Dundalk entered the 1966–67 season on the back of a disappointing eighth-place finish in the League and a sixth-place finish in the Shield the previous season. 1966–67 was Alan Fox's first season as player-coach, having been appointed by the club's new board of directors in August. It was Dundalk's 41st consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football.

Season summary The previous season had seen significant change at the club. By the end of 1965 it was clear that the debts, the condition of Oriel Park, and the need to rebuild the playing squad, were challenges beyond the membership-based ownership model. A new public limited company took the club over in January 1966, after the voluntary liquidation of the old company. The new board set about investing in Oriel Park, which consisted of turning the pitch 90 degrees, building a new stand, and adding player and spectator facilities. They also invested in a number of new players and a new player-coach, Alan Fox. Only five of the players who had finished the previous season were retained.

The new season started on 21 August 1966 with the Shield and the Dublin City Cup. Dundalk had never won the Shield in their 40 seasons of League of Ireland membership, being runners-up four times and going close in numerous seasons. At the 41st attempt, the new team made no mistake – with nine wins from the first 10 matches, effectively sealing the win with a 2–0 victory over Shamrock Rovers in front of a then record crowd of 14,000 for a domestic game in Oriel Park. 10 days later they met Shamrock Rovers again, this time in the City Cup final, but fell to a 2–1 defeat.

The League saw Fox's side continue their Shield form, with six consecutive wins (scoring 21 goals in the process) leaving them clear at the top of the table in the run up to Christmas. A three match losing streak through the new year, which included the Leinster Senior Cup Final, saw some doubts about the side creep in. But they only lost one more match in charging to the title ahead of Bohemians by seven points. The club's third League title brought the only League and Shield Double in its history. To cap a memorable season, they also won the Top Four Cup, their second and last win before the competition was discontinued in 1974. A semi-final defeat in the FAI Cup to Shamrock Rovers was the only slip-up that stopped the side winning medals in every competition. They called it "the greatest year in the history of Dundalk Football Club".

First-Team Squad (1966–67) Sources: No.NameYearsLeagueFAI CupLeague of Ireland ShieldOtheraTotalGoals1 Kevin Blount 1966–1968 21 5 10 10 46 02 1966–1973 22 5 11 11 49 13 1966–1968 22 5 11 11 49 04 Patsy McKeown 1957–1968 18 5 11 10 44 05 Mick Millington 1965–1970 16 4 11 11 42 16 1966–1970 19 5 10 11 45 117 1966–1972 22 5 8 10 45 178 1966–1969 20 5 11 7 43 269 Danny Hale 1966–1968 20 3 10 9 42 2810 1966–1969 16 4 10 6 36 311 1966–1970 16 4 0 5 25 1712 Jim Burke 1966–1968 12 0 6 8 26 013 Larry Gilmore 1966–1970 3 1 11 7 22 214 Francie Callan 1954–1967 13 4 0 3 20 415 Christy Barron 1959–1967 1 0 1 1 3 0 a. Includes the Leinster Senior Cup, Dublin City Cup, and Top Four Cup.

Competitions Shield Source:

Shield table

Dublin City Cup Source: First round

Quarter-final

Semi-final

Final

Leinster Senior Cup Source: Fourth round

Semi-final

Semi-final Replay

Final

FAI Cup Source: First round

Quarter-final

Quarter-final Replay

Semi-final

Semi-final Replay

Top Four Cup Source: Semi-final

Final

Final Replay

League Source:

League table

References Bibliography

Citations