The 2012 season was Dundalk's fourth successive season in the League of Ireland Premier Division following promotion in 2008. All together, it was the club's 86th season in League of Ireland football. The club was managed by Sean McCaffrey, who was in his first season in charge. The club also competed in the FAI Cup, League of Ireland Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. Dundalk finished the 33-round season in 11th position, requiring them to play a promotion/relegation play-off against Waterford United of the First Division; a tie which they won on aggregate, thus retaining their place in the Premier Division for the 2013 season. Results against Monaghan United F.C. were expunged, after they withdrew from the League mid-season.[1]
| 2012 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Padraig McGowan | |||
| Manager | Sean McCaffrey | |||
| Stadium | Oriel Park | |||
| Premier Division | 11th | |||
| FAI Cup | Semi-finals | |||
| League of Ireland Cup | Quarter-finals | |||
| Leinster Senior Cup | First round | |||
|
| ||||
The club spent the season battling financial problems, which threatened to put the club of business altogether.[2] Manager Sean McCaffrey resigned in July with the club rooted to the bottom of the table and financial losses mounting. He was replaced by his assistant, Darius Kierans, in a caretaker role.[3] The club's owner, Gerry Matthews put the club up for sale, and with the assistance of a Supporters Trust, it was taken over by local businessmen Andy Connolly and Paul Brown (owners of the team's official sponsors, Fastfix) before the end of the season.[4]
2012 Fixtures and results edit
Premier Division edit
| 2 March 2012 Round 1 | Monaghan United | Expunged [1] | Dundalk |
| 9 March 2012 Round 2 | Dundalk | 0–2 | St Patrick's Athletic | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| Report | S. O'Flynn  9' J. Russell 53' |
Attendance: 1,500 (estimated) Referee: Paul McLaughlin |
| 16 March 2012 Round 3 | Drogheda United | 0–0 | Dundalk | Hunky Dorys Park, Drogheda |
Paul Crowley  69'  Eric Foley 77' |
[1] | Attendance: 1,287 Referee: Rob Rogers |
| 23 March 2012 Round 4 | Dundalk | 2–1 | UCD | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| C. Shields 51' S. O'Neill 55' |
Report | G. Rusk 67' (pen.) |
Attendance: 925 Referee: Derek Tomney |
| 31 March 2012 Round 5 | Sligo Rovers | 3–0 | Dundalk | The Showgrounds, Sligo |
| 19:45 IWT | D. North 48', 90' G. Peers 54' |
Report | Attendance: 2.586 Referee: Paul McLaughlin |
| 6 April 2012 Round 6 | Dundalk | 0–0 | Shelbourne | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19.45 IST | Report | Attendance: 1,362 Referee: Rob Rogers (Dublin) |
| 13 April 2012 Round 7 | Shamrock Rovers | 6–0 | Dundalk | Tallaght Stadium, Tallaght |
| 20:00 | C. Turner 31' G. Twigg 33', 81', 87' B. Dennehy 46' D. Kavanagh 90+1' |
Report | Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Graham Kelly |
| 20 April 2012 Round 8 | Derry City | 1–2 | Dundalk | The Brandywell, Derry |
| R. Higgins 84' |
Report | M. Rafter 14' S. O'Neill 52' C. Shields  90' |
Attendance: 1,500 (estimated) Referee: Damien Hancock |
| 27 April 2012 Round 9 | Dundalk | 0–2 | Bohemians | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19:45 IST (UTC+1) | Report | R. McEvoy 26' P. McMahon 70' |
Attendance: 903 Referee: Richie Winter |
| 4 May 2012 Round 10 | Cork City | 3–2 | Dundalk | Turners Cross, Cork |
| D. O'Neill 3', 14' V. Sullivan 50' |
Report | M. Rafter 8' G. Shanahan 12' |
Attendance: 2,815 Referee: Padraigh Sutton |
| 11 May 2012 Round 11 | Dundalk | 0–2 | Bray Wanderers | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19:45 IST | (Report) | J. Byrne 40' (pen.), 73' (pen.) |
Attendance: 700 Referee: Paul Tuite |
| 18 May 2012 Round 12 | Dundalk | Expunged[1] | Monaghan United |
| 21 May 2012 Round 13 | St Patrick's Athletic | 1–2 | Dundalk | Richmond Park, Inchicore |
| C. Forrester 43' |
Report | M. Rafter 45' M. Griffin 78', 90+2' |
Attendance: 1,090 Referee: Graham Kelly |
| 1 June 2012 Round 14 | Dundalk | 1–2 | Drogheda United | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| G. Shanahan 63' |
Report | S. Brennan 43' P. Crowley 66' E. Foley 90' |
Attendance: 700 (estimated) Referee: Paul Tuite |
| 22 June 2012 Round 15 | UCD | 1–1 | Dundalk | UCD Bowl |
| R. Benson 49' |
Report | N. Murphy 35' |
Attendance: 158 Referee: Paul McLaughlin |
| 29 June 2012 Round 16 | Dundalk | 1–2 | Sligo Rovers | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19:45 IWT | M. Rafter 36' |
Report | D. North 43', 49' |
Attendance: 500 Referee: Dave McKeon |
| 6 July 2012 Round 17 | Shelbourne | 4–0 | Dundalk | Tolka Park, Dublin |
| 20.00 IST | P. Gorman 30', 52 ' K. Dawson 64' B. McLaughlin 71' (o.g.) |
Report | Attendance: 801 Referee: Alan Kelly |
| 13 July 2012 Round 18 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Shamrock Rovers | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19:45 | G. Shanahan 18' |
Report | D. Kavanagh 61' |
Attendance: 1,319 Referee: Tom Connolly |
| 20 July 2012 Round 19 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Derry City | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| C. Shields 85' |
Report | D. McDaid 73' |
Attendance: 1,139 Referee: Paul McLaughlin |
| 27 July 2012 Round 20 | Bohemians | 2–1 | Dundalk | Dalymount Park, Phibsboro |
| 19:45 | E. McMillan 35', 45' |
Report | M. Rafter 70' |
Attendance: 1,158 Referee: Graham Kelly |
| 3 August 2012 Round 21 | Dundalk | 1–1 | Cork City | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| G. Shanahan 60' |
Report | I. Turner 21' |
Attendance: 1,007 Referee: Damien Hancock |
| 10 August Round 22 | Bray Wanderers | 1–1 | Dundalk | Carlisle Grounds, Bray |
| 19:45 IST | David Webster 90+4' |
(Report) | Gary Shanahan 54' |
Referee: Derek Tomney |
| 17 August 2012 Round 23 | Monaghan United | Cancelled[1] | Dundalk |
| 20 August 2012 Round 24 | Dundalk | 0–1 | St Patrick's Athletic | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| Report | J. Kelly 90+1' |
Attendance: 1,000 (estimated) Referee: Paul Tuite |
| 31 August 2012 Round 25 | Drogheda United | 3–2 | Dundalk | Hunky Dorys Park, Drogheda |
| P. Hynes 31', 87' J. Sullivan 90+1' |
Report | M. Griffin 5', 25' |
Attendance: 933 Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
| 7 September 2012 Round 26 | Dundalk | 1–2 | UCD | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| M. Rafter 56' |
Report | D. McMillan 30', 80' (pen.) |
Attendance: 800 (estimated) Referee: Damien Hancock |
| 10 September 2012 Round 27 | Sligo Rovers | 3–0 | Dundalk | The Showgrounds, Sligo |
| 19:45 IWT | M. Quigley 10' G. Peers 49' L. Buchanan 86' |
Report | Attendance: 3,265 Referee: Tom Connolly |
| 21 September 2012 Round 28 | Dundalk | 0–1 | Shelbourne | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19.45 IST | Marc Griffin 87' |
Report | Paddy Kavanagh 41' |
Referee: Graham Kelly |
| 28 September 2012 Round 29 | Shamrock Rovers | 7–0 | Dundalk | Tallaght Stadium, Tallaght |
| R. Finn 27' K. Oman 29' C. Kilduff 45+2' G. McCabe 57' (pen.), 66' (pen.) G. Twigg 70', 72' |
Report | Attendance: 1,200 (estimated) Referee: Damien Hancock |
| 5 October 2012 Round 30 | Derry City | 4–0 | Dundalk | The Brandywell, Derry |
| 19:45 | D. McDaid 31' P. McEleney 48' R. Curran 82' D. McCaffrey 89' |
Report | Referee: Rob Rogers |
| 13 October 2012 Round 31 | Dundalk | 2–2 | Bohemians | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| S. Maher 26' B. McKenna 84' |
Report | E. McMillan 47' D. Corcoran 75' |
Attendance: 250 (estimated) Referee: Dave McKeon |
| 19 October 2012 Round 32 | Cork City | 3–0 | Dundalk | Turners Cross, Cork |
| G. Morrissey 23' V. Sullivan 28' S. Duggan 49' |
Report | Attendance: 2,782 Referee: Padraigh Sutton |
| 26 October 2012 Round 33 | Dundalk | 2–1 | Bray Wanderers | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19:45 IST | M. Rafter 51' B. Conlon 51' |
(Report) | K. Waters 70' |
Attendance: 260 Referee: Derek Tomney |
Final Table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sligo Rovers (C) | 30 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 53 | 23 | +30 | 61 | Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Drogheda United | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 57 | Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | St Patrick's Athletic | 30 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 44 | 22 | +22 | 55 | |
| 4 | Shamrock Rovers | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 56 | 37 | +19 | 52 | |
| 5 | Derry City | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 39 | Qualification to Europa League second qualifying round[a] |
| 6 | Cork City | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 36 | |
| 7 | Bohemians | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 36 | |
| 8 | Shelbourne | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 35 | 43 | −8 | 35 | |
| 9 | UCD | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 32 | 48 | −16 | 31 | |
| 10 | Bray Wanderers | 30 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 33 | 54 | −21 | 25 | |
| 11 | Dundalk (O) | 30 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 23 | 63 | −40 | 20 | Qualification to Relegation play-off |
| 12 | Monaghan United (R) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew from league[b] |
- ^ Derry City qualified for the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round after winning the 2012 FAI Cup Final.
- ^ Monaghan United withdrew after 14 games. Their record was expunged.
Promotion/relegation play-off edit
| 30 October 2012 1st leg | Dundalk | 2–2 | Waterford United | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| L. Shannon 22' S. Maher 33' S. McDonnell 75' |
Report | P. Phelan 49' B. Ryan 60' |
Attendance: 1,500 (estimated) Referee: Paul McLaughlin |
| 2 November 2012 2nd leg | Waterford United | 0–2 | Dundalk | Waterford Regional Sports Centre, Waterford |
| Report | M. Rafter 45', 69' |
Attendance: 2,728 Referee: Padraigh Sutton |
Dundalk won the play-off 4–2 on aggregate and remained in the Premier Division
FAI Cup edit
| 25 May 2012 2nd Round | Dundalk | 1–0 | St. Patrick's CYFC | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| J. Mountney 49' |
Report | S. Dunne 88' |
Attendance: 300 (estimated) Referee: Tom Connolly |
| 24 August 2012 3rd Round | Malahide United | 0–4 | Dundalk | Gannon Park |
| Report | G. Shanahan 9' M. Griffin 45+1' L. Shannon 75' B. McKenna 90' |
Attendance: 450 Referee: James McKell |
| 14 September 2012 Quarter-finals | Bohemians | 0–1 | Dundalk | Dalymount Park, Phibsborough |
| Report | M. Griffin 75' |
Attendance: 1,108 Referee: Derek Tomney |
| 7 October 2012 Semi-finals | Dundalk | 0–3 | St Patrick's Athletic | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| Report | K. Browne 20' G. Bolger 52' S. O'Connor 85' |
Attendance: 2,035 Referee: Alan Kelly |
League of Ireland Cup edit
| 10 April 2012 2nd Round | Longford Town | 1–2 | Dundalk | Flancare Park, Longford |
| S. Skelly 3' |
Report | G. Shanahan 22', 53' |
Attendance: 300 (estimated) Referee: Richie Winter |
| 25 June 2012 Quarter-finals | Drogheda United | 1–1 (3–2 p) | Dundalk | Hunky Dorys Park |
| E. Foley 33' |
Report | M. Griffin 58' |
Referee: Derek Tomney | |
| Penalties | ||||
E. Foley  R. Brennan P. Hynes  D. Marshall G. Brennan |
J. Mountney S. O'Neill C. Shields P. Walsh M. Griffin |
|||
Leinster Senior Cup edit
| 19 March 2012 | Crumlin United | 1–0 | Dundalk | Captain's Road |
| D. Griffin 11' |
Report |
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Monaghan United withdraw from league". extratime.ie. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ Blake, Ben (10 July 2012). "For sale: Dundalk board moves to find buyer". The 42. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ Stuart, Charlie (13 July 2012). "McCaffrey quits as cash crisis at Dundalk deepens". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ "Sale of Lease of Dundalk FC". The Irish Independent. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ "Ireland 2012". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Monaghan United withdraw from league". extratime.ie. Retrieved 18 June 2012.