Dundalk star Hoban 'buzzing' after signing new long-term deal with O'Donnell's side
‘This is the start of something new and exciting and Pat is really keen to be a part of it,’ the new head coach said, with Daniel Cleary confirming his departure this evening.
PATRICK HOBAN HAS signed a new long-term contract with Dundalk FC, the club has announced.
Hoban, 30, has enjoyed plenty of success across two spells with the Lilywhites, including three SSE Airtricity League Premier Division titles.
The arrival of new head coach Stephen O’Donnell in the wake of his recent FAI Cup lift with St Patrick’s Athletic was a deciding factor in the striker staying put.
“I’m absolutely buzzing to sign a long-term deal,” the Galway native said. “Seeing Stevie come in the door definitely made things clearer for me to sign back and, hopefully, finish my career here.
“Last year, no one knew where they stood but it’s good now that the takeover has happened and the new owners have brought Stevie in as head coach. That is massive for the club and I’m really excited to start working with him.”
Hoban has been the Oriel Park side’s top-scorer in each of his six seasons at the club, with a total of 125 goals to his name.
Just 17 short of Joey Donnelly’s all-time club record, that’s one of Hoban’s clear targets for 2022.
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Dundalk FC is delighted to announce that Patrick Hoban has signed a new long-term contract with the club.https://t.co/LgIJLhqaI9
“I have a record in sight and I want to create history here,” he said.
“There’s only a small minority of people who set records like that at clubs and I want to be one of them. I want to smash the record and leave something there for a player to try and emulate in the future.”
“I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Hoban added. “My life is here and I love being here and being in town. There is a real buzz around the place again and now we can start to concentrate on working hard next year and building something again.”
O’Donnell, a former team-mate of Hoban’s during the Stephen Kenny era, commented:
“We’re delighted to have Pat on board. I really enjoyed playing with him and I can’t wait to get hands-on with him on the training field now.
“I thought his form towards the end of last season was tremendous. Everything about his play was exactly what you would want from your frontman and we’ll be looking to get that from him again next year.
“This is the start of something new and exciting at the club and Pat is really keen to be a part of it. He will be a mainstay of it in regards to his character and his presence around the place. Getting him on board is a great starting point to build around.”
Just want to say a massive thank you to everyone at @DundalkFC managers players fans and staff for the amazing memories over the past 4 years I will never forget them 🏁 It was a special team to be apart of 🖤👌🏼 🏆🏆 League 🏆🏆Fai Cup 🏆 League Cup Europa League group stage pic.twitter.com/cOHt8KjWFx
Meanwhile, Daniel Cleary has confirmed his departure, as speculation mounts around his next move. It’s reported that Scottish outfit St Johnstone is his destination.
“Just want to say a massive thank you to everyone at Dundalk FC; managers, players, fans and staff for the amazing memories over the past four years,” Cleary wrote on Twitter.
“I will never forget them. It was a special team to be a part of.”
Former Liverpool U21 defender Cleary exits with two league and two FAI Cup winners medals, along with one league cup honour.
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Dundalk star Hoban 'buzzing' after signing new long-term deal with O'Donnell's side
PATRICK HOBAN HAS signed a new long-term contract with Dundalk FC, the club has announced.
Hoban, 30, has enjoyed plenty of success across two spells with the Lilywhites, including three SSE Airtricity League Premier Division titles.
The arrival of new head coach Stephen O’Donnell in the wake of his recent FAI Cup lift with St Patrick’s Athletic was a deciding factor in the striker staying put.
“I’m absolutely buzzing to sign a long-term deal,” the Galway native said. “Seeing Stevie come in the door definitely made things clearer for me to sign back and, hopefully, finish my career here.
“Last year, no one knew where they stood but it’s good now that the takeover has happened and the new owners have brought Stevie in as head coach. That is massive for the club and I’m really excited to start working with him.”
Hoban has been the Oriel Park side’s top-scorer in each of his six seasons at the club, with a total of 125 goals to his name.
Just 17 short of Joey Donnelly’s all-time club record, that’s one of Hoban’s clear targets for 2022.
“I have a record in sight and I want to create history here,” he said.
“There’s only a small minority of people who set records like that at clubs and I want to be one of them. I want to smash the record and leave something there for a player to try and emulate in the future.”
“I didn’t want to go anywhere else,” Hoban added. “My life is here and I love being here and being in town. There is a real buzz around the place again and now we can start to concentrate on working hard next year and building something again.”
O’Donnell, a former team-mate of Hoban’s during the Stephen Kenny era, commented:
“We’re delighted to have Pat on board. I really enjoyed playing with him and I can’t wait to get hands-on with him on the training field now.
“I thought his form towards the end of last season was tremendous. Everything about his play was exactly what you would want from your frontman and we’ll be looking to get that from him again next year.
“This is the start of something new and exciting at the club and Pat is really keen to be a part of it. He will be a mainstay of it in regards to his character and his presence around the place. Getting him on board is a great starting point to build around.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Cleary has confirmed his departure, as speculation mounts around his next move. It’s reported that Scottish outfit St Johnstone is his destination.
“Just want to say a massive thank you to everyone at Dundalk FC; managers, players, fans and staff for the amazing memories over the past four years,” Cleary wrote on Twitter.
“I will never forget them. It was a special team to be a part of.”
Former Liverpool U21 defender Cleary exits with two league and two FAI Cup winners medals, along with one league cup honour.
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