Dundalk FC have re-signed John Mountney, head coach Stephen O’Donnell has confirmed

Dundalk boss Stephen O’Donnell has confirmed that John Mountney has re-signed with the club for the forthcoming season.

The Mayo man, who failed to feature competitively for the Lilywhites last year due to an ACL injury sustained in pre-season, has been training with the squad either side of Christmas but wasn’t officially announced by the club has being back on board for 2024.

The five-time league winner, who first joined Dundalk from Mervue United in 2012 before a brief spell at St Patrick’s Athletic in 2021, is now set to enter his 12th season at Oriel Park.

Despite his injury problems in recent seasons, O’Donnell feels his former team-mate still has a huge role to play on and off the pitch.

“It was very tough for him in the last couple of years but he’s brilliant around the place,” said the head coach.

“People don’t know it but I suppose you’ve all worked in workplaces where you have some unbelievable co-workers and John is one of them as a team-mate and as a player to have at the club and he really sort of lifts standards and he’s a real focal point of the whole group.

“Our aim now and his aim is to keep him right, to make sure his training loads are right and he’s available as many matches as he can because he has come back really strong and really fit in pre-season.”

Mountney, along with Sam Durrant and Dara Keane, didn’t feature in the match day squad for Thursday’s friendly defeat to Longford Town but O’Donnell said none of their injuries were serious.

“Sam and John Mountney just have a couple of tiny little niggles and it’s just unfortunate and frustrating when you get a little niggle and we’re playing Thursday and Sunday because a little niggle can put you out for both games but it’s nothing really serious and they’ll both be banging on the door in or around the Sunday mark so we’ll see what Saturday brings. Dara might be another sort of week behind that,” said O’Donnell.

The Lilywhites boss said no decision had been made on a new club captain following Patrick Hoban’s departure to Derry City but he hoped, regardless of who it was that a ‘leadership group’ could be formed, of which Mountney would be a big part.

“We haven’t decided,” he said when asked about a new captain.

“We’ll probably do that over the next week in regards a potential sort of leadership group etc and we’ll go from there in relation to all them type of things.

“John is a huge part of it. He’s been there, he lives in the town, he has seen every part of Dundalk from struggling in 2012 to the heights over however many years so you need people like that at your club,” said O’Donnell.

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan’s exclusive take on the day’s news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.