Ainscough: 'From the moment the club started looking for a new manager, Noel was one of my top target'

It is known that Dundalk sought permission in midweek from Waterford to open negotiations with their boss Keith Long.

SENSATIONAL RETURN: Noel King is making a sensational return to the League of Ireland as the new manager of Dundalk. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

Noel King has made a sensational return to the League of Ireland as the new manager of Dundalk on an 18-month contract.

The 67-year-old managed the Ireland women’s senior and U17 teams for a decade and the U21 side for eight years up to 2018 – as well as a brief stint as caretaker senior boss in 2013 - before leading Shelbourne’s women to the domestic double in 2022 and progression in the Champions League.

Most recently he returned to his alma mater, Home Farm, to spearhead their women’s section as first-team manager and director of football.

Dundalk have been on the lookout for a boss since relieving Stephen O’Donnell of his duties last Monday week after a winless start to the season.

They are still seeking a first win 11 games into the 2024 season, three points adrift at the foot of the table from Louth neighbours Drogheda United.

Although their last existence in the First Division was 2008, a major threat of relegation hovers, either automatically or through the second-from-bottom playoff route.

Cohesion among their various late signings, the bulk from the UK, has been slow, especially replacing goalkeeper of the year nominee Nathan Shepperd.

Friday’s 1-1 draw at Sligo Rovers was the third game taken charge of by interim duo Liam Burns and director of football operations Brian Gartland.

King spent two spells as a player at Dundalk but is best remembered for his decorated stints at Shamrock Rovers and Derry City, the latter as player-manager shortly after their entry into the League of Ireland.

He returned to Rovers, also as player-manager, before coaching spells at Waterford, Limerick, Bohemians, Shelbourne and Finn Harps in 2003, his last permanent involvement with a league club.

Dundalk’s success over the past decade, primarily under Stephen Kenny, bestows an appeal on their brand that has attracted candidates from home, the UK and further afield but club owner Brian Ainscough has plumped for a veteran he has known through their common Home Farm links.

Ainscough is the self-made Boston-based businessman who swapped his investment from First Division start-up Kerry FC to Dundalk in the offseason after the local consortium of Statsports and Andy Connolly invited takeover bids.

He inherited significant debts, amounting to a major six-figure sum, and their early-season struggles has rendered them an unwanted outlier when it comes to the attendance upsurge across the league.

There was a refreshing honesty - and widespread acclaim among the hardcore - to Ainscough branding their Oriel Park home as a pigsty at a fans forum. The wear and tear of their controversial artificial surface is evident while the deadline for upgrading floodlights is looming.

They had vowed to spread the net far and wide in search of local hero O’Donnell’s replacement.

Reaction to King’s imminent arrival, first revealed on Friday night by the Irish Examiner, has been lukewarm to say the least given his long absence from the domestic scene.

However, the Dubliner was renowned as a pioneering coach from his early-30s as well as a keen eye for talent. He brought Jack Grealish and Declan Rice through the U21s and in his guise as chief scout for the FAI identified a teenage James Madisson as a potential target at Coventry City before England began sniffing around. All eyes are on which staff he will enlist to broaden the skillset on the coaching ticket.

Dundalk had set next Wednesday as the deadline for applications but did declare they’d combine the appeal with a headhunting mission.

"From the moment the club started looking for a new manager, Noel was one of my top targets,” said Ainscough today.

"The career he has had speaks for itself and his passion and hunger for the game is still very much there, believe me.

"I know in my heart and in my head that I have appointed the right man for the job ahead."

A tentative approach to engineer a sentimental Kenny comeback was rebuffed and there was thought to be interest in Wexford boss James Keddy but it is known they sought permission in midweek from Waterford to open negotiations with their boss Keith Long.

“There was an official approach from Dundalk, which I was informed about, and that was declined,” said Long after Waterford’s 1-1 draw at St Patrick’s Athletic.

“I’m not a player, why would I be joining Dundalk? That’s the position of the club so I’m happy to keep working.

“It’s nice on a personal level that you're recognised for the job of work you have done, for clubs like Dundalk to have interest in you, but I have always been committed to the clubs I have been at.

“I’m working with these players and feel I’m a loyal type of guy.

“I love working for the club and the working environment. This group of players mean a lot to me, I have brought them to the club and we’re in this together.” Confirmation of King’s appointment came on Saturday afternoon.

He will get straight to work preparing for back-to-back home games on consecutive Fridays against trailblazing pair Bohemians and Shelbourne before what’s already shaping up to be a six-pointer lunchtime derby at Drogheda on the May bank holiday Monday.

“I’m delighted to be back at Dundalk and taking charge of one of Ireland's biggest and most successful clubs is a real honour," said King.

"I can't wait to get started and I'm looking forward to meeting up with the players and staff as soon as possible.

"I promise that no effort will be spared in the pursuit of success and trying to bring the glory days back to Oriel Park.

"It’s obviously a difficult time at the moment but I would ask everyone connected with the club to continue supporting the squad."