Dundalk players and staff react as their side is relegated
THERE were extraordinary scenes in Oriel Park after Dundalk’s relegation from the Premier Division was confirmed after a row broke out in the stands involving new owner John Temple and a group that included former owner Andy Connolly.
Derry City manager Ruaidhri Higgins had to stop his post-match media interviews after his side’s 2-0 win, as a commotion broke out in the stand with Temple involved in a heated discussion with a group that included Connolly.
Connolly’s brother, the former chief operating officer Martin, also became involved as the respective parties were dragged apart. It’s understood that he was not part of the initial disagreement.
As Temple left the stand, there was a further disagreement involving an unidentified group of local fans and he was struck by a punch as he was being escorted away from the skirmish.
It capped a sorry evening for the Lilywhites, with the disagreement reflecting the deep feeling surrounding their relegation following a decade of extraordinary success.
Temple took control of Dundalk in September, assuming the reins from Brian Ainscough, the American based owner who took the reins from Andy Connolly and Statsports duo Sean O’Connor and Alan Clarke last winter. Local barrister Temple had been in discussions about taking over the club prior to Ainscough doing a deal.
Dundalk are heavily in debt and face an uncertain future, with cost cutting measures expected in the coming weeks. Temple has yet to give a media interview on his intentions – with the exception of a chat with the in-house media team – and there remains a grey area around the status of the club for 2025.
Manager Jon Daly confirmed afterwards that he is on his way out of the club; his family are in Scotland and he has previously said that the situation he inherited in Louth was very different to what was sold to him.
“I think from my own personal point of view, I’ve been four years now away from my family and there was talk previously about potentially them coming over and seeing how it went,” said the former St Pat’s boss.
“But with everything that has gone on in the background in the last number of months, I think it would be very unfair of me to ask my family to uproot and move country and come over for me. So I think I probably have to put my family first and that’s what my plan will be.”
