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Academy Round-Up | September 20th–21st
- Dundalk FC
- Sep 23
- 4 min read
It was another busy weekend of action for Dundalk FC’s academy sides, with fixtures at Oriel Park and on the road. From late drama against Sligo to a convincing MU15s win, there was plenty of grit, quality, and determination on show across the age groups.
Saturday, September 20th
WU17s: Dundalk 1–0 Sligo Rovers
Our WU17s edged out an in-form Sligo Rovers side in a fiercely contested clash at Oriel Park. With Tier 2 entering its final phase, the points on offer were crucial.
Dundalk started brightly, keeping it tight at the back and pressing high. Captain Siun Kirby was a constant threat down the right flank, delivering dangerous balls into the box. Molly Gordon and Ruby Haynes both went close early on, while the first big chance came in the 20th minute when Eimear McCabe won possession in midfield and slid a perfectly weighted through ball to Sara Burke. She held off her marker and got her shot away, but the keeper managed to get the slightest touch, sending the effort just wide of the post.
Despite creating five clear opportunities, Dundalk couldn’t find the breakthrough before half-time. Sligo came out stronger in the second half, testing Grace McCabe, who produced a brilliant save to keep the score level.
Changes on 55 minutes introduced Sophie Levins, Georgia Hall, and Lauren McGuire, all of whom made an impact. McGuire, taking over the captain’s armband, drove relentlessly down the right, keeping the visitors pinned back.
The decisive moment arrived in the 82nd minute. Levins won a challenge 25 yards out and released Hall, who showed composure under pressure to slot the ball under the advancing keeper. The ball seemed to roll in slow motion before rippling the net to the delight of the Oriel Park crowd.
A huge three points, fully deserved, as the girls continue their push for a top-four finish in what promises to be an exciting conclusion to the Tier 2 campaign.
MU20s: Dundalk 2–1 Derry City
The MU20s claimed a vital win at Oriel Park thanks to goals in either half.
Donnelly broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute, giving Dundalk a lead to take into the break. Russell then doubled the advantage in the 70th with a composed finish.
Derry pressed hard late on and pulled one back deep into stoppage time, but Dundalk showed resilience to hold on for the three points.
MU15s: Sligo Rovers 0–3 Dundalk
A dominant performance saw the MU15s come away from Sligo with a commanding 3–0 victory.
Weldon opened the scoring in the 34th minute, before Dundalk doubled their lead in the 74th through Grace after clever work from Doyle McGowan.
Weldon struck again in the final minute, sealing the win with his second of the afternoon after being set up by Yoka.
Sunday, September 21st
MU14s: Dundalk 5–2 Drogheda United
A bright and early September morning kick off for the local derby with the teams meeting for the 4th time this year. Looking to build on our unbeaten run in phase two and a draw the week previous the objective was clear from the start.
Artjoms Lubimovs opening the Dundalk attacks using his blistering pace and power in wide areas. Hitting a left footed strike outside the box only to be narrowly denied by the woodwork putting Drogheda on the back foot right from the get go.
Aaron O’Brien sensing danger puts us 1-0 ahead followed by another goal from Ryan Musgrave in his new midfield role. A convincing first period from Dundalk lead us into the interval feeling strong but frustrated not to have converted many more chances.
In the second interval, a picture perfect pass from Cory Mulholland into Luciano Ngene makes for another goal. At 3-0 tensions rose between both sides and culminated in conceding a free kick in a wide area. A well organised set piece from Drogheda saw them pull a goal back. More action followed as Donal O’Hanlan of Drogheda picks up a second yellow card to see the opposition finish the second stint a man down but with a goal on the scoresheet and a fighting spirit.
The final third saw the visitors score once again making it 3-2, having being spurred on by this relighting the game. Ultimately cool, calm and collected heads prevailed with our quality shining through. A returning Massimo Ngene nets another 2 goals for himself seeing us well into safety for a strong and deserved win.
Players planning to continue this unbeaten form as the only remaining team in the group to do so, with 7 games remaining a strong finish is the clear goal.
WU19s: Shelbourne 2–1 Dundalk
The WU19s put in a battling display but fell to a narrow defeat away to Shelbourne.
The home side went in front on the half-hour mark, but Dundalk hit back in the 72nd minute when O’Connor equalised. Shelbourne, however, grabbed the winner in the 82nd.
It was a spirited showing from Dundalk against a Shelbourne team featuring five capped former Ireland underage internationals. Four of Shelbourne’s players, including their captain, are former Dundalk Academy players, adding further context to what was still a very creditable performance.
MU17s: Longford Town 1–1 Dundalk
The MU17s were forced to settle for a point in Longford after conceding late on.
Makinwa put Dundalk ahead in the 51st minute with a tidy finish, and the visitors controlled much of the second half. However, Longford struck late in the 89th minute to deny Dundalk all three points.
Summary
A weekend of strong performances and positive results for Dundalk’s academy sides. The MU20s and MU15s recorded excellent wins, while the MU14s produced a fine display to see off Drogheda in the derby. The WU17s battled hard for a crucial 1–0 victory, the WU19s showed character against a strong Shelbourne outfit, and the MU17s were unfortunate to be pegged back late on.
From Hall’s decisive finish to Weldon’s brace and Massimo Ngene’s impact return, there were plenty of standout contributions as the academy teams continue their development journey.
