Stephen Kenny lamented the fact that his side had only four weeks off ahead of the 2017 SSE Airtricity League season, yet you get the impression that the Dundalk manager barely took a moment’s downtime since finishing their 2016 campaign in December.
Of course, the League of Ireland champions were victims of their own success, which prolonged their calendar until December with Europa League group stage duties, while the rest of the league finished up at the end of October – early November for Cork as they had an FAI Cup final to play.
And while his players went off for that well-earned, if shortened, rest period, Kenny had a lot more to contend with as he had a team to rebuild as a result of losing several key players at the end of the year.
Much has been made of the departure of Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle, with both players signing for Preston North End, however, it must have really irked the Dundalk boss to see three of last year’s panel named on the opposing team-sheet for Friday night’s league opener against Shamrock Rovers.
So with the departure of so many players from an already threadbare squad, Kenny’s job of rebuilding a side to attempt to repeat the successes of 2016 would prove as big a test as the manager has faced since arriving to a club in crisis ahead of the 2013 season.
Kenny’s triumph at the County Louth side, making a once-famous club great again, is well documented but league success this season would see the manager write his name into history, should his side win their fourth league title in a row.
And you just know from listening to the Dubliner over the past few weeks in the build-up to the season, that Kenny is as hungry as ever to achieve that accolade.
Dundalk find themselves at the start of the season with arguably a stronger squad than last year with quality options competing for every position in the team.
And that is no mean feat. For players of a standard to slot into this Dundalk squad are a rare breed with many inferior players making a lot more money in the English and Scottish leagues.
The arrival of Conor Clifford, Niclas Vemmelund and Michael Duffy will, no doubt, keep Dundalk at the top level on the domestic front and all three should establish themselves in the starting XI over the coming months.
Teamsheet for tonight's clash with @ShamrockRovers! pic.twitter.com/84XTwWWlB2
— Dundalk FC (@DundalkFC) February 24, 2017
However, the manager pulled off a bit of a masterstroke in the opening game of the season as people wondered how his new-look Dundalk side would fare against a much-hyped Shamrock Rovers team.
Well his new-look side looked very much like his old one.
Kenny named ten players from last year’s league-winning squad in his starting XI to ensure the winning momentum continued, which will also allow the manager to work his new signings into his side on a gradual basis.
And while Kenny admitted afterwards that it was a great three points under the aforementioned circumstances, he provided an honest appraisal, knowing that his side were not at their best in the season opener.
“Some of our play could have been a lot better,” Kenny told RTE Sport after the game.
“And certainly in the last ten minutes when we were 2-1 up, we should have done better than we did, but I still feel that it is a great three points for us.”
But while his players did not perform to their capabilities, Kenny was quick to praise the character of his side, considering several players played through the pain barrier to ensure an opening-night victory.
“Our preparations were not good in the last few weeks and three of our starting XI didn’t train yesterday.
“Ciaran Kilduff was ruled out but he insisted on playing and then scores the winner, which shows his character by putting in a 90-minute shift.
“It was a performance that shows the team retains the hunger to go and do well.”
The manager is also hoping that his injury list is not added to, as midfield duo Stephen O’Donnell and Patrick McEleney were both substituted after picking up knocks in the second half. McEleney injured his foot and will undergo an x-ray on Saturday to assess the damage.
Kenny believes McEleney will prove his potential at the club this year and certainly agreed with the decision to award the former Derry City man with the man of the match award.
“Patrick was terrific tonight and was the best player on the pitch before he got injured,” said Kenny
And a final word for the much-discussed playing surface, which was re-laid during the close season.
“It looked great and should get better when we play a few matches on it,” said Kenny.
