1926–27 Dundalk F.C. season

Dundalk G.N.R. made their debut in the Free State League, the top tier of Irish football, in 1926–27. They had played the previous four seasons in the Leinster Senior League. The team was managed by Joe McCleery, previously of Belfast Celtic F.C., who used his connections to Northern Irish football to ensure a supply of players for the season ahead. Home matches were played at the Dundalk Athletic Grounds (a facility near the town centre shared by several sporting codes), but on weekends when the Athletic Grounds were unavailable, matches would usually move to the Carroll's Recreation Ground.

Dundalk G.N.R.
1926–27 season
ManagerJoe McCleery
League of Ireland8th
FAI CupFirst round
League of Ireland Shield7th
Leinster Senior CupFirst round
Top goalscorerMatthew Armstrong, George Silcock (5)

Season summary

On 15 June 1926 Dundalk G.N.R. were elected to the Free State League to replace Pioneers, as the nascent League looked to spread to the provinces.[1][2][3] As it was entering its sixth season, nine clubs had already dropped out of the Free State League, so the challenge facing the new club was great. The cost of travel was one of the biggest issues facing provincial clubs in the League, and the club had sought support from its parent company, the Great Northern Railway (Ireland), with regard to travel expenses, but were refused.[4] Three players were retained from the Leinster Senior League squad - Joey Quinn, Paddy McMahon and Hugh Craig.[5]

The season opened with the 18-match League schedule, and on 21 August 1926 the team travelled to Cork to face fellow works-team Fordsons in the opening match of the season. The 30-strong group of players, officials and supporters who travelled were treated to a tour of the Ford factory before the game. The result was a 2–1 defeat for the new boys in a match the Cork Examiner described as being "one of the best ever seen in Ballinlough",[6] Joey Quinn with Dundalk's first ever Free State League goal. Their first win would come at home to Jacobs on 19 September.[7] They only managed two points away from home, including one in the first ever league match in Glenmalure Park,[8] and finished their first league season in eighth position.[9]

The nine-match League of Ireland Shield schedule commenced after Christmas, again with a visit to Cork to play Fordsons. The team managed two home wins and a draw, finishing seventh.[10] Old Leinster Senior League rivals, Drumcondra, defeated them in a replay in the first round of the Leinster Senior Cup;[11] while a heavy defeat to Bohemians saw them exit the FAI Cup in the first round,[12] with the result that a number of players were released, including Quinn. A total of 47 players lined out for the team during the season, 11 of whom appeared only once, as manager McCleery tapped into his Northern Irish connections in his attempts to build a competitive side. Only two players would be retained for the following season - Gordon McDiarmuid (who had joined early in the Shield campaign) and Fred Norwood.[13]

First-Team Squad (1926–27)

Source:[13]
Note: Only players making a minimum of five appearances included

No. Name Years League FAI Cup League of Ireland Shield Leinster Senior Cup Total Goals
1 Con Drum 1926–1927 13 0 0 0 13 0
2 Gordon McDiarmuid 1926–1933 0 0 6 1 7 0
3 Davy Nelson 1926–1927 4 1 5 2 12 0
4 Fred Norwood 1926–1928 18 1 8 2 29 0
5 Billy Pollock 1926–1927 4 0 5 0 9 1
6 Bob Thompson 1926–1927 12 1 8 2 23 5
7 Edward Swindle 1926–1927 15 1 6 2 24 3
8 George Silcock 1926–1927 9 1 1 0 11 5
9 Matthew Armstrong 1926–1927 10 0 1 0 11 5
10 Fred Bell 1926–1927 15 1 9 2 27 5
11 Frank Rushe 1926–1927 15 1 4 1 21 4
12 Joey Quinn 1919–1927 10 1 0 0 11 3
13 Paddy McMahon 1920–1927 10 0 2 0 12 1
14 Jimmy Wilson 1926–1927 5 1 6 1 13 0
15 Arthur Farrelly 1926–1927 11 0 0 0 11 1
16 William Smith 1926–1927 0 0 8 2 10 0
17 Hugh Reid 1926–1927 8 0 0 0 8 0
18 Harry Bowden 1926–1927 5 1 2 0 8 0
19 Jack McKinney 1926–1927 7 0 1 0 8 2
20 Jimmy Carroll 1926–1927 0 0 4 2 6 4
21 Jimmy Doyle 1926–1927 0 0 5 0 5 3

Competitions

League

Source:[14]

21 August 1926 Round 1 Fordsons 2–1 Dundalk
28 August 1926 Round 2 Athlone Town 3–1 Dundalk
4 September 1926 Round 3 Dundalk 1–1 Bohemians
11 September 1926 Round 4 Shamrock Rovers 3–3 Dundalk
19 September 1926 Round 5 Dundalk 3–0 Jacobs
25 September 1926 Round 6 Bray Unknowns 2–1 Dundalk
2 October 1926 Round 7 Dundalk 1–1 Brideville
9 October 1926 Round 8 Shelbourne 3–0 Dundalk
16 October 1926 Round 9 Dundalk 1–1 St James's Gate
23 October 1926 Round 10 Dundalk 4–2 Fordsons
30 October 1926 Round 11 Dundalk 2–3 Athlone Town
6 November 1926 Round 12 Bohemians 4–2 Dundalk
13 November 1926 Round 13 Dundalk 0–5 Shamrock Rovers
27 November 1926 Round 14 Dundalk 4–1 Bray Unknowns
4 December 1926 Round 15 Brideville 4–3 Dundalk
12 December 1926 Round 16 Dundalk 0–2 Shelbourne
18 December 1926 Round 17 Dundalk 2–2 St James's Gate
1 January 1927 Round 18 Jacobs 1–1 Dundalk

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Shamrock Rovers 18 14 4 0 60 20 +40 32
2 Shelbourne 18 13 3 2 63 24 +39 29
3 Bohemians 18 10 5 3 36 24 +12 25
4 Fordsons 18 7 3 8 34 32 +2 17
5 Athlone Town 18 6 5 7 41 43 −2 17
6 Bray Unknowns 18 6 1 11 37 58 −21 13
7 Jacobs 18 5 3 10 23 47 −24 13
8 Dundalk GNR 18 3 6 9 30 40 −10 12
9 St. James's Gate 18 5 2 11 30 49 −19 12
10 Brideville 18 2 6 10 22 39 −17 10
Source: www.rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average

Shield

Source:[14]

27 December 1926 Round 1 Fordsons 0–1 Dundalk
15 January 1927 Round 2 Dundalk 3–6 Shelbourne
29 January 1927 Round 3 Bohemians 2–1 Dundalk
6 February 1927 Round 4 Dundalk 3–2 Athlone Town
6 March 1927 Round 5 Dundalk 5–1 Jacobs
12 March 1927 Round 6 St James's Gate 0–0 Dundalk
19 March 1927 Round 7 Dundalk 3–4 Bray Unknowns
26 March 1927 Round 8 Brideville 4–0 Dundalk
10 April 1927 Round 9 Dundalk 1–3 Shamrock Rovers

Shield table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Shamrock Rovers 9 8 1 0 25 11 +14 17
2 Shelbourne 9 8 0 1 42 12 +30 16
3 Bohemians 9 6 2 1 24 16 +8 14
4 Fordsons 9 4 2 3 27 21 +6 10
5 St. James's Gate 9 4 2 3 21 27 −6 10
6 Brideville 9 2 2 5 13 16 −3 6
7 Dundalk GNR 9 2 1 6 16 23 −7 5
8 Bray Unknowns 9 2 1 6 21 35 −14 5
9 Athlone Town 9 2 0 7 20 30 −10 4
10 Jacobs 9 1 1 7 11 32 −21 3
Source: [10]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average

FAI Cup

Source:[14]

First Round
8 January 1927 Bohemians 6–1DundalkDublin
Stadium: Dalymount Park

Leinster Senior Cup

Source:[14]

First Round
27 February 1927 Drumcondra1–1DundalkDublin
Stadium: Tolka Park
First Round Replay
3 March 1927 Dundalk0–1 Drumcondra Dundalk
Stadium: Athletic Grounds

References
Bibliography
  • Murphy, Jim (2003). The History of Dundalk F.C.: The First 100 Years. Dundalgan Press. ASIN B0042SO3R2.
  • Graham, Alex. Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005. Soccer Books Limited. ISBN 1-86223-135-4.
  • MacSweeney, Niall (1985). A Record of League of Ireland Football 1921/2 - 1984/5. Association of Football Statisticians. ASIN B008H2CBJQ.
  • Ryan, Sean; Dunne, Noel (24 October 1975). The Bass Book of Irish Soccer. Mercier Press. ISBN 9780853424505.
Citations
  1. "Reforms and Rumors". Evening Herald. 2 June 1926. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
  2. "Dundalk Get in on Ballot (headline)". Irish Independent. 16 June 1926. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
  3. "Dundalk Get in on Ballot (body)". Irish Independent. 16 June 1926. Retrieved 24 September 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
  4. Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC – the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 42.
  5. Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC – the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 44.
  6. "Fordson v. Dundalk". Cork Examiner. 23 August 1926. Retrieved 22 April 2019 – via Irish Newspaper Archives.
  7. "Dundalk's First Brace". Irish Independent. 20 September 1926. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  8. "Shamrock Rovers, 3; Dundalk, 3". Irish Independent. 12 September 1926. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  9. "(Republic of) Ireland League Tables". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  10. 'Nat.' (9 May 1927). "Closing Soccer Games". Evening Herald. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  11. "Exciting Cup Tie in Dundalk". Irish Independent. 4 March 1927. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  12. "Bohs.' convincing victory". Sunday Independent. 9 January 1927. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  13. Murphy, Jim (2013). A Dundalk FC Miscellany. Ireland: Self-published. p. 183.
  14. Murphy, Jim (2003). History of Dundalk FC - the First 100 Years. Dundalk: Jim Murphy. p. 448.
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