Dundalk entered the 2013 season having spent the 2012 season rooted in the relegation play-off spot. The club had been put up for sale,[2] 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). They subsequently managed to remain in the top-flight by winning a promotion/relegation play-off.[3] With the takeover complete and the club saved, the new owners turned to Stephen Kenny - out of work since being sacked by Shamrock Rovers - to become the new manager ahead of the season.[4] 2013 was Dundalk's fifth consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football, their 78th in all, and their 87th in the League of Ireland.
| 2013 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Stephen Kenny | ||
| Premier Division | Runners-up | ||
| FAI Cup | Semi-Final | ||
| League Cup | Round 2 | ||
| Leinster Senior Cup | Quarter-final | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Patrick Hoban (14) All: Patrick Hoban (18) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 3,324 (vs. Drogheda United, 8 September 2013)[1] | ||
Season summary
When the 33 round League programme commenced on 8 March 2013, neither supporters nor pundits were sure what to expect,[5] and Dundalk failed to win any of the first five home matches. But with Kenny's team clicking into gear as his ideas took hold, they rose up the table to mount an unexpected title challenge, eventually finishing second - a defeat to eventual champions St. Patrick's Athletic ultimately costing them the title.[6]
In the cup competitions, they exited in both the second round of the League Cup,[7] and the quarter-final of the Leinster Senior Cup,[8] to Shamrock Rovers. They reached the semi-final of the FAI Cup and were defeated 1–0 away to 'Louth Derby' rivals, Drogheda United, in a tempestuous game - referee Anthony Buttimer sent off two Dundalk players inside half an hour, and Drogheda took the lead from the penalty spot after the second red card. But the nine men of Dundalk prevented Drogheda scoring again.[9]
First-Team Squad (2013)
Sources:[10]
| Name | Date of Birth | Position | Debut season | League appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Peter Cherrie | 25 September 1981 | GK | 2009 | 33 | 0 |
 John Sullivan | 6 January 1991 | DF | 2013 | 28 | 1 |
| Brian Gartland | 4 November 1986 | DF | 2013 | 13 | 2 |
| Andy Boyle | 7 March 1991 | DF | 2013 | 32 | 1 |
| Chris Shields | 27 December 1990 | MF | 2012 | 19 | 1 |
| Stephen O'Donnell | 15 January 1986 | MF | 2013 | 22 | 3 |
| John Dillon | 2 August 1988 | MF | 2013 | 29 | 5 |
| John Mountney | 22 February 1993 | MF | 2012 | 20 | 2 |
| Vinny Faherty | 13 June 1987 | FW | 2013 | 22 | 1 |
| Keith Ward | 12 October 1990 | MF | 2013 | 17 | 1 |
| Kurtis Byrne | 9 April 1990 | FW | 2013 | 30 | 7 |
| Dane Massey | 17 April 1988 | DF | 2013 | 30 | 4 |
| Richie Towell | 17 July 1991 | MF | 2013 | 31 | 7 |
| Patrick Hoban | 28 July 1991 | FW | 2013 | 28 | 14 |
| Darren Meenan | 1 October 1991 | MF | 2013 | 28 | 0 |
| Tiarnan Mulvenna | 10 December 1988 | FW | 2003 | 21 | 5 |
| Mark Rossiter | 27 May 1983 | DF | 2013 | 28 | 0 |
 Stephen McDonnell | 28 June 1992 | MF | 2012 | 11 | 0 |
| Francis McCaffrey | 22 April 1993 | MF | 2013 | 7 | 0 |
| Jordan Keegan | 5 February 1992 | MF | 2013 | 6 | 0 |
| Eoghan Osbourne | 5 March 1992 | DF | 2011 | 5 | 0 |
Competitions
Premier Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Patrick's Athletic (C) | 33 | 21 | 8 | 4 | 56 | 20 | +36 | 71 | Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Dundalk | 33 | 21 | 5 | 7 | 55 | 30 | +25 | 68 | Qualification to Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Sligo Rovers | 33 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 53 | 22 | +31 | 66 | |
| 4 | Derry City | 33 | 17 | 5 | 11 | 57 | 39 | +18 | 56 | |
| 5 | Shamrock Rovers | 33 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 43 | 28 | +15 | 52 | |
| 6 | Cork City | 33 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 46 | |
| 7 | Limerick | 33 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 38 | 46 | −8 | 42 | |
| 8 | Drogheda United | 33 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 38 | |
| 9 | UCD | 33 | 8 | 6 | 19 | 45 | 73 | −28 | 30 | |
| 10 | Bohemians | 33 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 27 | 47 | −20 | 29 | |
| 11 | Bray Wanderers (O) | 33 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 33 | 66 | −33 | 27 | Qualification to Relegation play-off |
| 12 | Shelbourne (R) | 33 | 5 | 6 | 22 | 25 | 56 | −31 | 21 | Relegation to League of Ireland First Division |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
FAI Cup
Source:[12]
- Second Round
| 31 May 2013 | Phoenix | 0–4 | Dundalk | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19:45 | Report | Hoban  7', 25'Byrne 39'Mulvenna 89' | Referee: Adriano Reale |
- Third Round
| 23 August 2013 | Dundalk | 5–3 | Limerick | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19:45 | O'Donnell 6' (pen.) Towell 24'Byrne 38', 61'Meenan 58' | Report | Bossekota 16' Gaffney 75' | Attendance: 1,321 Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
- Quarter Final
| 13 September 2013 | Shelbourne | 1–5 | Dundalk | Tolka Park, Dublin |
| 20:00 | Murphy 50' | Report | Towell 13', 45' Boyle 19'Hoban 32'Byrne 44' | Attendance: 1,158 Referee: Padraigh Sutton |
- Semi Final
| 6 October 2013 | Drogheda United | 1–0 | Dundalk | Hunky Dorys Park, Drogheda |
| 13:45 | Brennan 31' (pen.) | Report | Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
League Cup
Source:[12]
- First Round
| 11 March 2013 | Dundalk | 1−0 | Shelbourne | Oriel Park, Dundalk |
| 19:45 | Byrne 75' | Report | Attendance: 300 (est) Referee: Paul Tuite |
- Second Round
| 21 May 2013 | Shamrock Rovers | 1–0 | Dundalk | Tallaght Stadium, Dublin |
| 20:00 | Kilduff 56' | Report | Attendance: 500 (est) Referee: Paul Tuite |
Leinster Senior Cup
Source:[12]
- Fourth Round
| 20 February 2013 | Sheriff Y.C. | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Dundalk | Dublin |
| 20:00 GMT | Report | Kurtis Byrne 92' Patrick Hoban 119' | Stadium: Fairview Park |
- Quarter Final
| 15 July 2013 | Shamrock Rovers | 4–1 | Dundalk | Dublin |
| 19:45 GMT | Sheppard 28' Quigley 45'Zayed 57'Stewart 67' | Report | Ciaran O'Connor 51' | Stadium: Fairview Park Attendance: 500 (est) Referee: Ben Connolly |
Awards
Player of the Month
| Month | Nationality | Player | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| July | Ireland | Patrick Hoban | [13] |
| August | Ireland | Richie Towell | [14] |
PFAI Players' Young Player of the Year
| Person | Reference |
|---|---|
| Richie Towell | [15] |