Dundalk expecting tough Airtricity League opener

If the 2015 SSE Airtricity League Premier Division can somehow pick up where it left off last season, then the faithful should be in for a treat or two over the next 48 hours — and beyond.

134 days have elapsed since Dundalk beat Cork City 2-0 to win the title at a throbbing Oriel Park and, though the close season is as drearily long as the winter, the warm tingle from that dramatic final night decider still hasn’t quite subsided.

Of course, it doesn’t always pay to read too much into the opening skirmishes — recall that, last year, Dundalk began their championship campaign by getting walloped 4-1 in the Louth derby at Drogheda, a shock result certainly but, as it turned out, hardly a sign of things to come for either club.