Dundalk captain Stephen O’Donnell is using the prospect of creating history as an incentive for his side to secure their fourth league title in a row.
The champions host Shamrock Rovers in tonight’s league opener at Oriel Park (8pm) and the Lilywhites skipper admitted that joining the Hoops team from the 1980s as the only side ever to win four in a row would be “huge”.
“Our priority at the start of every season is to win the league and it just so happens that if we win the league this season it will be our fourth one in a row,” O’Donnell told RTÉ Sport.
“All the players know that Shamrock Rovers in the 1980s were the only team to win four in a row.
“So it is a massive incentive for us to put our names up with that echelon of teams, and to be only the second team ever to win four in a row would be huge.
“But we are going to take each game every week because if you start looking too far ahead, you will quickly find yourself eight or nine or ten points behind the league leaders.”
Dundalk captain Stephen O'Donnell is just a little wary of the league's fixture-list generator ahead of their opener with Rovers. #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/qtFldloEuT
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) February 23, 2017
Tonight’s visitors will also be looking to make an immediate mark on the 2017 campaign and O’Donnell said he was not surprised to see this fixture arrive so soon after former midfield team-mate Ronan Finn returned to play for the Hoops this season.
“The old random fixture list doesn’t appear to be too random,” laughed O’Donnell.
“I had a feeling we’d be meeting Rovers soon enough once Ronan went there, but it’s going to be a big game.
“Anytime you play Rovers is a big game, especially first game of the season but both clubs and both sets of fans are harbouring big hopes for the season so it’s going to be a big game and I’m looking forward to it.
“The winner or loser isn’t going to win or lose the league on the first day of the season, but it is a big game and something that we are really gearing up towards and I cannot wait for it.”
Despite losing several key players in the close season, O’Donnell believes that Dundalk have assembled a stronger squad than in previous years with more cover throughout the team.
But the former Shamrock Rovers midfielder also admitted that he was curious to see how the new players would gel with the Dundalk formation and system.
“We’ve had a big turnover of players with players coming in and leaving but we’re all gelling together well, as the new boys have come in and have really latched on to what we are trying to achieve.
“So it’s going to be a fact-finding mission as well with the big turnover and I’m as intrigued as anyone to see how we gel together and how we play this season.”
“We signed great quality so we’re going to have a case this season from one to 19 or 20, whatever 11 the manager picks, it won’t weaken the team.
“We’ve signed a lot of very exciting lads and very good defenders as well, and we have all different options going forward with young Stephen Kinsella, Jamie McGrath, Conor Clifford and Michael Duffy, all very attacking players.”
Dundalk captain Stephen O'Donnell says league is the priority & players have the incentive of pushing for elusive four in a row. #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/F3xmhaarLS
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) February 14, 2017
And O’Donnell believes that former Chelsea youth captain Clifford will prove his potential in the middle of the park for Dundalk as his game is completely suited to the way that Stephen Kenny sets up his team.
“He has settled in very well, seems very hungry and is enjoying his football again.
“Obviously, everyone knows that he was a massive talent in his younger years, going to Chelsea and a being big name.
“So he is looking forward to it and is very enthusiastic. He enjoys the style of football that we play and as a footballing midfielder, he’ll be looking to get on the ball and we’ll give him the best chance possible to do that.
“When he was at some of the teams in England, he was saying that a lot of the time the ball was going over his head and he was trying to play off second balls, so he’ll enjoy our style of football and he’s very comfortable on the ball so will settle into our team and our system very well.”
The League of Ireland veteran expects a much tougher challenge this season and feels that the league will prove a lot more competitive with no easy matches.
“This season from top to bottom, especially with three going down, is going to be very competitive,” said O’Donnell.
“Usually, you can pick out teams and think ‘we should win there’, but I think honestly, from one to 12, it is going to be very difficult.
“This season from top to bottom, especially with three going down, is going to be very competitive"
“Obviously, you will have Cork again. They haven’t had much change in personnel at all over the last couple of years and they have signed more players.
“Shamrock Rovers have signed a good few so they are going to be strong, and Derry and Pat’s will be strong, while Bray Wanderers will be looking to have a big season. And all the rest of the teams are going to be very competitive.
“I honestly don’t know what way the league is going to take shape or what the standings are going to be at the end of the season.
"But obviously, you’d like to think, that we are going to be there or thereabouts at the end of the season but I can see more points being dropped this season than any other season.”
Dundalk will get their first opportunity to play on their new pitch this evening as the Oriel Park artificial turf was replaced over the past few weeks.
And that can only be a good thing, admits O’Donnell, who felt that last year’s pitch was more of a hindrance than a help throughout the league-winning campaign.
“The old surface was more of a hindrance to us than anyone else so we’re looking forward to playing on a decent surface and getting better spectacles at Oriel Park, and so hopefully we can win games in a more controlled fashion this season.
“Most of the teams coming were just trying to contain and the old surface suited that type of play because the ball would never settle so if you launched a clearance it would take a long time to get the ball back down and play.
“So in an ideal world you’d prefer grass but I can’t see anyone having an excuse with this surface from what I have seen and I can’t see anyone being at an advantage or a disadvantage and the best team will win on the day. End of story.”
And O’Donnell fired off a warning shot to anyone who thinks that their new-look squad will be there for the taking this season as manager Kenny appears to have a knack of getting squads to gel straight away.
“You don’t know how these things are going to go when you have signed so many players at once, but the last time the manager signed this many players at once was the first season we came and we didn’t do too badly, we came second that season.
“So hopefully we have better quality and we can go one better.”
