DFC |Dundalk boss Jon Daly hails Daryl Horgan after crucial derby win
Dundalk manager Jon Daly has been praising the impact of Daryl Horgan following the winger’s double salvo in the Lilywhites’ crucial 4-2 derby triumph over Louth rivals Drogheda United last Friday.
Horgan’s second-half brace allowed Dundalk to claim bragging rights alongside three vital points at their neighbour’s expense and in the aftermath, Daly admitted that the chance to work with the 31-year-old was “one of the main reasons” he took the job at Oriel Park.
Efforts from Jad Hakiki and Ryan O’Kane inside 16 minutes put Dundalk in the driving seat against the Drogs last week, before Douglas James-Taylor halved the deficit for the visitors before half time.
With tensions threatening to spill over, Horgan’s goals in the 55th and 85th minute after the interval allowed Dundalk to settle their nerves and an injury-time strike from the spot from James-Taylor again did little to dampen the host’s spirits.
Dundalk had received significant backing on betting sites before kick-off and they proved worthy favourites, striking a potentially significant blow in the battle for survival in the Premier Division.
Speaking after full-time, Dundalk boss Daly reserved special praise for two-goal hero Horgan, saying:
“Daryl was one of the main reasons why I took the job if I’m being honest. When you look at the quality that he has, you know that he can help you get out of the trouble that you’re in.
“When you look at the squad and who is in there, he was a big factor in me thinking that I could get them out of the trouble that they’re in.”
Daly went on to namecheck Dundalk’s other goal-scorers in the Lilywhites’ win.
“I didn’t know that was Jad’s (Hakiki’s) first senior goal but I’m delighted for him. He’s a great kid and a really good player and someone that I’ve seen loads of from going and watching games down in Dublin on the weekends.
“I used to go and watch Shels’ U20s quite a bit and he always stood out for me and I always liked him.
“I was delighted when the opportunity came to sign him that I was able to convince him to come to the club. Ryan O’Kane is another good talent. That’s the stuff he does every day in training.”
A goal for Eoin Kenny would have been the icing on the cake, according to Daly, however.
“Young Eoin Kenny, it would have been nice for him to get on the scoresheet but I thought he done really well and led the line well.
“He was up against two physical centre-backs that didn’t give him any leeway in terms of the physical aspect of it. I thought he done really well on that side. He worked hard and he was excellent for the third goal with his link up.”
Dundalk opened up a five-point gap between themselves and bottom club Drogheda near the foot of the table following their derby success, though attentions turn swifty to this week’s rematch between the feuding neighbours in the FAI Cup Second Round on Friday evening.
Altercations between opposing supporters marred the scene at full time at Oriel Park this week and tempers are likely to flare again in this week’s cup clash at Weavers Park.
Once their cup challenge across Louth is complete, Dundalk can turn their focus to league duties again where another relegation candidates Bohemians is on the agenda.
Dundalk (9th) will kick off that fixture just four points off Bohs (8th), though they will need to snap a run of three straight defeats at Dalymount Park to collect maximum points at that venue.
With that poor record a factor, The Lilywhites are virtually guaranteed to be installed as underdogs in the match result markets on betting apps ahead of the encounter in Dublin.
Using in-form Sligo Rovers’ recent uptick in results as a reference, Dundalk manager Daly spoke about his team’s upcoming test against Bohemians as well as his side’s chances of climbing the standings, saying:
“It just shows you how tight the league is and if you can put a run of results together you can find yourself really high up the league but we’re focused on the next team which is Bohs.
“They’re the next for us to try and catch if we can and we’ll have that game when we come around but we’ve a massive game against Drogheda now away.”
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