1987–88 Dundalk F.C. season

Dundalk

1987–88 season
Manager	Turlough O'Connor
Premier Division	1st (champions)
FAI Cup	Winners
League Cup	Quarter-final
President's Cup	Runners-up
Leinster Senior Cup	2nd Round
European Cup Winners' Cup	First round
Top goalscorer	League: Dessie Gorman (14) All: Dessie Gorman (16)
Home colours

Dundalk entered the 1987–88 season as the League Cup holders from 1986–87, having won that competition and finished as runners-up in both league and FAI Cup. 1987–88 was Turlough O'Connor's third season as manager, and was Dundalk's 62nd consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.

Season summary

The new season opened with the Leinster Senior Cup, with Dundalk exiting in the second round.^[1] The League Cup followed and, after qualifying from a four team mini-group to reach the quarter-finals, they were knocked out by St Patrick's Athletic.^[2] The 33-round League programme commenced on 13 September 1987, and was completed on 21 April 1988. Shamrock Rovers had won the title for the previous four seasons and were expected to challenge again, while St Patrick's Athletic, Bohemians and Cork City were all strongly tipped. Dundalk went top of the table early, but slumped to fourth after back-to-back defeats in October.^[3] They then put together a seven match winning streak, to lead by three points in the run up to Christmas.^[4] They continued to lead into March, until a five match winless streak saw them slip to third.^[5]

With three games remaining, the season appeared to swing back in Dundalk's favour when, after going two goals down to Derry City in Oriel Park, they scored three times in the final 13 minutes to win the match.^[6] A big win the following week over Bray Wanderers meant that, going into the final match of the season, they only needed a draw against St Patrick's Athletic – their closest challengers – to become Champions. Pats themselves required a win to pip Dundalk to the title. The televised finale, described as being played out in the "emotion charged atmosphere of Oriel Park", ended 1–1. Dundalk had won the League for the first time since 1981–82, and their first title in the Premier Division era.^[7] They went on to win the 1988 FAI Cup final, with a 1–0 victory over Derry City on 1 May 1988 – the club's second League and Cup Double – to cap a season that had seen them play 50 matches.^[8]

As FAI Cup runners-up from the season before, they qualified for the 1987–88 European Cup Winners' Cup. In the first round they drew a glamour tie against the holders, Ajax Amsterdam (many of whose players would be in the Dutch squad that would win Euro '88). Despite "gallant" displays, Ajax ran out comfortable winners 6–0 on aggregate.^[9][10]

First-Team Squad (1987–88)

Sources:^[11]

No.	Name	Years	League	FAI Cup	League Cup	Europe	Other^a	Total	Goals
1	Alan O'Neill	1985–1993	33	8	3	2	2	48	0
2	Martin Lawlor	1977–1995	28	6	3	0	2	39	1
3	Joey Malone	1985–1990	33	8	3	2	3	49	1
4	Harry McCue	1985–1988	7	5	4	2	1	19	0
5	Gino Lawless	1986–1994	33	8	3	2	1	47	2
6	Larry Wyse	1986–1989	32	7	2	2	1	44	6
7	Barry Kehoe	1980–1993	25	8	4	2	3	41	6
8	Martin Murray	1984–1990	31	8	3	2	3	47	7
9	Dessie Gorman	1985–1989	31	8	3	2	1	45	16
10	Terry Eviston	1986–1993	32	8	4	2	1	47	15
11	John Cleary	1984–1991	33	8	4	2	2	49	8
12	Paul Newe	1987–1990	18	5	4	2	3	32	4
13	Michael O'Connor	1987–1988	25	6	0	0	1	32	6
14	Mick Shelley	1985–1993	18	3	4	2	2	29	1
15	Dave Connell	1985–1988	4	0	2	0	2	8	0

a. Includes the Leinster Senior Cup and LFA President's Cup.

Competitions

Leinster Senior Cup

Source:^[12]

First Round

Dundalk v Drogheda United

6 August 1987	Dundalk	1–0	Drogheda United	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Second round

Dundalk v Athlone Town

20 August 1987	Dundalk	1–2	Athlone Town	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

League Cup

Source:^[12]

Group

Bohemians v Dundalk

23 August 1987	Bohemians	1–0	Dundalk	Dublin
				Stadium: Dalymount Park

Monaghan United v Dundalk

30 August 1987	Monaghan United	1–3	Dundalk	Monaghan
				Stadium: Gortakeegan

Dundalk v Drogheda United

3 September 1987	Dundalk	2–0	Drogheda United	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Quarter Final

Dundalk v St Patrick's Athletic

6 September 1987	Dundalk	1–2	St Patrick's Athletic	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

LFA President's Cup

Source:^[12]

Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers

12 November 1987	Dundalk	0–0 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p)	Shamrock Rovers	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Premier Division

Source:^[12]

Cork City v Dundalk

13 September 1987 Round 1

Cork City

0–2

Dundalk

Dundalk v Limerick

20 September 1987 Round 2

Dundalk

2–1

Limerick

Shelbourne v Dundalk

27 September 1987 Round 3

Shelbourne

0–2

Dundalk

Dundalk v Bohemians

4 October 1987 Round 4

Dundalk

0–0

Bohemians

Sligo Rovers v Dundalk

11 October 1987 Round 5

Sligo Rovers

2–2

Dundalk

Dundalk v Waterford

18 October 1987 Round 6

Dundalk

1–0

Waterford

Galway United v Dundalk

25 October 1987 Round 7

Galway United

1–0

Dundalk

Dundalk v St Patrick's Athletic

26 October 1987 Round 8

Dundalk

0–2

St Patrick's Athletic

Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk

30 October 1987 Round 9

Shamrock Rovers

0–1

Dundalk

Dundalk v Derry City

8 November 1987 Round 10

Dundalk

2–0

Derry City

Dundalk v Bray Wanderers

15 November 1987 Round 11

Dundalk

2–0

Bray Wanderers

Bray Wanderers v Dundalk

22 November 1987 Round 12

Bray Wanderers

2–3

Dundalk

Dundalk v Cork City

29 November 1987 Round 13

Dundalk

3–1

Cork City

Limerick v Dundalk

6 December 1987 Round 14

Limerick

0–3

Dundalk

Dundalk v Shelbourne

13 December 1987 Round 15

Dundalk

3–1

Shelbourne

Bohemians v Dundalk

20 December 1987 Round 16

Bohemians

2–3

Dundalk

Dundalk v Sligo Rovers

27 December 1987 Round 17

Dundalk

1–0

Sligo Rovers

Waterford v Dundalk

28 December 1987 Round 18

Waterford

2–3

Dundalk

Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers

3 January 1988 Round 19

Dundalk

1–1

Shamrock Rovers

Derry City v Dundalk

10 January 1988 Round 20

Derry City

3–0

Dundalk

Dundalk v Galway United

17 January 1988 Round 21

Dundalk

2–1

Galway United

St Patrick's Athletic v Dundalk

24 January 1988 Round 22

St Patrick's Athletic

2–2

Dundalk

Dundalk v Limerick

7 February 1988 Round 23

Dundalk

4–0

Limerick

Shelbourne v Dundalk

21 February 1988 Round 24

Shelbourne

0–1

Dundalk

Dundalk v Bohemians

28 February 1988 Round 25

Dundalk

0–2

Bohemians

Cork City v Dundalk

9 March 1988 Round 26

Cork City

1–1

Dundalk

Sligo Rovers v Dundalk

13 March 1988 Round 27

Sligo Rovers

0–0

Dundalk

Dundalk v Waterford

17 March 1988 Round 28

Dundalk

1–1

Waterford

Galway United v Dundalk

20 March 1988 Round 29

Galway United

2–0

Dundalk

Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk

2 April 1988 Round 30

Shamrock Rovers

0–1

Dundalk

Dundalk v Derry City

4 April 1988 Round 31

Dundalk

3–2

Derry City

Dundalk v Bray Wanderers

13 April 1988 Round 32

Dundalk

5–1

Bray Wanderers

Dundalk v St Patrick's Athletic

21 April 1988 Round 33

Dundalk

1–1

St Patrick's Athletic

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Dundalk (C)	33	19	8	6	54	32	+22	46	Qualification to 1988–89 European Cup
2	St Patrick's Athletic	33	18	9	6	52	25	+27	45	Qualification to 1988–89 UEFA Cup
3	Bohemians	33	17	11	5	57	32	+25	45
4	Shamrock Rovers	33	16	9	8	53	30	+23	41
5	Galway United	33	15	10	8	48	34	+14	40
6	Waterford United	33	10	14	9	40	31	+9	34
7	Cork City	33	12	10	11	41	47	−6	34
8	Derry City	33	13	5	15	59	44	+15	31	Qualification to 1988–89 European Cup Winners' Cup
9	Limerick City	33	9	7	17	33	60	−27	25
10	Shelbourne	33	8	8	17	27	65	−38	24
11	Bray Wanderers (R)	33	4	10	19	27	65	−38	18	Relegation to League of Ireland First Division
12	Sligo Rovers (R)	33	4	5	24	30	81	−51	13

Source: www.rsssf.com
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

FAI Cup

Source:^[13]

First Round

Sligo Rovers v Dundalk

14 February 1988	Sligo Rovers	1–1	Dundalk	Sligo, County Sligo
			Michael O'Connor	Stadium: The Showgrounds

First Round Replay

Dundalk v Sligo Rovers

18 February 1988	Dundalk	3–2	Sligo Rovers	Dundalk
	Terry Eviston (2) Paul Newe			Stadium: Oriel Park

Second Round

Dundalk v Bray Wanderers

6 March 1988	Dundalk	2–0	Bray Wanderers	Dundalk
	John Cleary Paul Newe			Stadium: Oriel Park

Quarter Final

Dundalk v Cork City

27 March 1988	Dundalk	0–0	Cork City	Dundalk
				Stadium: Oriel Park

Quarter Final Replay

Cork City v Dundalk

27 March 1988	Cork City	0–1	Dundalk	Cork
			Martin Murray	Stadium: Turners Cross

Semi Final

Dundalk v St Patrick's Athletic

10 April 1988	Dundalk	1–0	St Patrick's Athletic	Dundalk
			Dessie Gorman	Stadium: Oriel Park

St Patrick's Athletic v Dundalk

17 April 1988	St Patrick's Athletic	0–3	Dundalk	Dublin
			Barry Kehoe Dessie Gorman Martin Murray	Stadium: Richmond Park

Dundalk won 4–0 on aggregate.

Final

Main article: 1988 FAI Cup final

Dundalk v Derry City

1 May 1988	Dundalk	1–0[14]	Derry City	Dublin
15:30	John Cleary 20' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Dalymount Park Attendance: 21,000[15] Referee: John Spillane

Europe

Cup Winners' Cup

First round

16 September 1987

Ajax	4–0	Dundalk
Rijkaard 65' Blind 73' Winter 81' Stapleton 85'

Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam

Attendance: 15,712

Referee: José María Enríquez Negreira (Spain)

30 September 1987

Dundalk	0–2	Ajax
		Newe 71' (o.g.) Meijer 87'

Oriel Park, Dundalk

Attendance: 5,000

Referee: Rune Larsson (Sweden)

Ajax won 6–0 on aggregate.

Awards

Player of the Month

Month	Player	References
March	Terry Eviston	[16]
April	Dessie Gorman	[17]

SWAI Personality of the Year

Person	Reference
Terry Eviston	[17]

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.

Citations

1. "Athlone pounce in extra time". Irish Press. 21 August 1987. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
2. "Disappointing Dundalk go out to eager Pats". Irish Press. 7 September 1987. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
3. Dunne, Noel (27 October 1987). "Dundalk's Weekend Disaster". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
4. "Malone Makes Dundalk Safe". Irish Independent. 14 December 1987. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
5. Dunne, Noel (21 March 1988). "Dundalk's Premier Run Comes to a Stop". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
6. "Dundalk Rally to Keep Hopes Alive". Irish Press. 5 April 1988. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
7. Stuart, Charlie (22 April 1988). "Dundalk Are Tops". The Irish Press. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
8. Stuart, Charlie (2 May 1988). "Delight". The Irish Press. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
9. Stuart, Charlie (17 September 1987). "Stapleton is in scoring form". Irish Press. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
10. Kelly, Liam (1 October 1987). "Ajax clean up at Oriel Park!". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 May 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
11. Murphy, Jim (2013). A Dundalk FC Miscellany. Ireland: Self-published. p. 270.
12. Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC - the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 472.
13. Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC - the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 344.
14. "Ireland FAI Cup (1921-1994)". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
15. "FAI Cup Final". Irish Press. 2 May 1988. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
16. Meagan, Jimmy (7 April 1987). "Eviston 'nets' major soccer award". Irish Press. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
17. "'Player' awards for Dundalk duo". Irish Independent. 23 April 1988. Retrieved 30 November 2019.

External links

• Dundalk F.C. on YouTube