Dundalk entered the 2025 League of Ireland First Division season, having been relegated after finishing in 10th and last place in the Premier Division the previous season. Ciarán Kilduff is the club's first-team manager going into the new term, his first season in charge after being appointed during the close season.[1]
2025 is Dundalk's 99th season in the League of Ireland and their first season in the First Division since winning promotion in 2008.
Season summary
Dundalk's season began with the 2024–25 Leinster Senior Cup. Like all Leinster-based League of Ireland teams, they entered at the group stage (Round 3), where they were drawn in Group B with Shamrock Rovers, Malahide United, and Usher Celtic.[2] They topped the group to progress to the Quarter-finals. In the process, TJ Molloy-Murray became the club's youngest goalscorer at 15 years and 10 months, breaking a record set by Peter McParland in 1950 by six months.[3]
The First Division league season began on 14 February 2025 with a 1–0 home win over Athlone Town.[4]
First-Team Squad (2025)
Sources:[5] Note: Substitute appearances in brackets
| No. | Nat. | Name | DOB | Pos. | Debut | League | FAI Cup | Leinster Cup | Totals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| 1 | 
|
Enda Minogue | 12 January 2002 | GK | 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2 |
|
Conor O'Keeffe | 19 September 1993 | DF | 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 3 |
|
Sean Keogh | 15 April 2006 | DF | 2024 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 4[a] |
|
Mayowa Animasahun | 8 August 2003 | DF | 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 5 |
|
Sean McHale[b] | 28 March 2005 | DF | 2025 | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 6 |
|
Aodh Dervin | 21 July 1999 | MF | 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| 7 |
|
Daryl Horgan | 10 August 1992 | FW | 2014 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| 8 |
|
Harry Groome | 9 November 2001 | MF | 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 9 |
|
Dean Ebbe | 16 July 1994 | FW | 2025 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 10 | 
|
Leonardo Gaxha | 27 July 2002 | FW | 2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (2) | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| 11 |
|
Gbemi Arubi | 26 May 2004 | FW | 2025 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 |
|
Luke Mulligan | 13 November 2007 | MF | 2024 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 14 | 
|
Norman Garbett | 27 February 2004 | MF | 2024 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 15[c] |
|
Vincent Leonard | 21 March 2008 | MF | 2024 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 16 |
|
Eoin Kenny | 30 December 2005 | FW | 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (1) | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| 17 |
|
Keith Ward | 12 October 1990 | MF | 2011 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | 
|
Peter Cherrie | 1 October 1983 | GK | 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 19 |
|
Sean Spaight | 25 January 2009 | DF | 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 20[d] |
|
Sammy Safaei | 9 March 2005 | GK | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 |
|
Muhammad Haris | 2008 | MF | 2025 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 22[e] | 
|
Ethen Vaughan | 5 November 2001 | DF | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 23[f] |
|
Andy Paraschiv | 15 February 2007 | MF | 2025 | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 24[g] |
|
T.J. Molloy-Murray | 4 April 2009 | FW | 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 25[h] | 
|
Aidan Russell Vargas | 12 May 2006 | MF | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 26 |
|
Shane Tracey | 2006 | MF | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Competitions
Win Draw Loss
First Division
| 14 February 2024 Round 1 | Dundalk | 1–0 | Athlone Town | Dundalk |
| 19:45 | Vincent Leonard  37' |
Report | Stadium: Oriel Park Attendance: 2,600 (est.) Referee: Marc Lynch |
| 21 February 2024 Round 2 | Finn Harps | 0–1 | Dundalk | Ballybofey, County Donegal |
| 19:45 | Report | Sean Keogh 2' |
Stadium: Finn Park Attendance: 1420 Referee: Declan Toland |
| 28 February 2024 Round 3 | Kerry | 0–1 | Dundalk | Tralee, County Kerry |
| 19:45 | Report | Dean Ebbe 25' Leo Gaxha  36' |
Stadium: Mounthawk Park Attendance: 1,195 Referee: Glen Geraghty |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dundalk | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 9 | Promotion to 2026 League of Ireland Premier Division |
| 2 | Treaty United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 6 | Qualification for League of Ireland Premier Division play-off |
| 3 | Wexford | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 6 | |
| 4 | Cobh Ramblers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Kerry | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | |
| 6 | Bray Wanderers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 3 | |
| 8 | UCD | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |
| 8 | Longford Town | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0 | |
| 9 | Finn Harps | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 | |
| 10 | Athlone Town | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on 28 February 2025. Source: SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
FAI Cup
Leinster Senior Cup
Third Round Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundalk | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Usher Celtic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Shamrock Rovers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Malahide United | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 13 | –11 | 0 |
| 17 January 2025 Matchday 1 | Dundalk | 4–0 | Malahide United | Dundalk, County Louth |
| 19:45 | Daryl Horgan 11' Dean Ebbe 38'Aodh Dervin 52'Aidan Russell Vargas 90+1' |
Report | Stadium: Oriel Park Attendance: 1,219 Referee: David Dunne |
| 20 January 2025 Matchday 2 | Dundalk | 1–2 | Usher Celtic | Dundalk, County Louth |
| 19:45 | Eoin Kenny 62' |
Report | Graham Curran 70' (pen.) Gary Gannon 90' |
Stadium: Oriel Park Attendance: 1,021 Referee: Mark Moynihan |
| 7 February 2025 Matchday 3 | Shamrock Rovers | 0–4 | Dundalk | Citywest, Dublin 24 |
| 20:00 | Report | TJ Molloy 13' Eoin Kenny 16'Daryl Horgan 29'Leo Gaxha 53' |
Stadium: Roadstone Academy Attendance: unreported Referee: Neil Doyle |
Quarter Final
| Quarter Final | Dundalk | v | North End United | Dundalk, County Louth |
| Stadium: Oriel Park |
Footnotes
- ^ player used shirts No. 24 and 45 in Leinster Senior Cup
- ^ on season-long loan from St Patrick's Athletic
- ^ player used shirt No. 22 in Leinster Senior Cup
- ^ player used shirt No. 30 in Leinster Senior Cup
- ^ player used shirt No. 20 in Leinster Senior Cup
- ^ player used shirt No. 5 in Leinster Senior Cup
- ^ player used shirt No. 4 in Leinster Senior Cup
- ^ player used shirt No. 22 in Leinster Senior Cup
References
- ^ "Ciaran Kilduff named new Dundalk boss". rte.ie. RTÉ. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ Dempsey, Andrew. "Leinster Senior Cup draw made with group stage format to return". extratime.com. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ Newberry, Niall. "Lilywhites progress". irishnewsarchive.com. Dundalk Democrat. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ O'Connor, Tom. "Dundalk 1 Athlone Town 0". extratime.com. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
- ^ "Dundalk FC Squad 2025". dundalkfc.com. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
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