1975β76 season | ||
---|---|---|
Manager | Jim McLaughlin | |
League of Ireland | 1st (champions) | |
FAI Cup | First round | |
League Cup | Second round | |
Leinster Senior Cup | First round | |
Top goalscorer | League: Terry Flanagan (11) All: Terry Flanagan (11) | |
| ||
Dundalk entered the 1975β76 season on the back of a fifth-place finish the previous season. 1975β76 was Jim McLaughlin's first full season as manager, having replaced John Smith in November 1974. It was Dundalk's 50th consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.
The previous season had seen manager John Smith quit only two matches into the league programme for a new job outside football. [1] Smith's resignation paved the way for the appointment of Jim McLaughlin as player-manager on 20 November 1974. [2] But the Dundalk board that had taken control of the club in the summer of 1973 had already exhausted its available funding, and McLaughlin had been obliged to see what could be salvaged of the season with Smith's squad. His fifth-place finish was seen as "creditable", given the decline in the club's fortunes since the previous League title win in 1966β67. Going into the new season, he retained the players who had impressed, and signed a number of players who had been on the fringe at their clubs or were coming from non-League sides β reflecting the limited budget he was operating under. [3]
The season opened with the League Cup in September, and McLaughlin's new side were knocked out in the second round. Louth rivals Drogheda United knocked them out of the Leinster Cup in the first round. The league schedule got under way on 5 October 1975, and saw a number of formerly successful clubs, such as Waterford, Cork Celtic and Cork Hibernians, all bring in fading stars from England β Bobby Charlton, George Best, Geoff Hurst and Rodney Marsh β in a bid to entice back the support they had lost as their fortunes had ebbed. [4] [5] [6] Meanwhile, Dundalk, needing no circus acts, were soon in a two-way tussle with Finn Harps at the top of the table. Struggling for goals early on, the signing of Terry Flanagan from Bohemians in November, after what would be their only defeat of the season, allowed them to press on. A 2β0 victory in a top of the table clash away to Finn Harps in February, in which Flanagan scored both goals, saw Dundalk go clear in the table. [7] They were knocked out in the first round of the FAI Cup a week later, but they dropped only two points in the League subsequently, before clinching the title by beating Cork Hibernians at home in front of a packed Oriel Park with a game to spare. [8]
Sources: [9]
No. | Name | Years | League | FAI Cup | League Cup | Leinster Senior Cup | Total | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Richie Blackmore | 1974β1985 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 0 |
2 | Brian McConville | 1964β1978 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 0 |
3 | Jim McLaughlin | 1974β1983 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
4 | Tommy McConville | 1967β1986 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 4 |
5 | Jackie McManus | 1973β1977 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 6 |
6 | Seamus McDowell | 1975β1977 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 10 |
7 | Jimmy Dainty | 1973β1980 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 7 |
8 | Sean McLoughlin | 1975β1976 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 4 |
9 | Terry Flanagan | 1975β1978 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 11 |
10 | Sean Sheehy | 1970β1977 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 9 |
11 | Tony Cavanagh | 1972β1977 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 3 |
12 | Con Davey | 1973β1975 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
13 | Paul Connellan | 1974β1976 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
14 | Alan Spavin | 1976 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
15 | Joe Nicholl | 1975β1976 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
Source: [10]
14 September 1975 | Shelbourne | 0β3 | Dundalk | Dublin |
Stadium: Harold's Cross Stadium |
21 September 1975 | Dundalk | 3β1 | Shelbourne | Dundalk |
Stadium: Oriel Park |
Dundalk won 6β1 on aggregate
28 September 1975 | Waterford | 2β0 | Dundalk | Waterford |
Stadium: Kilcohan Park |
Source: [10]
25 September 1975 | Dundalk | 1β2 | Drogheda United | Dundalk |
Stadium: Oriel Park |
Source: [10]
15 February 1976 | Cork Celtic | 3β0 | Dundalk | Cork |
Stadium: Turners Cross |
Source: [10]
5 October 1975 Round 1 | Athlone Town | 0β1 | Dundalk |
12 October 1975 Round 2 | Dundalk | 2β2 | Home Farm |
19 October 1975 Round 3 | Limerick | 1β4 | Dundalk |
26 October 1975 Round 4 | Dundalk | 2β2 | St Patrick's Athletic |
2 November 1975 Round 5 | Cork Celtic | 2β1 | Dundalk |
9 November 1975 Round 6 | Dundalk | 1β1 | Finn Harps |
16 November 1975 Round 7 | Bohemians | 1β1 | Dundalk |
23 November 1975 Round 8 | Dundalk | 4β1 | Shelbourne |
7 December 1975 Round 9 | Drogheda United | 1β2 | Dundalk |
14 December 1975 Round 10 | Dundalk | 5β2 | Shamrock Rovers |
21 December 1975 Round 11 | Cork Hibernians | 1β1 | Dundalk |
28 December 1975 Round 12 | Dundalk | 3β2 | Sligo Rovers |
30 December 1975 Round 13 | Waterford | 0β2 | Dundalk |
11 January 1976 Round 14 | Home Farm | 0β0 | Dundalk |
12 January 1976 Round 15 | Dundalk | 3β0 | Athlone Town |
18 January 1976 Round 16 | Dundalk | 1β0 | Limerick |
25 January 1976 Round 17 | St Patrick's Athletic | 2β2 | Dundalk |
1 February 1976 Round 18 | Dundalk | 3β2 | Cork Celtic |
8 February 1976 Round 19 | Finn Harps | 0β2 | Dundalk |
22 February 1976 Round 20 | Dundalk | 2β2 | Bohemians |
29 February 1976 Round 21 | Shelbourne | 1β2 | Dundalk |
14 March 1976 Round 22 | Dundalk | 1β1 | Waterford |
21 March 1976 Round 23 | Dundalk | 4β1 | Drogheda United |
28 March 1976 Round 24 | Shamrock Rovers | 0β3 | Dundalk |
4 April 1976 Round 25 | Dundalk | 1β0 | Cork Hibernians |
11 April 1976 Round 26 | Sligo Rovers | 1β1 | Dundalk |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dundalk F.C. | 26 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 54 | 26 | +28 | 40 |
2 | Finn Harps F.C. | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 57 | 35 | +22 | 36 |
3 | Waterford F.C. | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 34 |
4 | Bohemian F.C. | 26 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 44 | 25 | +19 | 32 |
5 | Cork Hibernians F.C. | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 37 | 24 | +13 | 31 |
6 | Drogheda United F.C. | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 42 | 45 | −3 | 28 |
7 | Athlone Town A.F.C. | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 28 |
8 | Cork Celtic F.C. | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 27 |
9 | Shelbourne F.C. | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 21 |
10 | Sligo Rovers F.C. | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 32 | 49 | −17 | 20 |
11 | St Patrick's Athletic F.C. | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 31 | 53 | −22 | 19 |
12 | Home Farm F.C. | 26 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 35 | 54 | −19 | 17 |
13 | Limerick F.C. | 26 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 16 |
14 | Shamrock Rovers F.C. | 26 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 27 | 49 | −22 | 15 |
Month | Player | References |
---|---|---|
March | Seamus McDowell | [11] |
1975β76 season | ||
---|---|---|
Manager | Jim McLaughlin | |
League of Ireland | 1st (champions) | |
FAI Cup | First round | |
League Cup | Second round | |
Leinster Senior Cup | First round | |
Top goalscorer | League: Terry Flanagan (11) All: Terry Flanagan (11) | |
| ||
Dundalk entered the 1975β76 season on the back of a fifth-place finish the previous season. 1975β76 was Jim McLaughlin's first full season as manager, having replaced John Smith in November 1974. It was Dundalk's 50th consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.
The previous season had seen manager John Smith quit only two matches into the league programme for a new job outside football. [1] Smith's resignation paved the way for the appointment of Jim McLaughlin as player-manager on 20 November 1974. [2] But the Dundalk board that had taken control of the club in the summer of 1973 had already exhausted its available funding, and McLaughlin had been obliged to see what could be salvaged of the season with Smith's squad. His fifth-place finish was seen as "creditable", given the decline in the club's fortunes since the previous League title win in 1966β67. Going into the new season, he retained the players who had impressed, and signed a number of players who had been on the fringe at their clubs or were coming from non-League sides β reflecting the limited budget he was operating under. [3]
The season opened with the League Cup in September, and McLaughlin's new side were knocked out in the second round. Louth rivals Drogheda United knocked them out of the Leinster Cup in the first round. The league schedule got under way on 5 October 1975, and saw a number of formerly successful clubs, such as Waterford, Cork Celtic and Cork Hibernians, all bring in fading stars from England β Bobby Charlton, George Best, Geoff Hurst and Rodney Marsh β in a bid to entice back the support they had lost as their fortunes had ebbed. [4] [5] [6] Meanwhile, Dundalk, needing no circus acts, were soon in a two-way tussle with Finn Harps at the top of the table. Struggling for goals early on, the signing of Terry Flanagan from Bohemians in November, after what would be their only defeat of the season, allowed them to press on. A 2β0 victory in a top of the table clash away to Finn Harps in February, in which Flanagan scored both goals, saw Dundalk go clear in the table. [7] They were knocked out in the first round of the FAI Cup a week later, but they dropped only two points in the League subsequently, before clinching the title by beating Cork Hibernians at home in front of a packed Oriel Park with a game to spare. [8]
Sources: [9]
No. | Name | Years | League | FAI Cup | League Cup | Leinster Senior Cup | Total | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Richie Blackmore | 1974β1985 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 0 |
2 | Brian McConville | 1964β1978 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 0 |
3 | Jim McLaughlin | 1974β1983 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
4 | Tommy McConville | 1967β1986 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 4 |
5 | Jackie McManus | 1973β1977 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 6 |
6 | Seamus McDowell | 1975β1977 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 10 |
7 | Jimmy Dainty | 1973β1980 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 7 |
8 | Sean McLoughlin | 1975β1976 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 4 |
9 | Terry Flanagan | 1975β1978 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 11 |
10 | Sean Sheehy | 1970β1977 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 9 |
11 | Tony Cavanagh | 1972β1977 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 3 |
12 | Con Davey | 1973β1975 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
13 | Paul Connellan | 1974β1976 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
14 | Alan Spavin | 1976 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
15 | Joe Nicholl | 1975β1976 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
Source: [10]
14 September 1975 | Shelbourne | 0β3 | Dundalk | Dublin |
Stadium: Harold's Cross Stadium |
21 September 1975 | Dundalk | 3β1 | Shelbourne | Dundalk |
Stadium: Oriel Park |
Dundalk won 6β1 on aggregate
28 September 1975 | Waterford | 2β0 | Dundalk | Waterford |
Stadium: Kilcohan Park |
Source: [10]
25 September 1975 | Dundalk | 1β2 | Drogheda United | Dundalk |
Stadium: Oriel Park |
Source: [10]
15 February 1976 | Cork Celtic | 3β0 | Dundalk | Cork |
Stadium: Turners Cross |
Source: [10]
5 October 1975 Round 1 | Athlone Town | 0β1 | Dundalk |
12 October 1975 Round 2 | Dundalk | 2β2 | Home Farm |
19 October 1975 Round 3 | Limerick | 1β4 | Dundalk |
26 October 1975 Round 4 | Dundalk | 2β2 | St Patrick's Athletic |
2 November 1975 Round 5 | Cork Celtic | 2β1 | Dundalk |
9 November 1975 Round 6 | Dundalk | 1β1 | Finn Harps |
16 November 1975 Round 7 | Bohemians | 1β1 | Dundalk |
23 November 1975 Round 8 | Dundalk | 4β1 | Shelbourne |
7 December 1975 Round 9 | Drogheda United | 1β2 | Dundalk |
14 December 1975 Round 10 | Dundalk | 5β2 | Shamrock Rovers |
21 December 1975 Round 11 | Cork Hibernians | 1β1 | Dundalk |
28 December 1975 Round 12 | Dundalk | 3β2 | Sligo Rovers |
30 December 1975 Round 13 | Waterford | 0β2 | Dundalk |
11 January 1976 Round 14 | Home Farm | 0β0 | Dundalk |
12 January 1976 Round 15 | Dundalk | 3β0 | Athlone Town |
18 January 1976 Round 16 | Dundalk | 1β0 | Limerick |
25 January 1976 Round 17 | St Patrick's Athletic | 2β2 | Dundalk |
1 February 1976 Round 18 | Dundalk | 3β2 | Cork Celtic |
8 February 1976 Round 19 | Finn Harps | 0β2 | Dundalk |
22 February 1976 Round 20 | Dundalk | 2β2 | Bohemians |
29 February 1976 Round 21 | Shelbourne | 1β2 | Dundalk |
14 March 1976 Round 22 | Dundalk | 1β1 | Waterford |
21 March 1976 Round 23 | Dundalk | 4β1 | Drogheda United |
28 March 1976 Round 24 | Shamrock Rovers | 0β3 | Dundalk |
4 April 1976 Round 25 | Dundalk | 1β0 | Cork Hibernians |
11 April 1976 Round 26 | Sligo Rovers | 1β1 | Dundalk |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dundalk F.C. | 26 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 54 | 26 | +28 | 40 |
2 | Finn Harps F.C. | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 57 | 35 | +22 | 36 |
3 | Waterford F.C. | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 34 |
4 | Bohemian F.C. | 26 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 44 | 25 | +19 | 32 |
5 | Cork Hibernians F.C. | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 37 | 24 | +13 | 31 |
6 | Drogheda United F.C. | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 42 | 45 | −3 | 28 |
7 | Athlone Town A.F.C. | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 28 |
8 | Cork Celtic F.C. | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 27 |
9 | Shelbourne F.C. | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 21 |
10 | Sligo Rovers F.C. | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 32 | 49 | −17 | 20 |
11 | St Patrick's Athletic F.C. | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 31 | 53 | −22 | 19 |
12 | Home Farm F.C. | 26 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 35 | 54 | −19 | 17 |
13 | Limerick F.C. | 26 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 16 |
14 | Shamrock Rovers F.C. | 26 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 27 | 49 | −22 | 15 |
Month | Player | References |
---|---|---|
March | Seamus McDowell | [11] |