1966–67 Dundalk F.C. season

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 wins in a row (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	Othera	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.

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