Dundalk entered the 2000–01 League of Ireland First Division season having finished fourth the previous season, thus missing out on a promotion/relegation play-off. Manager Martin Murray was entering his first season in charge, having replaced Terry Eviston during the summer. It was Dundalk's second season in the second tier of Irish football, and their 75th consecutive season in the League of Ireland.
| 2000–01 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Martin Murray | ||
| First Division | 1st (winners) | ||
| FAI Cup | Second Round | ||
| League Cup | Group (DNQ) | ||
| Leinster Senior Cup | Competition abandoned | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Martin Reilly (20) All: Martin Reilly (21) | ||
|
| |||
Season summary
editFollowing the financial difficulties of the mid- and late-1990s, and relegation for the first time at the end of the 1998–99 season, the club had been taken over by the Dundalk F.C. Co-operative in March 2000,[1] returning it to a supporter-owned, membership-based company model. The previous season there had been expectations of an immediate return to the top-flight, but a poor start left them struggling to catch the leaders and, with a play-off spot seemingly secured, the club became embroiled in a losing battle with the league's hierarchy and Kilkenny City. The row, over Kilkenny playing an improperly registered player, reached the High Court, who sided with Kilkenny thus handing them the play-off spot.[2]
Relegation in 1999 had resulted in a large turnover of players – 31 different players making League appearances in the 1999–2000 season alone. With new ownership, and a new manager, there was more of the same. A number of local players had been retained from the previous season's squad, but another ten players were signed before and during the season, so that 21 players in total would make league starts. The previous season's disappointment, and the number of players coming and going, meant that hopes were low going into the new season.[3] The 36-match schedule got under way on 11 August 2000, and Dundalk had a promising start, leading by the end of the month.[4] But a slump in form saw them risk losing touch with fellow pace-setters, Athlone Town, obliging Murray to bring more players in.[5] A victory over Athlone in November, and a five-game winning streak, kept the gap to four points as the other sides fell away.[6]
The season was nearly derailed, however, when the 2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak lead to an exclusion zone being put in place around County Louth.[7] Many public events were postponed or cancelled, and Dundalk went the whole of March without playing a match. They had beaten Shelbourne in the first round of the Leinster Senior Cup, but the crisis saw the competition ultimately abandoned for the season, and it would be 2010 before it was revived.[8] In the second round of the FAI Cup they had been drawn against non-league Malahide United, and the game had been postponed four times as the crisis wore on. At the fifth attempt, the match was played behind closed doors at a neutral venue, and Dundalk were knocked out in the first match they had played in over five weeks.[9] Two heavy league defeats followed as they struggled to get back up to speed, with home matches having to be played in United Park in Drogheda. But four consecutive wins, including a 2–1 victory over Athlone in the first match played in Oriel Park in over two months,[10] meant Dundalk had won the First Division title (their first), and secured promotion back to the Premier Division for 2001–02 with a game to spare.[11]
First-Team Squad (2000–01)
editSources:[12]
| No. | Name | Years | League | FAI Cup | League Cup | Leinster Cup | Total | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  John Connolly
|
1999–2003 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| 2 | David Crawley
|
1997–2002 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 4 |
| 3 | Padraig Gollogley
|
1997–2001 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| 4 | Aaron Callaghan
|
2000–2002 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 1 |
| 5 | Liam Dunne
|
2000–2002 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| 6 |  Ian Hill
|
2000–2001 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| 7 | John Flanagan
|
1999–2008 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 8 |
| 8 | David Hoey
|
1995–2006 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| 9 | Martin Reilly
|
2000–2003 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 21 |
| 10 | Greg O'Dowd
|
2000–2001 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 5 |
| 11 | David Ward
|
1997–2004 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 11 |
| 12 | Brian McKenna
|
2000–2001 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| 13 | Donal Broughan
|
2000–2003 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| 14 | Tommy Byrne
|
2000–2001 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| 15 | John Whyte
|
1999–2003 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| 16 | Brian Morrisroe
|
1999–2001 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| 17 | Eoin Mullen
|
2000–2001 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
| 18 | Anto Reilly
|
1999–2001 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 7 |
| 19 | John Ryan
|
2000–2001 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| 20 | Paddy Quinn
|
1998–2001 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 21 | Padraig Staunton
|
1999–2001 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Competitions
editLeague Cup
editSource:[13]
- Group
| 25 September 2000 | Dundalk | 1–2 | Bohemians | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
Did not qualify
Leinster Senior Cup
editSource:[13]
- First Round
| 5 December 2000 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Shelbourne | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
Competition subsequently abandoned
FAI Cup
editSource:[13]
- First Round
| 6 January 2001 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Limerick | Dundalk |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
- Second Round
| 1 April 2001 | Dundalk | 0–1 | Malahide United | Dublin |
| Stadium: Baldonnell |
First Division
editSource:[13]
| 11 August 2000 Round 1 | Limerick | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 16 August 2000 Round 2 | Dundalk | 2–0 | St Francis |
| 18 August 2000 Round 3 | Drogheda United | 0–3 | Dundalk |
| 26 August 2000 Round 4 | Dundalk | 2–0 | Monaghan United |
| 31 August 2000 Round 5 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Waterford United |
| 5 September 2000 Round 6 | Sligo Rovers | 2–1 | Dundalk |
| 9 September 2000 Round 7 | Dundalk | 3–1 | Home Farm |
| 17 September 2000 Round 8 | Athlone Town | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 30 September 2000 Round 9 | Dundalk | 2–2 | Cobh Ramblers |
| 5 October 2000 Round 10 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Limerick |
| 13 October 2000 Round 11 | St Francis | 2–6 | Dundalk |
| 19 October 2000 Round 12 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Drogheda United |
| 29 October 2000 Round 13 | Monaghan United | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 3 November 2000 Round 14 | Waterford United | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 9 November 2000 Round 15 | Dundalk | 3–1 | Sligo Rovers |
| 18 November 2000 Round 16 | Home Farm | 2–1 | Dundalk |
| 23 November 2000 Round 17 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Athlone Town |
| 3 December 2000 Round 18 | Cobh Ramblers | 3–2 | Dundalk |
| 14 December 2000 Round 19 | Dundalk | 7–0 | St Francis |
| 22 December 2000 Round 20 | Drogheda United | 0–3 | Dundalk |
| 13 January 2001 Round 21 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Waterford United |
| 20 January 2001 Round 22 | Sligo Rovers | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 25 January 2001 Round 23 | Dundalk | 0–1 | Home Farm |
| 31 January 2001 Round 24 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Monaghan United |
| 9 February 2001 Round 25 | Athlone Town | 1–2 | Dundalk |
| 15 February 2001 Round 26 | Dundalk | 0–0 | Limerick |
| 18 February 2001 Round 27 | Dundalk | 3–2 | Cobh Ramblers |
| 23 February 2001 Round 28 | St Francis | 1–1 | Dundalk |
| 8 April 2001 Round 29 | Monaghan United | 0–4 | Dundalk |
| 10 April 2001 Round 30 | Waterford | 1–2 | Dundalk |
| 14 April 2001 Round 31 | Dundalk | 2–5 | Sligo Rovers |
| 21 April 2001 Round 32 | Home Farm | 1–2 | Dundalk |
| 24 April 2001 Round 33 | Limerick | 0–2 | Dundalk |
| 28 April 2001 Round 34 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Athlone Town |
| 1 May 2001 Round 35 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Drogheda United |
| 6 May 2001 Round 36 | Cobh Ramblers | 1–0 | Dundalk |
League table
edit| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes |
| 1 | Dundalk F.C. | 36 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 65 | 38 | +27 | 69 | Promoted to Premier Division |
| 2 | Monaghan United F.C. | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 65 | Promoted to Premier Division |
| 3 | Athlone Town A.F.C. | 36 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 53 | 37 | +16 | 64 | Lost promotion/relegation play-off |
| 4 | Sligo Rovers F.C. | 36 | 19 | 5 | 12 | 61 | 48 | +13 | 62 | |
| 5 | Waterford United F.C. | 36 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 56 | 30 | +26 | 61 | |
| 6 | Limerick F.C. | 36 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 50 | |
| 7 | Home Farm Fingal F.C. | 36 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 43 | 58 | -15 | 43 | |
| 8 | Cobh Ramblers F.C. | 36 | 10 | 6 | 20 | 43 | 60 | -17 | 36 | |
| 9 | Drogheda United F.C. | 36 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 27 | 62 | -35 | 21 | |
| 10 | Fingal–St. Francis F.C. | 36 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 29 | 64 | -35 | 20 |
Source:www.rsssf.com
References
edit- 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
- ^ "Historic day as Co-Operative takes over Dundalk". Dundalk Democrat. 25 March 2000. Retrieved 8 May 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- ^ "Carter saga ends with Cats getting the cream". Dundalk Democrat. 6 May 2000. Retrieved 8 May 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
- ^ "No clues available in tie with Crusaders". Dundalk Democrat. 29 July 2000. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Murray's men continue to make the early running". Dundalk Democrat. 2 September 2000. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Murray moves to strengthen panel". Dundalk Democrat. 14 October 2000. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Connolly comes in with another clean sheet". Dundalk Democrat. 20 January 2001. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- ^ Devlin, Martina (23 March 2001). "Operation Ringfence". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ Feery, Niall. "Leinster Senior Cup makes a return". www.herald.ie. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ Quinn, Philip (2 April 2001). "Brilliant Bruen". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "This was the vital one". Dundalk Democrat. 5 May 2001. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "Captain Crawley bridges 37-year gap". Dundalk Democrat. 12 May 2001. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ Murphy, Jim (2013). A Dundalk FC Miscellany. Ireland: Self-published. p. 299.
- ^ a b c d Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC - the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 478.