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Wednesday, 21st August, 2024. Vol. 17, Issue 34 • 9A, Crowe Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth Tel: 042 932 0888. | Email: editorial@dundalkleader.com; advertising@dundalkleader.com
A LEGEND DEPARTS
Tributes paid to League of Ireland’s greatest ever manager By Paul Byrne LEGENDARY Dundalk FC manager Jim McLaughlin has been laid to rest following his passing at the age of 83 last Thursday. The Derry native was buried in Haggardstown on Sunday and tributes have been flowing all week for the man who was in charge for one of the truly golden eras at Dundalk Football Club. As well as leading the Lilywhites to three league titles, three FAI cups and two league cups, McLaughlin also presided over a scarcely believable set of European results against some of the powerhouses of world football, which given the changes in format over the last couple of decades will probably never be repeated. Under McLaughlin’s watch, Dundalk thrived against the bigger teams and in matches against the likes of Glasgow Celtic, FC Porto, PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham, Dundalk were only beaten once at Oriel Park (against Liverpool in 1982). They famously came within a whisker of knocking out Scottish giants Celtic in the European Cup when after a battling 3-2 defeat away from home they almost did the unthinkable when Tommy McConville’s came within inches of scoring a last minute winner which would have put Dundalk into the ¼ finals of Europe’s premier competition. Continued on Page 2
Tributes have been flooding in for the late great Jim McLaughlin following his passing last Thursday. McLaughlin is generally considered the greatest league of Ireland manager of all time. See Page 2.