John Mountney to put Dundalk allegiances to one side as the Saints visit Oriel on Saturday evening

John Mountney was one of the most successful players in the League of Ireland during his 9 years with Dundalk, having won 11 trophies in that period, but all that will be put aside on Saturday night when he lines up against his old club at Oriel Park.

Mountney was contacted by Saints boss Stephen O Donnell, a former teammate at Dundalk, and Alan Matthews, during the close season – and it did not take him long to decide to leave once he heard what O Donnell and Matthews had to say.

Speaking at the club’s weekly press conference, Mountney said: “I was at a stage where having been at Dundalk for 9 years I needed a new challenge and when I spoke to Stephen everything he had to say about Pats and what he was trying to build there really excited me and I wanted to be part of it’

“It was not an easy decision, I still live in Dundalk, I have a lot of friends up here both on and off the pitch, but I had to think about my own football career and in that sense, I knew it was the right move for me.”

Mountney is a very versatile player and while he played most of his football at Dundalk in various midfield roles, he has lined out at right back in Pat’s opening four matches.

In relation to his role at Pat’s, he went on to say ‘’ as well as the challenge of being with a new club, being a regular right back is also another new challenge for me ‘’

Pats have had a very good defensive record since the season started, two clean sheets and only two goals conceded, and Mountney said: “We have been very good as a defensive base, but I would also credit our midfielders and attackers for that, everybody has to be tuned in when not on the ball, you defend as a unit.

“Then when you have a keeper like Vite (Vitezslav Jaros, Czech born goalkeeper on loan from Liverpool) it gives us great confidence.

“He is only 19, it’s his first time playing senior football but he carries himself very well, he is a real man and having somebody like that behind us as a back four fills us with that extra bit of faith which you need.”

In relation to Dundalk’s poor start to the season, Mountney reflected: “Dundalk have some very good players, its way too early to be taking too much notice of the league table.

“They are good enough to beat anybody at home or away, and we know that we are going to have to be at our very best on Saturday night to get anything out of the game.”