Melia Grabs Winner for St Pat’s as Dundalk Remain Bottom Amid Growing Uncertainty
Dundalk’s troubles deepened last night as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to St Patrick’s Athletic at Oriel Park, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division. In a match filled with subplots, 18-year-old Eoin Kenny gave Dundalk a dream start, scoring early against a team managed by his father, Stephen Kenny. However, second-half goals from Tom Grivosti and Mason Melia secured victory for St Pat’s, adding to Dundalk’s woes both on and off the pitch.
The Lilywhites took the lead just two minutes in, when a long throw from Dan Pike was flicked on by Hayden Cann, allowing Kenny to head home his first league goal for the club. Dundalk looked lively early on, with Daryl Horgan firing over from distance shortly after the opener. But goalkeeping errors by Felix Goddard almost proved costly, as his poor clearances handed chances to Brandon Kavanagh and Aidan Keena, with Kavanagh clipping the post in a near miss for the visitors.
Despite Dundalk’s early dominance, St Pat’s began to grow into the game. Goddard continued to struggle, but a combination of last-ditch defending and poor finishing kept Dundalk’s lead intact going into the break. Kenny, who was impressive throughout the first half, curled an effort over in stoppage time, capping a strong opening 45 minutes for Jon Daly’s side.
St Patrick’s equalized 10 minutes into the second half, when a well-worked free kick from Kavanagh was flicked on by Joe Redmond, allowing Tom Grivosti to acrobatically finish from close range. Moments later, Jake Mulraney’s curling effort narrowly missed the target as St Pat’s looked to take control.
The winner came in the 68th minute, with Mulraney providing the assist again. His cross was flicked on by Kavanagh before teenage substitute Mason Melia headed home from close range to secure all three points for St Pat’s.
Dundalk had a chance to level the match 20 minutes from time, but Jamie Lennon cleared Andy Boyle’s goal-bound effort off the line. The Lilywhites were also denied a strong penalty appeal in stoppage time when substitute Dara Keane was brought down by Aaron Bolger, but the referee waved away the protests.
The result leaves Dundalk languishing at the foot of the table with just seven games remaining, and the mood around Oriel Park is bleak. Off-field issues have compounded the club’s problems, as reports surfaced earlier this week that players and staff were not paid due to financial difficulties. Club owner Brian Ainscough is reportedly considering selling the club, just nine months after taking over, with talks underway with potential investors. However, the club’s debt, which is said to be over €1 million, has raised concerns about Dundalk’s ability to see out the season.
Manager Jon Daly expressed his uncertainty about the club’s future after the match, acknowledging that he was in the dark regarding the ownership situation: “It’s a difficult time for everyone. We’re trying to focus on the football, but obviously there are other issues at play.”
Dundalk’s future both on and off the pitch looks increasingly uncertain, and unless significant investment is secured soon, the club could face even darker days ahead.
Dundalk XI: Goddard; Pike, Boyle, Cann, Mountney; Dervin (Keane 87), Benson (Gullan 69); Horgan, Hakiki (McGill 69), O’Kane (Garbett 75); Kenny (Mahon 75).
St Pat’s XI: Anang; Sjoberg, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; Forrester, Lennon; Elbouzedi, Kavanagh (Bolger 83), Mulraney (McClelland 71); Keena (Melia 62).
Referee: Damien McGraith
Attendance: 2,267