Awarded with the ‘Man of the Match’ accolade and voted as the DFC Trust ‘Player of the Month’ for March shortly after Thursday night’s win at Oriel Park, it was an all-round satisfying night for centre-half Ian Ryan. The 20-year-old has impressed in all of his performances since joining the club in the close-season, and was vital in the victory over Wexford Youths as the visitors launched a sustained period of pressure in the second-half.
And, afterwards, Ryan admitted that while Dundalk’s display wasn’t the best, holding out for their fourth win on the trot in all competitions was all that mattered. “It was a very important win,” Ryan told dundalkfc.com. “The three points is really the main thing. Performance wise, it wasn’t great, especially in the second-half. We spoke at half-time just to get the three points and to close out the game, but we gave away a sloppy goal and it didn’t really happen for us then, so the win in the end is great.
“We didn’t really start the game well. The first ten minutes was a bit slow and sloppy; we didn’t really get to grips with the way they were playing. Then we settled down and got our passing going. We knew they’d be dangerous on set-pieces, so it was just about concentrating and then showing our quality to get the goals. In the end, we just had to stay strong and grind out the result.”
The win temporarily moved Dundalk four points clear at the top before their lead was cut to two following Friday night’s games, and Ryan admitted that he has been happy with the start the Lilywhites have made to the league. “It’s pleasing,” he said. “All we want to do now is push on. We’re on a good run now, so we want to press on and make teams take note of us.” Before admitting that he has enjoyed his first two months at the club. “I love it here, it’s great. I’m playing games; that’s the main thing, it’s what I love. The more you play, the better you become and the more consistent you’ll be.”
Dundalk Football Club Oriel Park, Carrick Road, Dundalk Tel: 042 9335894
