Dundalk have been handed a major boost with the news that Robbie Benson has signed a new one-year deal with the club.
The 25-year-old midfielder came to the Lilywhites from UCD at the start of 2016 to fill the considerable void left by Richie Towell, who moved across the water to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Benson has since gone from strength to strength under Stephen Kenny.
His goal against BATE Borisov that sealed Dundalk's progress to the Champions League play-off round in 2016 will go down as one of the most memorable in the club's history, and he followed that up with a terrific volley against Legia Warsaw.
Although the Airtricity League Premier Division side ultimately lost that tie, their subsequent Europa League exploits broke new ground for Irish clubs. Benson was at the heart of that adventure, and tying him down for another year is a major boost for Kenny as he looks to fine-tune an assault on the league crown they lost to Cork City this year.
"I’m happy to get it done. I’m going in to my third season with the club now so I’m looking forward to it," said Benson.
"I’ve had a very successful two years and obviously losing the FAI Cup final last season left a bitter taste in our mouths but it’s given us a good drive to come back next year focused and hopefully re-gain everything that we gave away last year, progress in Europe and retain the EA Sports Cup as well.
"For me anyway, it was a tough week after the Cup final. Especially to lose on penalties – the whole season ended on a penalty shoot-out whereas if it goes the other way you’re looking back a bit more fondly but, I can only speak for myself and it’s given me a motivational factor in the off season."
✍️ Robbie Benson commits his future to the Lilywhites ⚪⚫⚪ pic.twitter.com/eFSyBVKyI0
— Dundalk FC (@DundalkFC) December 4, 2017
