And after failing to find the back of the net in scoreless draws against Bray Wanderers and Shamrock Rovers, the Galway native was pleased with how the game panned out.
“It was good to be back,” said Hoban, who has returned after four years in English football. “In previous games, I’ve been only getting my fitness and match sharpness back so it’s all coming together slowly but surely.
“I missed a header and a left-footed chance from a tight angle on Friday night but it was good to get the monkey off the back. This seems to be a good place for me, I’m a happy player when I’m in Dundalk — on and off the pitch. It must be this place, I just love scoring here.”
The result puts 2016 champions Dundalk on five points after three matches, but rivals Cork City are already out in front with three wins on the bounce.
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“It was a great team performance out there,” added Hoban. “The first two games didn’t go to plan with two 0-0s, and there was a bit of pressure on us but the lads responded really well.
“People have their opinions and we were disappointed to only have two points from two games as well. All we can do is rectify that on the pitch and we were on the front foot straight away from the off. We didn’t give them a second to breath and when you play with that intensity it’s very hard for teams to come out and play against us.
I just felt that everyone was on fire today and it all fell into place.”
Hoban linked up well with his new strike partner, Ronan Murray, at times and the pair have been getting to know each other better in recent weeks as they live together.
“My housemate had a fantastic game and he was unlucky not to score as well,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before he scores too. I live with Ronan and we get on like a house on fire.”
The scoreboard at Oriel Park. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Manager Stephen Kenny was also happy with the pair’s contribution.
“They share a house together so I’m sure they have the salt and pepper out and they’re working on a few moves,” he joked.
The Dundalk boss was robbed of several players for the opening weeks of the season through a virus and various other injuries, but he is optimistic that they can now get their campaign on track with the majority returning to full fitness.
“We were somewhat frustrated in the first two games and had a lot of chances against Bray,” Kenny explained. “To make excuses, we’ve had a few setbacks in pre-season but now all of a sudden we’ve big numbers training again.
We had been training with 12 or 13 for a couple of weeks but now we’ve a full squad and it looks completely different. There’s good competition and we look very strong. We have dropped points during that period, which we didn’t want to do.
“To be fair, Limerick were under-strength. They have a very good team and they’ve a couple of players missing, but you can only beat what’s in front of you and I think the players showed some great stuff. There were good goals and it’s probably our biggest victory since I became manager.”
Dundalk are due to face Derry City on Friday as the newly-redeveloped Brandywell opens its doors for the first time, but all this week’s fixtures have been thrown into massive doubt by the heavy snowfall around the country.
“I had six seasons up there as manager and we had some great nights at the Brandywell,” says Kenny.” Paris Saint-Germain came there and Gothenburg too. We had full houses and they were great periods.
“It’s a great club with a great history. I haven’t seen the new ground yet. Derry had a good win tonight [Tuesday] so it will be an interesting game but we’re playing with confidence now in relation to trying to win the game on Friday, weather-permitting.”
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'It was good to get the monkey off the back' - Hoban rediscovers scoring touch to lead Dundalk rout
PAT HOBAN GOT his second spell at Dundalk up and running last night as the club recorded their biggest victory of the Stephen Kenny era.
The Lilywhites ran out 8-0 winners over Limerick at a snow-covered Oriel Park, with striker Hoban bagging a double along with goals from Robbie Benson, Stephen Folan, Karolis Chvedukas, Michael Duffy (2) and Dylan Connolly.
And after failing to find the back of the net in scoreless draws against Bray Wanderers and Shamrock Rovers, the Galway native was pleased with how the game panned out.
“It was good to be back,” said Hoban, who has returned after four years in English football. “In previous games, I’ve been only getting my fitness and match sharpness back so it’s all coming together slowly but surely.
“I missed a header and a left-footed chance from a tight angle on Friday night but it was good to get the monkey off the back. This seems to be a good place for me, I’m a happy player when I’m in Dundalk — on and off the pitch. It must be this place, I just love scoring here.”
The result puts 2016 champions Dundalk on five points after three matches, but rivals Cork City are already out in front with three wins on the bounce.
“It was a great team performance out there,” added Hoban. “The first two games didn’t go to plan with two 0-0s, and there was a bit of pressure on us but the lads responded really well.
“People have their opinions and we were disappointed to only have two points from two games as well. All we can do is rectify that on the pitch and we were on the front foot straight away from the off. We didn’t give them a second to breath and when you play with that intensity it’s very hard for teams to come out and play against us.
Hoban linked up well with his new strike partner, Ronan Murray, at times and the pair have been getting to know each other better in recent weeks as they live together.
“My housemate had a fantastic game and he was unlucky not to score as well,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before he scores too. I live with Ronan and we get on like a house on fire.”
Manager Stephen Kenny was also happy with the pair’s contribution.
“They share a house together so I’m sure they have the salt and pepper out and they’re working on a few moves,” he joked.
The Dundalk boss was robbed of several players for the opening weeks of the season through a virus and various other injuries, but he is optimistic that they can now get their campaign on track with the majority returning to full fitness.
“We were somewhat frustrated in the first two games and had a lot of chances against Bray,” Kenny explained. “To make excuses, we’ve had a few setbacks in pre-season but now all of a sudden we’ve big numbers training again.
“To be fair, Limerick were under-strength. They have a very good team and they’ve a couple of players missing, but you can only beat what’s in front of you and I think the players showed some great stuff. There were good goals and it’s probably our biggest victory since I became manager.”
Dundalk are due to face Derry City on Friday as the newly-redeveloped Brandywell opens its doors for the first time, but all this week’s fixtures have been thrown into massive doubt by the heavy snowfall around the country.
“I had six seasons up there as manager and we had some great nights at the Brandywell,” says Kenny.” Paris Saint-Germain came there and Gothenburg too. We had full houses and they were great periods.
“It’s a great club with a great history. I haven’t seen the new ground yet. Derry had a good win tonight [Tuesday] so it will be an interesting game but we’re playing with confidence now in relation to trying to win the game on Friday, weather-permitting.”
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Wednesday’s sporting fixtures disrupted by heavy snowfall and adverse weather
Curtis strike earns Candystripes first win of the season at snow-covered Dalymount Park
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