1966–67 Dundalk F.C. season

Dundalk

1966–67 season
"The Greatest Year in the History of Dundalk Football Club"
Manager	Alan Fox
League of Ireland	1st (champions)
FAI Cup	Semi-final
League of Ireland Shield	1st (winners)
Dublin City Cup	Runners-up
Top Four Cup	Winners
Leinster Senior Cup	Runners-up
Top goalscorer	League: Danny Hale (15) All: Danny Hale (28)
Highest home attendance	14,000 (vs. Shamrock Rovers, Shield, 16 October 1966)[1]
Home colours

Dundalk entered the 1966–67 season on the back of a disappointing eighth-place finish in the League and a sixth-place finish in the Shield the previous season. 1966–67 was Alan Fox's first season as player-coach, having been appointed by the club's new board of directors in August. It was Dundalk's 41st consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.

Season summary

The previous season had seen significant change at the club. By the end of 1965 it was clear that the debts, the condition of Oriel Park, and the need to rebuild the playing squad, were challenges beyond the membership-based ownership model. A new public limited company took the club over in January 1966, after the voluntary liquidation of the old company.^[2] The new board set about investing in Oriel Park, which consisted of turning the pitch 90 degrees, building a new stand, and adding player and spectator facilities.^[3] They also invested in a number of new players and a new player-coach, Alan Fox. Only five of the players who had finished the previous season were retained.^[4]

The new season started on 21 August 1966 with the Shield and the Dublin City Cup. Dundalk had never won the Shield in their 40 seasons of League of Ireland membership, being runners-up four times and going close in numerous seasons.^[5] At the 41st attempt, the new team made no mistake – with nine wins from the first 10 matches, effectively sealing the win with a 2–0 victory over Shamrock Rovers in front of a then record crowd of 14,000 for a domestic game in Oriel Park.^[6][7] 10 days later they met Shamrock Rovers again, this time in the City Cup final, but fell to a 2–1 defeat.^[8]

The League saw Fox's side continue their Shield form, with six consecutive wins (scoring 21 goals in the process) leaving them clear at the top of the table in the run up to Christmas. A three match losing streak through the new year, which included the Leinster Senior Cup Final,^[9] saw some doubts about the side creep in. But they only lost one more match in charging to the title ahead of Bohemians by seven points.^[10] The club's third League title brought the only League and Shield Double in its history. To cap a memorable season, they also won the Top Four Cup, their second and last win before the competition was discontinued in 1974.^[11] A semi-final defeat in the FAI Cup to Shamrock Rovers was the only slip-up that stopped the side winning medals in every competition. They called it "the greatest year in the history of Dundalk Football Club".^[12]

First-Team Squad (1966–67)

Sources:^[13]

No.	Name	Years	League	FAI Cup	League of Ireland Shield	Other^a	Total	Goals
1	Kevin Blount	1966–1968	21	5	10	10	46	0
2	Fran Brennan	1966–1973	22	5	11	11	49	1
3	Alan Fox	1966–1968	22	5	11	11	49	0
4	Patsy McKeown	1957–1968	18	5	11	10	44	0
5	Mick Millington	1965–1970	16	4	11	11	42	1
6	Kevin Murray	1966–1970	19	5	10	11	45	11
7	Paddy Turner	1966–1972	22	5	8	10	45	17
8	Ben Hannigan	1966–1969	20	5	11	7	43	26
9	Danny Hale	1966–1968	20	3	10	9	42	28
10	Tony O'Connell	1966–1969	16	4	10	6	36	3
11	Derek Stokes	1966–1970	16	4	0	5	25	17
12	Jim Burke	1966–1968	12	0	6	8	26	0
13	Larry Gilmore	1966–1970	3	1	11	7	22	2
14	Francie Callan	1954–1967	13	4	0	3	20	4
15	Christy Barron	1959–1967	1	0	1	1	3	0

a. Includes the Leinster Senior Cup, Dublin City Cup, and Top Four Cup.

Competitions

Shield

Source:^[14]

Cork Celtic v Dundalk

21 August 1966 Round 1

Cork Celtic

1–1

Dundalk

Dundalk v Shelbourne

28 August 1966 Round 2

Dundalk

4–0

Shelbourne

Drogheda United v Dundalk

4 September 1966 Round 3

Drogheda United

1–4

Dundalk

Dundalk v St Patrick's Athletic

11 September 1966 Round 4

Dundalk

1–0

St Patrick's Athletic

Bohemians v Dundalk

18 September 1966 Round 5

Bohemians

0–1

Dundalk

Dundalk v Waterford

25 September 1966 Round 6

Dundalk

1–0

Waterford

Cork Hibernians v Dundalk

2 October 1966 Round 7

Cork Hibernians

1–5

Dundalk

Dundalk v Drumcondra

9 October 1966 Round 8

Dundalk

6–2

Drumcondra

Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers

16 October 1966 Round 9

Dundalk

2–0

Shamrock Rovers

Sligo Rovers v Dundalk

23 October 1966 Round 10

Sligo Rovers

1–0

Dundalk

Dundalk v Limerick

30 October 1966 Round 11

Dundalk

2–0

Limerick

Shield table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Dundalk	11	9	1	1	27	7	+20	19
2	St Patrick's Athletic	11	7	2	2	20	8	+12	16
3	Shamrock Rovers	11	7	1	3	37	12	+25	15
4	Waterford	11	6	1	4	24	16	+8	13
5	Limerick	11	5	2	4	19	17	+2	12
6	Bohemians	11	5	2	4	17	15	+2	12
7	Drogheda United	11	5	1	5	14	18	−4	11
8	Drumcondra	11	5	1	5	17	24	−7	11
9	Cork Hibernians	11	4	0	7	18	31	−13	8
10	Shelbourne	11	3	0	8	14	31	−17	6
11	Cork Celtic	11	1	3	7	17	28	−11	5
12	Sligo Rovers	11	2	0	9	10	27	−17	4

Source: Irish Press

Dublin City Cup

Source:^[14]

First Round

Dundalk v Drogheda United

23 August 1966	Dundalk	2–0	Drogheda United	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Quarter-final

Dundalk v Sligo Rovers

14 September 1966	Dundalk	2–1	Sligo Rovers	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Semi-final

Dundalk v Waterford

5 October 1966	Dundalk	3–1	Waterford	Dublin
				Stadium: Dalymount Park

Final

Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers

26 October 1966	Dundalk	1–2	Shamrock Rovers	Dublin
				Stadium: Dalymount Park

Leinster Senior Cup

Source:^[14]

Fourth Round

Dundalk v Drogheda United

2 November 1966	Dundalk	3–1	Drogheda United	Dublin
				Stadium: Tolka Park

Semi-final

Drumcondra v Dundalk

13 December 1966	Drumcondra	1–1	Dundalk	Dublin
				Stadium: Tolka Park

Semi-final Replay

Drumcondra v Dundalk

15 December 1966	Drumcondra	2–5	Dundalk	Dublin
				Stadium: Tolka Park

Final

Bohemians v Dundalk

15 December 1966	Bohemians	1–0	Dundalk	Dublin
				Stadium: Dalymount Park

FAI Cup

Source:^[14]

First Round

Dundalk v Tramore Athletic

12 February 1967	Dundalk	6–1	Tramore Athletic	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Quarter-final

Dundalk v Cork Hibernians

5 March 1967	Dundalk	1–1	Cork Hibernians	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Quarter-final Replay

Cork Hibernians v Dundalk

8 March 1967	Cork Hibernians	0–1	Dundalk	Cork
				Stadium: Flower Lodge

Semi-final

Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers

1 April 1967	Dundalk	1–1	Shamrock Rovers	Dublin
				Stadium: Dalymount Park

Semi-final Replay

Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers

5 April 1967	Dundalk	0–3	Shamrock Rovers	Dublin
				Stadium: Tolka Park

Top Four Cup

Source:^[14]

Semi-final

Dundalk v Sligo Rovers

30 April 1967	Dundalk	2–1	Sligo Rovers	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Final

Bohemians v Dundalk

7 May 1967	Bohemians	0–0	Dundalk	Dublin
				Stadium: Dalymount Park

Final Replay

Dundalk v Bohemians

12 May 1967	Dundalk	2–1	Bohemians	Dublin
				Stadium: Tolka Park

League

Source:^[14]

Dundalk v Cork Celtic

6 November 1966 Round 1

Dundalk

5–0

Cork Celtic

Shelbourne v Dundalk

13 November 1966 Round 2

Shelbourne

1–3

Dundalk

Dundalk v Drogheda United

20 November 1966 Round 3

Dundalk

3–0

Drogheda United

St Patrick's Athletic v Dundalk

27 November 1966 Round 4

St Patrick's Athletic

1–3

Dundalk

Dundalk v Bohemians

4 December 1966 Round 5

Dundalk

3–0

Bohemians

Waterford v Dundalk

11 December 1966 Round 6

Waterford

2–4

Dundalk

Dundalk v Cork Hibernians

18 December 1966 Round 7

Dundalk

0–0

Cork Hibernians

Drumcondra v Dundalk

26 December 1966 Round 8

Drumcondra

1–2

Dundalk

Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk

1 January 1967 Round 9

Shamrock Rovers

2–1

Dundalk

Dundalk v Sligo Rovers

8 January 1967 Round 10

Dundalk

1–2

Sligo Rovers

Limerick v Dundalk

15 January 1967 Round 11

Limerick

2–3

Dundalk

Cork Celtic v Dundalk

22 January 1967 Round 12

Cork Celtic

1–4

Dundalk

Dundalk v Shelbourne

29 January 1967 Round 13

Dundalk

6–0

Shelbourne

Drogheda United v Dundalk

5 February 1967 Round 14

Drogheda United

1–3

Dundalk

Dundalk v St Patrick's Athletic

19 February 1967 Round 15

Dundalk

2–2

St Patrick's Athletic

Bohemians v Dundalk

26 February 1967 Round 16

Bohemians

3–0

Dundalk

Dundalk v Waterford

12 March 1967 Round 17

Dundalk

3–0

Waterford

Cork Hibernians v Dundalk

19 March 1967 Round 18

Cork Hibernians

0–0

Dundalk

Dundalk v Drumcondra

26 March 1967 Round 19

Dundalk

2–0

Drumcondra

Sligo Rovers v Dundalk

9 April 1967 Round 20

Sligo Rovers

1–1

Dundalk

Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers

14 April 1967 Round 21

Dundalk

2–0

Shamrock Rovers

Dundalk v Limerick

16 April 1967 Round 22

Dundalk

3–0

Limerick

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Dundalk	22	15	4	3	54	19	+35	34
2	Bohemians	22	12	3	7	45	27	+18	27
3	Sligo Rovers	22	11	5	6	37	29	+8	27
4	Limerick	22	9	6	7	31	29	+2	24
5	Waterford	22	11	1	10	53	48	+5	23
6	St Patrick's Athletic	22	8	5	9	49	51	−2	21
7	Shamrock Rovers	22	8	4	10	31	31	0	20
8	Drumcondra	22	6	8	8	35	38	−3	20
9	Cork Hibernians	22	7	5	10	31	39	−8	19
10	Drogheda United	22	7	5	10	31	42	−11	19
11	Cork Celtic	22	8	3	11	30	52	−22	19
12	Shelbourne	22	4	3	15	32	54	−22	11

Source: www.rsssf.com

References

Bibliography

• Murphy, Jim (2003). The History of Dundalk F.C.: The First 100 Years. Dundalgan Press. ASIN B0042SO3R2.
• Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 1-86223-135-4.
• MacSweeney, Niall (1985). A Record of League of Ireland Football 1921/2 - 1984/5. Association of Football Statisticians. ASIN B008H2CBJQ.
• Ryan, Sean; Dunne, Noel (24 October 1975). The Bass Book of Irish Soccer. Mercier Press. ISBN 9780853424505.

Citations

1. O'Shea, Tom (17 October 1966). "Dundalk Poised To Take Shield". Irish Press. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
2. "Dundalk club take-over". Irish Independent. 21 January 1966. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
3. Dunne, Noel (6 July 1966). "Transformation by Dundalk F.C." Evening Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
4. "Waterford's Injury Problems". The Irish Press. 13 September 1966. Retrieved 16 June 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
5. "Shield Shock for Dundalk". Irish Independent. 6 November 1939. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
6. Murphy, W.P. (17 October 1966). "Record Crowd Sees Oriel Park Team..." Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
7. O'Shea, Tom (17 October 1966). "Dundalk Poised To Take Shield". The Irish Press. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
8. Murphy, W.P. (27 October 1966). "Rovers Oust Dundalk!". Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
9. O'Shea, Tom (26 December 1966). "Magnificent Bohemians Triumph". Irish Press. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
10. "Dundalk New League Champs". Irish Independent. 15 April 1967. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
11. "Dundalk Collect 3rd Trophy of Season". Irish Independent. 13 May 1967. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
12. "Pictorial Souvenir". The Irish Press. 16 June 1967. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
13. Murphy, Jim (2013). A Dundalk FC Miscellany. Ireland: Self-published. p. 240.
14. Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC - the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 464.