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Nationality: | Irish |
| Date/place of birth: | 16 June 1991/Melbourne, Australia | |
| Position: | Forward | |
| Height: | 5ft8 | |
| Nickname: | Griff | |
| Honours: | 2010 DDSL U18 Super League (Dundalk) | |
| Ex-clubs: | Muirhevnamor | |
| Joined: | August 2008 | |
| Joined from: | Muirhevnamor | |
| Signed by: | Ciarán Bond (Youths Manager) | |
| Club debut: | v Mervue United (A), 12 June 2009 | |
| First club goal: | v UCD (A), 20 May 2011 |
Mark Griffin (born: 16 June 1991) is an Australian-born striker who was called up to the first-team squad by Sean Connor in 2009 after impressing for the club’s Youth team, who he joined in August 2008 from local club Muirhevnamor.
He was named as a substitute on a number of occasions under Connor, making his senior debut from the bench in the FAI Cup win over Mervue United at Terryland Park on 12 June 2009.
He also appeared on the last day of the season when entering as a second-half sub in a game which ended in a 2-1 defeat by Derry City at Oriel Park.
A foot injury then severely disrupted Griffin’s season with the Youths as they challenged for the DDSL U18 Super League, a title they eventually clinched the following May.
Two days before that crown was clinched, Griffin secured another senior appearance when entering, in place of Stephen McDonnell, during extra-time in Dundalk’s Leinster Senior Cup tie at Bray Wanderers, the Lilywhites eventually exiting after losing 4-3 in a penalty shootout.
Griffin enjoyed a magnificent second half to the campaign as he rattled in 18 goals between the A-Championship and U20 League, including 11 in the club’s ten games in the latter.
His form helped Dundalk to third place in the A-Championship while they bowed out to Bohemians at the quarter-final stage of the U20 League.
His impressive displays earned him a professional deal with Dundalk on 2 December 2010, with the young striker stating: “Like the other two boys (Nathan Murphy and Johnny Breen), I’m delighted to turn professional.
“We have all worked hard to get this opportunity and it’s great that the club have made it happen. I made my debut at the end of last year (2009) but it was a difficult time after that with the foot injury I had.
“That kept me out for a long time but I’m obviously delighted with how the second part of the season went. I feel I’m improving all the time. I think next year will be a big year for the three of us, but I’m confident that we can make further progress and hopefully we’ll be able to play our part in the first team.”
Griffin – after making his full debut against Monaghan United in the League Cup in April – scored his first ever goals for the club on his full league bow against UCD at the UCD Bowl on 20 May, his late strikes securing a valuable 2-0 win.
He added a further brace against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium on 21 June, and though it was not enough for his side to claim three points, he again got in on the scoring act three days later as his superb header helped Dundalk to a 6-1 win over Galway United at Oriel Park.
He also netted against Bray Wanderers and Bohemians in the following week to bring his tally to seven goals in his first nine league starts.
And on his tenth league start, he wrote himself into the history books as he netted against Saint Patrick’s Athletic in a 2-2 draw at Richmond Park on 10 July, a goal which saw him become the first player since Mick Fairclough in the 1981/82 season to net in five successive league games.
His final outing of 2011 came in the FAI Cup quarter-final replay defeat at Bohemians on 20 September, as a groin injury ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
On 23 December, Griffin signed a new one-year deal to keep him at Oriel Park for the 2012 season.
He took part in pre-season but after an injection was ruled out for a number of weeks. He is due to return in mid to late May.
| 2012 | Apps (Starts) | Goals |
| Overall | 0 (0) | 0 |
| League | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Setanta Sports Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| FAI Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| League Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Leinster Senior Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| All-Time | Apps (Starts) | Goals |
| Overall | 31 (22) | 9 |
| League | 22 (17) | 9 |
| Setanta Sports Cup | 0 (0) | 0 |
| FAI Cup | 6 (4) | 0 |
| League Cup | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Leinster Senior Cup | 2 (0) | 0 |
Profile last updated: 23 April 2012
