Dundalk are poised for their fourth league title in the last five years after a 3-2 win over Derry City at Oriel Park on Tuesday.
The lilywhites have been the dominant side in the League of Ireland for the last few seasons but how many of their players would their peers consider to be among the best 11 players in the league? How many would make their Ultimate teams on FIFA?
Patrick Hoban matched Jason Byrne, Glen Crowe and Richie Towell’s single season record of 25 goals and is an automatic selection in all of the teams chosen by Bray Wanderers defender Hughie Douglas, Waterford midfielder Derek Daly, Derry defender Gavin Peers and Dundalk star Dan Cleary, but here’s the rest of the players that the players have nominated at Wednesday’s FIFA 19 launch at the Aviva Stadium.
Derek Daly – Waterford:
Team: Lawrence Vigouroux, Rory Feely, Kenny Browne, Daniel Cleary, Dean Jarvis, Dylan Connolly, Bastien Hery, Stanley Aborah, Sander Puri, Courtney Duffus, Patrick Hoban.
Selections: “Kenny Browne is a very solid defender and I’d throw Stanley Aborah in there with Bastien, for me, they’re the two best midfielders in the league. Up front I’d go with Courtney Duffus and Patrick Hoban. Both of those guys got a lot of goals this season.
Gavin Peers – Derry City
Team: Gary Rogers, Lee Desmond, Lee Grace, Daniel Cleary, Chris Shields, Bastien Hery, Gavan Holohan, Michael Duffy, Robbie Benson, Ismahil Akinade, Patrick Hoban.
Selections: “I think Lee Desmond is a very good young player and I like Lee Grace and Daniel Cleary too. I think you have to go with Gary Rogers or Shane Supple for goals but I think you have to go with Rogers because of the success and just how he commands his box.
“Midfield we’ll go with Shields and Hery and then in front of them I’ll go with Benson, Holohan and Michael Duffy. Give me Hoban and Izzy up top. That’s my team.”
Hugh Douglas – Bray Wanderers
Team: Shane Supple, Simon Madden, Daniel Cleary, Lee Grace, Ian Bermingham, Dan Kelly, Bastien Hery, Robbie Benson, Michael Duffy, Patrick Hoban, Graham Burke.
Selections: “I’d throw Supple in goals because we played them at the start of the season and he pulled off some amazing saves. I think Lee Grace has been amazing this year in fairness to him, Danny Cleary too and you can’t go wrong with Bermo at left-back.
“I wouldn’t necessarily just pick players off the big teams, if a player from Bohs did well against Bray that play may go up in my regard because we played them, but then you do have to look at what Hoban has done in Dundalk. Matched the league record with 25 goals. Michael Duffy has been great too.”
Dan Cleary – Dundalk
Team: Gary Rogers, Sean Gannon, Sean Hoare, Brian Gartland, Dean Jarvis, Chris Shields, Aaron McEneff, Jamie McGrath, Kieran Sadlier, Michael Duffy, Patrick Hoban.
Selections: “I’d go with Gary Rogers, Ganno, Sean Hoare, Garts and Dean Jarvis along the back. Give me a 4-3-3 with McEneff, Chris Shields and Jamie McGrath and then up front I’ll go with Michael Duffy on the left, Kieran Sadlier on the right and then Pat Hoban up top. He’s been brilliant for us.”
EA SPORTS™ today confirmed the return of the hugely popular FIFA 19 SSE Airtricity League
Premier Division Club Packs, which will be going live when the game
launches this Friday 28th September. Giving Irish football fans across the country the chance
to wear their heart on their sleeve, EA SPORTS has also pledged to donate €1 (one Euro) to
the Liam Miller Fund for every SSE Airtricity League cover* downloaded for free, from Friday
28th September – Friday 5th October 2018.
Featuring the individual club crest of all 10 Premier Division Teams, including Dundalk FC,
Cork City FC, Shamrock Rovers FC, St Patrick’s Athletic, Derry City FC, Bray Wanderers FC,
Bohemian FC, Waterford FC, Sligo Rovers FC and Limerick FC, these sleeves will be available
from www.easports.com/uk/fifa/club-packs and will include PlayStation 4®, Xbox One®
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC packs. Once fans have printed** out their preferred sleeve,
they simply replace the existing cover in their FIFA 19 box and start playing with their
local heroes in the game, while representing their favourite local club on the pack!
