Dundalk legend recalls his five FAI Cup finals
When you think of Dundalk and the FAI Cup, then, invariably, you also think of Martin Lawlor.
The man who occupied the Dundalk number three shirt for almost two decades made 56 appearances in the competition for Dundalk — a club record — in a career that spanned 15 cup campaigns.
He lifted the famous trophy on three occasions, in 1979, 1981 and 1988 and finished as runner-up in 1987 and 1993. Two of those wins, in 1979 and 1988, were the second part of a league and cup double.
The Dubliner is regarded as one of the finest defenders ever to grace the League of Ireland and keeping teams out, rather than opening them up, was his speciality, as is evident from his haul of two FAI Cup goals!
They were both of huge importance, however. His first put paid to non-league Hammond Lane in 1981 with the second proving to be the only goal of a semi-final win over St Patrick’s Athletic in 1993.
Nowadays, Lawlor is back in his native Dublin, running a restaurant in the East Wall Village. However, make no mistake, it is still black and white blood pumping through his veins.
“There is definitely a beautiful type of magic about the FAI Cup for Dundalk supporters. I was lucky enough to win five league titles with Dundalk but if I was to walk down any street in the town and ask a fan what their favourite moment was, I guarantee you the reply would be ‘Ah Jaysus Martin, wasn’t that year we won the cup great!’”
1979
Lawlor’s first taste of success came in the 1978/79 double winning season. He made just two appearances the previous term but became the first choice left-back in Jim McLaughlin’s all conquering side.
He was also part of what was known by many on the Oriel Park terraces as the ‘Mean Machine’, the legendary back four of Lawlor, Dermot Keely, Paddy Dunning and Tommy McConville with Richie Blackmore behind them in goals.
“That back four was so effective, like a military unit,” enthused Lawlor. “We were in unison with each other and we worked religiously on our game which Jim must take a lot of credit for.
“We were very much into catenaccio like the Italians and we had the offside trap hair pinned. If you were a linesman back in those days, then you were exhausted at our games. We were up and down like a lightning bolt. It was almost as like the four of us were attached to a steel rod and Dermot would control it.”
Three days after clinching the league title in Cork, Dundalk were beaten 3–0 at home to Waterford, their upcoming opponents in the 1979 showpiece.
Sid ‘Flood’ Wallace bagged two of the goals for Waterford at Oriel Park but it was his antics after scoring that meant he was the ‘focus of attention’ for the ‘Mean Machine’ in the final.
“The worst thing that Flood could have done in the league game was to give us stick, especially right before the cup final. It was a very silly move,” said Lawlor.
“We beat them easily, 2–0, and we were smoking cigars at the back. When one of the goals went in, I remember one of our lads going over to Flood, who was on his knees, and tousling his blonde locks like a young kid!”
1981
The anecdotes don’t stop there with Lawlor recalling a funny moment in the 1981 FAI Cup final when Dundalk beat Sligo Rovers 2–0 on a windswept afternoon at Dalymount Park. It came early on when Keely and McConville clashed heads with captain Keely coming out the worse for wear.
“Dermot went down and his head was open, I mean it was a gaping wound. He was lying there and there was blood everywhere,” recalled Lawlor.
“Tommy Mac is standing over him and he’s saying ‘what are you screaming for, sure you’re okay’, but you could have driven the Dundalk to Dublin bus through the wound.
“Mac looked over and seen Paddy Carolan, the physio, running on and he says to me, ‘I’ll tell Paddy not to say anything to Dermot about how serious it looks’. So, Mac saunters over to him and has a word.
“Everything’s grand and then Paddy comes over and clears us out of the way. He has a look at Dermot and then lets out a roar, ‘Jaysus Dermot, you should see your f**king head!
“Next thing, Keely’s screaming and we’re all running for cover.”
1988
The McLaughlin era ended in 1983 but Dundalk’s run of success continued under Turlough O’Connor, who guided the Lilywhites to the league title in 1988.
O’Connor’s formidable side beat McLaughlin’s Derry City to the finishing post and the clubs met in that year’s FAI Cup final in front of a bumper crowd, again at Dalymount Park.
“We were league champions but Derry were red hot favourites going into the game but we knew if we got a nibble or a sniff then we’d be right in there and the great thing about us was that we would be supremely confident of giving nothing away.”
One man who knew all about Dundalk’s ability to restrict a team’s attacking capacity was McLaughlin.
The legendary manager spoke before the game about the importance of his side scoring first, saying it would be an ‘enormous challenge’ for Derry to win the game if Dundalk drew first blood. His theory proved correct as O’Connor’s tactics came up trumps.
“Derry were technically supreme,” said Lawlor. “We had a couple of wily old soldiers in the team, the likes of myself, Gino Lawless, Joey Malone and Harry McCue and the feeling was that their pressure and their wizardry was going to be too good. But, fair dues to Turlough, he turned everything on his head.”
O’Connor deployed a three man defence with Joey Malone dropping back from midfield to partner McCue and John Cleary with Lawless and Lawlor pushed on as wing-backs, a somewhat radical departure back in 1988.
“We always played with a 4–4–2 and back then there weren’t too many managers who would have toyed around with the system,” said Lawlor.
The rest, as they say is history. Referee John Spillane awarded a penalty after Larry Wyse was brushed in the box by Martin Bailey, “a ferocious tackle,” laughed Lawlor — before John Cleary dispatched the penalty without breaking a sweat.
1987
Mention the penalty around a Derry City fan and just wait for the reaction but, from a Dundalk perspective, it was justice for the previous year’s cup final defeat to the Keely managed Shamrock Rovers.
Lawlor takes up the story.
“Rovers were a good side, league champions, and looking for the double but we were confident we could beat them.
“It was an even game but the referee awarded a penalty against Joey Malone and it was a very controversial decision. It turned the game and they went on to win 3–0.
“In 1988 we got one that went with us but in ’87 it definitely went against us.”
1993
FAI Cup final number five came in 1993. Lawlor’s headed winner, which still causes Brian Kerr sleepless nights apparently — in the semi-final against Pat’s sent Dundalk to their first ever FAI Cup final at Lansdowne Road where they met Shelbourne.
“We could have won ten games against Shels, we created that many chances,” recalled Lawlor. “In the second-half we won a corner and they broke up the pitch and scored the only goal of the game.
“I remember running back and seeing Greg Costelloe beat Alan O’Neill and we never recovered. For a Dundalk team to concede from a counter-attack was sacrilege and I think we knew the writing was on the wall when we missed so many chances in the first-half.”
Dundalk return to Lansdowne Road this Sunday with Stephen Kenny’s side hoping to follow in the footsteps of Lawlor and his team-mates of ’79 and ’88 by completing the league and cup double.
The current side are being lauded as the finest in a generation — maybe the best ever — and Lawlor said that was something that sat comfortably with him.
“I think this team are worthy successors,” he said, “and I think it’s important that a former player should come out and say that.
“Young players are always wondering what their peers think of them and from what I have seen of this team, they are not just a wonderful side but there is a maturity in their application and, importantly, they get the message.”
The message?
“That it takes more than flair and skill to be a great Dundalk side.
“If you are a real player then the last person you want to satisfy on a cup final day is yourself,” he continued.
“You have to remember that you are carrying the dreams of thousands of people from a community. Players train and play but there are others who put in as much effort and input that are just as important.
“I always think back to the likes of Mickey Fox, Vincy Cranny and Mary McElligott. People who you sweat for and bleed for on the pitch.
“Players need to realise that when they pull that white shirt on, with those three ravens across their chest, that they’re playing for the people on the terraces, the people in the town and the community as whole. I think that Stephen Kenny and his group of players understand that.”
