MOUNTNEY ALMIGHTY HUMAN BEING – BURNS

First-team coach Liam Burns has praised his former teammate John Mountney who he says is an “almighty human being” after coming back from two cruciate ligament injuries, with the Dundalk FC captain worth his weight in gold since returning to the side.

Mountney made his first start in 18 months at the beginning of April and since then has run himself into the ground to help the Lilywhites’ struggle, as they try to lift themselves off the bottom of the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division table.

Dundalk have been at the foot of the standings since early March and were six points adrift of neighbours Drogheda United heading into Friday’s fixtures.

That gap looked likely to increase to eight late in the day, but Mountney’s injury-time winner against reigning champions Shamrock Rovers, coupled with Drogheda United’s late collapse to Galway United 20 miles down the road, closed it to just three.

Five-time league winner Mountney, who played as left wingback, has had a long, painful journey over the last couple of seasons. And after sinking the Hoops with a stunning strike, his first goal at Oriel Park in nearly five years, Burns – who lined out alongside the Bohola native in the first leg of the 2012 relegation playoff – could not speak more highly of the 31-year-old.

The Belfast native, who had Dave Mackey – a 1991 league winner with Dundalk – in the dugout alongside him, also warned supporters to strap in for “an emotional rollercoaster” over the coming months.

“People tend to forget John. John is a legend at this club,” former Dundalk captain Burnsy, who was stand-in manager on Friday, said. “The amount of trophies he’s won, the appearances he’s made. But what people don’t see about John Mountney is John Mountney the human being. He has been through a lot the last couple of years.

“But even though he’s not on the pitch, he’s a big influence off the pitch and people tend to forget what he’s done in his career, with all the league medals, FAI Cups and Europa League group stages. From a player point of view, his medal collection is unbelievable, but as a person, he’s absolutely fantastic.

“I think a lot of people questioned the previous manager (Stephen O’Donnell) about signing him, but I know what John brings off the pitch, he’s a top professional, and to come back from two cruciates, it takes an almighty human being and mentality. He drives that within that changing room.”

Burns on expectations before the game…

“To be honest, we expected to compete with them. We had kept five home clean-sheets on the bounce, and in the last couple of years we’ve given Rovers problems here.

“I know there is a lot of noise going on off the field, but on it, we can control that and we can control the dressing-room. During the week, I just told the boys what I expected of them and, to be fair, they went out and delivered.

“It probably wasn’t the best that we’ve played all year, but it was the result that mattered at the end of the day.”

On the team’s good orginsation…

“I only put the plan in place, the boys went out and carried it out. Listen, when you’re playing Shamrock Rovers here, you have to have a plan because they haven’t won all those leagues for nothing. They’ve got really good players, and even look at their bench, bringing those players on. I think if you finish above Shamrock Rovers, you’ll win the league.”

On the win and impact on the league table…

“Obviously, it’s a massive result, but again, they’re all difficult games. When you look at the league table, you’re only a few points off mid-table and then a few points off Europe. The league is really competitive this year and everyone can beat each other.

“I’m sure Shamrock Rovers coming here, with us being bottom of the table, didn’t expect an easy game. I think it’s going to be like that the whole year, it’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster. We’ve got to try to kick on from it. At the end of the day, it’s only three points and we must build on it.”

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