DFCTV - Ronan Teahan Interview: Making His Mark at Oriel

Since arriving at Oriel Park from Kerry FC at the start of the season, Ronan Teahan has quickly emerged as one of Dundalk FC’s brightest young performers and is emerging as a fan favourite.

With his first goal for the club already secured and his confidence rising with each appearance, Ronan sat down with Chris Clarke this week to discuss his progress, the standards being set within the squad, and what he hopes to bring to Dundalk in the months ahead.

To start, has the Premier Division been everything you hoped it would be? Definitely, yeah. I’m really enjoying my start here. It’s a level up for me, but I’m really enjoying it. Your first start came in the Louth Derby. With the atmosphere and everything that happened that day, how did you find it? It was a very good game to play in and I really enjoyed it. The point probably wasn’t the result we wanted, but I definitely enjoyed the occasion.

Then you stepped it up again against Waterford on Friday night, scoring your first goal for the club. How did that feel?

I was happy to get my first one. You want to get that first goal in as early as you can. Hopefully now I can build on it and score more.

We’ve seen you play a lot in the No. 10 role. Is that where you feel most comfortable?Probably, yeah. I’d say I’m comfortable in either the 8 or the 10. I don’t mind either one. I’ll play wherever I’m told to play.

Now that you’ve settled into the group, what’s the mentality like within the squad? What are Ken and Ciarán asking of you all? It’s very, very good. Our mentality is that every game we go into, we expect to win. Other teams might have bigger budgets, but we don’t see it that way. We see every game as an opportunity to get points.

With the quality in the dressing room, does that keep you on your toes knowing others are pushing for your spot? Yeah, definitely. It keeps you sharp. And players like Bucko and Horgs, with so much experience, are great for me. I can learn from them every day. It’s a really good position to be in.

This season we’ve seen the team adapt systems and change game plans. Does it feel like everyone is getting an opportunity? Definitely. The manager is clear—if you train well, you get your chance. It’s up to you. Train properly and you’ll get your opportunity in the games.

We’re nearly through the first round of fixtures. Looking at where the team is now, are you confident you’re on track with your goals? Yeah, definitely. We set our hopes high. We believe we can win every game we go into. We’re in a decent position now and hopefully we can stay around there.

Was the experience in the squad, especially players like Daryl Horgan, a big reason for joining Dundalk? Yeah, definitely. You watch experienced players every day and you learn from what they do—their professionalism. Horgs is first in the gym every day and last out of it. That’s something I want to learn from because he’s achieved a lot.

Finally, you picked up a small knock at the weekend. How are you feeling? Not too bad. Hopefully I’ll be okay for Friday. It’s never great to get an injury, but hopefully I’ll be all right.