites did get a threatening ball into the box, invariably Dan Murray was in the right place to clear with his head or his foot.

The veteran Colin Healy was at the heart of everything for City, in the 33rd minute initiating a move which saw John O’Flynn’s ball in from the right clipped just wide of the far post by Mark O’ Sullivan.

And then, within a minute, Healy was racing back to his own penalty area to prevent O’Donnell getting a clean strike on goal. Three minutes later, it was the turn of Mark McNulty to deny Dundalk, the Cork ‘keeper making only his second significant save of the first half by getting down well to stop a Dean Massey effort.

Then, in the 39th minute, came the closest there’d been to a breakthrough for either side when Billy Dennehy’s free kick from just outside the area rebounded back off the foot of the upright, with Peter Cherrie left flat-footed.

Scoreless at half-time, Dundalk still had it all to do to prise Cork’s fingers from the trophy. And the home side struck within three minutes of the restart to turn the title race on its head again and send Oriel Park wild, the Cork defence breached for the first time as returning hero O’Donnell’s snapshot from just outside the area crept inside the Cork post, though the ball came off Richie Towell’s arm in the build-up.

Now, it was Cork’s turn to play hunter again, searching for the goal and the point that would give them the title. But Dundalk, to their credit, had no intention of trying to sit on their lead, the goal liberating them to play some of their best attacking football of the evening for a spell.

John Caulfield, constantly urging his team on from the sidelines, emptied his bench in the quest to turn things back in Cork’s favour, and two of his subs came close to grabbing that precious equalising goal in the 8oth minute, Rob Lehane heading just wide after a terrific cross by John Kavanagh.

But three minutes later, the Lilywhites made it safe, Brian Gartland putting a definitive end to an almighty scramble in the Cork box — and to the visitors’ title hopes — when he netted from close range.

Now, uproarious Oriel could give vent to full celebration. Cork City had played their part, but this was Dundalk’s night — and Dundalk’s season.

DUNDALK: Cherrie; Gannon, Boyle, Gartland, Massey; Meenan (Mountney 77), Shields (Higgins 9), O’Donnell, Horgan, Towell, Hoban (Byrne 88).

CORK CITY: McNulty, Dunleavy, Murray, D Dennehy, McSweeney, B Dennehy, Morrissey (Kavanagh 63), Healy, Buckley (Lehane 73), O’Sullivan, O’Flynn (O’Shea 63).

Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin). Three factors in Dundalk’s title success

1 Home form

Dundalk had the best home form in the league this season with 13 wins and just four draws. Only Bohemians, St Patrick’s Athletic and Shamrock Rovers, twice, escaped Oriel Park with anything to show from their efforts.

2. Goals, Goals, Goals

Dundalk scored more than 100 goals in all competitions this season with 16 different players on the scoresheet. The experienced pairing of Mark Rossiter and Ruaidhrí Higgins were the only outfield players not to hit the net throughout the season and that threat from all areas made them a difficult prospect — conjuring up big wins over the likes of St Patrick’s Athletic away in April (4-1), Cork City (4-0) and Drogheda Utd (7-0) at home in May and Derry City at Oriel in August. Pat Hoban set a club record for the number of league goals scored in a Premier Division season but he was well assisted with defender Brian Gartland amongst those getting into double figures.

3. Head to head record

When Dundalk look back on why they clinched the 2014 title, they’ll remember many moments such as Dane Massey’s late header at the Showgrounds to beat Sligo Rovers in March, Pat Hoban’s strike to claim their first victory in Tallaght over Shamrock Rovers in July and David McMillan’s double off the bench to see them come from behind to beat Bohemians at home in August. Ultimately what separated them from Cork City though was beating the Rebels three times, including a rare victory for a visiting team at Turner’s Cross back in August. Last night’s win was ultimately the difference though as the Lilywhites completed the treble over John Caulfield’s side to clinch a first league title in 19 years.

— James Rogers