1978–79_Dundalk_F.C._season
1978–79 Dundalk F.C. season
Dundalk 1978–79 football season
Dundalk entered the 1978–79 season, having won the previous season's League Cup and Leinster Senior Cup. But they had finished in a disappointing 11th place in the League, which meant there would be no European football in the new season. 1978–79 was Jim McLaughlin's fifth season as manager, and was Dundalk's 53rd consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.
| 1978–79 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Manager | Jim McLaughlin | |
| League of Ireland | 1st (champions) | |
| FAI Cup | Winners | |
| League Cup | First round | |
| Leinster Senior Cup | First round | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Hilary Carlyle (16) All: Hilary Carlyle (18) | |
|
| ||
The previous season had been dogged by an early season row over player expenses, which had seen two players depart acrimoniously;[1] while the death of club stalwart Brian McConville after returning home from a match in January 1978 had further affected the club.[2] There were rumours that McLaughlin would be let go,[3] despite retaining the Leinster Cup,[4] and winning their first League Cup in a penalty shoot-out over Cork Alberts.[5] Instead, the club supported the "reorganisation" he demanded, and used funds from the sale of three players (Synan Braddish, Derek Carroll and Brian Duff) to Liverpool, for a combined £55,000, to rebuild the squad and make ground improvements at Oriel.[6]
The new season opened inauspiciously, with both the League Cup and the Leinster Cup being surrendered in their respective first rounds in early September. The League schedule commenced on 10 September 1978 and Dundalk continued their slow start, dropping points in eight of the first 15 matches to lie in fourth position. But, starting with a win over Shamrock Rovers on Christmas Eve, they only dropped three points from the next 14 matches to surge to the title with a game to spare. It was confirmed in slightly surreal fashion – with a win away to Cork Celtic (who were about to be expelled from the League) in front of 200 people;[7] while the trophy was presented in Oriel Park 48 hours later after a final-day defeat to FAI Cup final opponents Waterford.[8] Having made light work of reaching the 1979 FAI Cup Final, they defeated Waterford 2–0, thereby completing the club's first League and Cup Double.[9]
First-Team Squad (1978–79)
Sources:[10]
| No. | Name | Years | League | FAI Cup | League Cup | Leinster Senior Cup | Total | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Richie Blackmore |
1974–1985 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2 |  Martin Lawlor |
1977–1995 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 1 |
| 3 | Paddy Dunning |
1977–1983 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 4 |
| 4 | Tommy McConville |
1967–1986 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 1 |
| 5 | Dermot Keely |
1978–1981 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 0 |
| 6 |  Sean Byrne |
1977–1983 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 9 |
| 7 | Jimmy Dainty |
1973–1980 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 7 |
| 8 | Leo Flanagan |
1978–1983 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 5 |
| 9 | Cathal Muckian |
1978–1980 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 13 |
| 10 | Mick Lawlor |
1976–1981 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 1 |
| 11 |  Hilary Carlyle |
1978–1984 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 18 |
| 12 | Kevin Mahon |
1978–1979 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| 13 | Willie Crawley |
1977–1995 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 |
| 14 | Vincent McKenna |
1978–1981 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 15 | Liam Devine |
1978–1980 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 16 | Frank O'Neill |
1977–1980 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
League Cup
Source:[11]
- First round
Leinster Senior Cup
Source:[11]
- First Round
| 14 September 1978 | Dundalk | 0–1 | Aer Lingus | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
FAI Cup
Source:[11]
- First Round
| 11 February 1979 | Dundalk | 1–0 | St Patrick's Athletic | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
- Quarter Final
| 11 March 1979 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Finn Harps | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
- Semi Final
| 1 April 1979 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Cork Alberts | Dublin |
| Stadium: Dalymount Park |
- Final
League
Source:[11]
| 10 September 1978 Round 1 | Shamrock Rovers | 1–2 | Dundalk |
| 17 September 1978 Round 2 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Limerick |
| 24 September 1978 Round 3 | Athlone Town | 2–2 | Dundalk |
| 1 October 1978 Round 4 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Home Farm |
| 8 October 1978 Round 5 | St Patrick's Athletic | 2–2 | Dundalk |
| 15 October 1978 Round 6 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Sligo Rovers |
| 22 October 1978 Round 7 | Cork Alberts | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 29 October 1978 Round 8 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Drogheda United |
| 5 November 1978 Round 9 | Bohemians | 0–0 | Dundalk |
| 12 November 1978 Round 10 | Dundalk | 4–1 | Thurles Town |
| 19 November 1978 Round 11 | Dundalk | 2–2 | Galway Rovers |
| 26 November 1978 Round 12 | Dundalk | 3–1 | Shelbourne |
| 3 December 1978 Round 13 | Finn Harps | 2–1 | Dundalk |
| 10 December 1978 Round 14 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Cork Celtic |
| 17 December 1978 Round 15 | Waterford | 1–0 | Dundalk |
| 24 December 1978 Round 16 | Dundalk | 3–2 | Shamrock Rovers |
| 27 December 1978 Round 17 | Limerick | 0–2 | Dundalk |
| 7 January 1979 Round 18 | Home Farm | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| 14 January 1979 Round 19 | Dundalk | 5–1 | St Patrick's Athletic |
| 21 January 1979 Round 20 | Sligo Rovers | 1–2 | Dundalk |
| 25 January 1979 Round 21 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Athlone Town |
| 28 January 1979 Round 22 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Cork Alberts |
| 4 February 1979 Round 23 | Drogheda United | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| 18 February 1979 Round 24 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Bohemians |
| 25 February 1979 Round 25 | Thurles Town | 1–3 | Dundalk |
| 4 March 1979 Round 26 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Galway Rovers |
| 18 March 1979 Round 27 | Shelbourne | 0–3 | Dundalk |
| 25 March 1979 Round 28 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Finn Harps |
| 7 April 1979 Round 29 | Cork Celtic | 0–3 | Dundalk |
| 10 April 1979 Round 30 | Dundalk | 0–3 | Waterford |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk | 30 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 57 | 25 | +32 | 45 |
| 2 | Bohemians | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 53 | 21 | +32 | 43 |
| 3 | Drogheda United | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 40 | +20 | 42[lower-alpha 1] |
| 4 | Waterford | 30 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 48 | 32 | +16 | 42 |
| 5 | Shamrock Rovers | 30 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 45 | 25 | +20 | 37 |
| 6 | Limerick | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 39 | 25 | +14 | 36[lower-alpha 1] |
| 7 | Athlone Town | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 56 | 41 | +15 | 35 |
| 8 | Finn Harps | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 56 | 41 | +15 | 34[lower-alpha 1] |
| 9 | Home Farm | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 47 | 33 | +14 | 33 |
| 10 | Sligo Rovers | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 25 |
| 11 | Cork Alberts | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 35 | 49 | −14 | 23 |
| 12 | Thurles Town | 30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 35 | 62 | −27 | 23[lower-alpha 1] |
| 13 | Shelbourne | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 41 | 58 | −17 | 21 |
| 14 | St Patrick's Athletic | 30 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 36 | 62 | −26 | 20 |
| 15 | Galway Rovers | 30 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 41 | 79 | −38 | 13 |
| 16 | Cork Celtic | 30 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 16 | 67 | −51 | 8[lower-alpha 1] |
Notes:
- After the matches Cork Celtic 0-0 Limerick, Drogheda United 0-1 Finn Harps and Thurles Town 0-1 Cork Celtic, the league awarded 1 point to Limerick from Cork Celtic, 2 points to Drogheda United from Finn Harps and 2 points to Thurles Town from Cork Celtic.
Player of the Month
| Month | Player | References |
|---|---|---|
| September | Dermot Keely |
[14] |
| March | Paddy Dunning |
[15] |
| April | Sean Byrne |
[16] |
- Bibliography
- Murphy, Jim (2003). The History of Dundalk F.C.: The First 100 Years. Dundalgan Press. ASIN B0042SO3R2.
- Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 1-86223-135-4.
- MacSweeney, Niall (1985). A Record of League of Ireland Football 1921/2 - 1984/5. Association of Football Statisticians. ASIN B008H2CBJQ.
- Citations
- Meagan, Jimmy (28 September 1977). "Dundalk Turns Down McConville's Offer". Irish Press. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- Ryan, Liam (30 January 1978). "Sudden Death of Soccer Captain". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- Kelly, Liam (15 April 1978). "McLaughlin's Future At Oriel In Balance". Irish Press. Retrieved 9 May 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- Meagan, Jimmy (30 December 1977). "Nixon Nips In For Clincher". The Irish Press. Retrieved 24 May 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- Faiers, David (13 April 1978). "Dundalk's League Cup – on 'pens'". Evening Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- MacGinty, Karl (24 April 1978). "Godfather Liam". Evening Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- "Dundalk Plan To Celebrate". The Irish Press. 9 April 1979. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- Moffat, Mel (11 April 1979). "'Blues' Ruin The Champs Big Night". The Irish Press. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- Moffat, Mel (23 April 1979). "Dundalk Double". The Irish Press. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- Murphy, Jim (2013). A Dundalk FC Miscellany. Ireland: Self-published. p. 259.
- Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC - the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 470.
- "Ireland FAI Cup (1921-1994)". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- "Soccer Facts". Irish Independent. 23 April 1979. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Dermot Keely". Irish Press. 5 May 1978. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- "Award goes to Dunning". Irish Independent. 5 April 1979. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- Spillane, Noel (26 April 1979). "Byrne is 'player of the month'". Cork Examiner. Retrieved 3 December 2019.