Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny has defended his decision to field a weakened team in the 5-2 defeat to St Patrick’s Athletic, insisting he was left with no choice given their “unprecedented” schedule of matches.
The Lilywhites shipped the heaviest defeat of Kenny’s four-year reign after he made nine changes to the team that clinched the league less than 48 hours previous for the game at Richmond Park.
Just Gary Rogers and Alan Keane remained from the starting team against Bohemians where 19-year-old winger Keith Dalton was handed his league debut while fellow teenagers Georgie Poynton and Michael O’Connor made their first league starts.
The champions were four goals down at the break before pulling two goals back after the interval as the Saints kept their push for a fifth-place finish, and now sit just one point off Sligo Rovers with a game to play.
Rovers manager Dave Robertson was upset with the team selection, saying it called into question the integrity of the club, but Kenny is adamant he had no alternative with a final league game on Friday followed by Zenit St Petersburg (Thursday 3 November) in Europe and an FAI Cup Final appearance against Cork City (Sunday 6 November).
“It’s a magnificent week for the club winning the league on Sunday but having to play again within 48 hours is crazy,” he told RTÉ Sport.
“Yes, we had had to make a lot of changes, but we had no choice. We had to give the players a night off.
“We made nine changes but we didn’t envisage losing.
"Unfortunately we deserved to lose, there’s no getting away from it.”
Kenny also paid tribute to captain on the night Shane Grimes who saw his season cruelly ended by a hamstring tear after just 18 minutes.
The defender had little sleep after becoming a father for the first time in the early hours and will not play any further part on Dundalk’s fairytale campaign
“Shane Grimes is a terrific person to have at your club," he said.
“He had a baby boy last night. He was really buoyant, but up all night. It’s a big blow for him.”
Kenny confirmed that Alan Keane (thigh strain), Dean Shiels (ankle) are his other injury concerns following the loss.
