Sport

Dundalk wait on decision

It was an eventful weekend as the domestic game got back to something resembling normality after its enforced absence

By PAUL BUTTNER
Tue Mar 27 2001 - 01:00

It was an eventful weekend as the domestic game got back to something resembling normality after its enforced absence. Longford Town provided more joy for their growing band of supporters with Friday's FAI Cup third-round replay win over a shocked St Patrick's Athletic while Sunday's two quarter-finals went to form with away wins for Bohemians and Waterford United.

In the league, UCD eased their automatic relegation fears with a much needed win in Derry with Bray Wanderers' European hopes sustaining a dent after a 0-0 home draw with Finn Harps. Football, thankfully, had at last a sense of normality restored to it.

A sense of normality, that is, expect for Co Louth's two senior clubs, Dundalk and Drogheda United.

Not permitted to play games until further notice, either home or away, due to the foot-and-mouth outbreak in the Cooley Peninsula, both clubs are in a quandary.

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Drogheda, bottom of the First Division, have merely the league to worry about, but what of Dundalk?

Leading the First Division and favourites to come back up they have still to play an FAI Cup third-round game with non-league Portmarnock. Both Louth clubs will pin their hopes on the situation changing later today after Dundalk yesterday took their case to the Department of Agriculture's expert committee on the foot-and-mouth crisis. "I met the Minister for Sport and local TD Dermot Ahern in Carlingford on Sunday and he will take our case to the expert committee," said Dundalk chairman Des Denning.

"Dermot Ahern will ask that we be allowed to play games outside Louth."

As wages to part-time players have been suspended for eight weeks since the alert, in agreement with the PFAI, Denning says there is no immediate financial threat to the club. "But," Denning was quick to stress, "if we couldn't honour contracts it could be disastrous for the club."

With 3,000 people commuting everyday from Dundalk to work elsewhere and traffic streaming through the area as much as normal, Denning argues that a hundred or so Dundalk supporters travelling to an away game will scarcely be a threat.

If the appeal is successful, a curious irony in the fixture schedule could see Dundalk play Drogheda this weekend. Just where the game takes place will then be the question.