Ian Foster was pleased with “a decent workout” which he felt his new-look Dundalk side got from their opening pre-season friendly against Athlone Town at Oriel Park on Sunday afternoon. The 33-year-old took charge of the Lilywhites for the first time and had in total 14 debutants on show in the scoreless draw, with the same squad set to take on Shelbourne on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.45pm).

‘Decent workout’
“It’s an opportunity for us to get some match fitness, it’s an opportunity for us to have a look at players in different positions and it was a decent workout,” Foster told dundalkfc.com after the game. “I went to see Athlone play (against Bohemians) in Dalymount on Thursday, they gave a good account of themselves down there and they did again today. I thought it was a decent game. We had a few trialists. All of them have been in training with us, so it’s not like they have just turned up today and stuck on a pair of boots and gone out there. They’ve been in training with us and it’s an opportunity for us to see what they’re like in a team and how they work, and whether they suit our style of play. I thought there were some decent performances out there today.

Greene hope
“They’ll be here for a week,” Foster added on the trialists. “I think it’s fair that they have two or three games here. The same bunch of lads will be involved on Tuesday and probably on Saturday (against Bray Wanderers), and then we’ll make decisions after that.” Aaron Greene, who played under Foster at Galway last term, was also in attendance but a definite decision on his future has yet to be made. “Aaron came up today to have a chat with me,” he said. “He played the second-half the other night with Bohs against Athlone. Having worked with Aaron I know what he’s all about and he knows how I like to play, and I’ll be having a chat with him today and we’ll see if anything comes of that.

Captain TBC
“Ideally, you’d like a squad of however many you can afford to get,” Foster continued, “but I’ll have to see how far my budget stretches with regards to numbers. Obviously, you need 16 every week. I’ve got be very, very diligent with the money that I’ve got. I’ll keep my cards close to my chest. There’s plenty of players that I’m speaking to and I’ll be as diligent as I possibly can to make sure that they’re the right players.” Interestingly, Neale Fenn was chosen as the captain in the first half before Matt Gregg was handed the armband at the break. However, Foster revealed that no decision will be made on who will be club captain this season for at least another fortnight. “The captaincy will change pre-season,” he said. “Don’t read anything into it. The captain will be announced leading up to the Monaghan game.”