Ciarán Kilduff spies green shoots as Dundalk's dust settles

"Inevitably, Daryl Horgan was involved, collecting a Patrick McEleney cross at the back post before creating a yard of space to deliver with his right foot.

"The ball evaded Benson but Kilduff was in the right place to side foot home and secure the very first win by an Irish side in the European group stages."

Eight-and-a-half years on from that fateful 29 September 2016 night when Dundalk made history by beating Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League, a couple of those protagonists can still be found within the Lilywhites ranks.

After adventures across the Irish Sea and a succession of caps for the Boys in Green to boot, Daryl Horgan has been back prowling the touchline at Oriel Park for the last 18 months.

And what of the birthday boy who he assisted for the goal? Well, Ciarán Kilduff will also be patrolling the touchline, only in his case, the former striker will be on the other side of it, calling the shots from the shade of the Dundalk dugout after his appointment two months ago.

But the world in which he will be doing so will be altogether different from the halcyon days under Stephen Kenny when Kilduff was part of back-to-back league title wins in 2015 and 2016 and scored two momentous Europa League goals, the equaliser against AZ Alkmaar a fortnight earlier foreshadowing the winner against Maccabi.

While the Kildare native was guiding Athlone Town towards the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division title and another Cup final last autumn, Dundalk were in crisis.

Indeed last September, one of the country's most storied clubs almost went into oblivion, only to be pulled back from the precipice.

The bottom did fall out of their residency in the Men's Premier Division but the real worry was whether they would still be at the