Dundalk goalkeeper Nathan Shepperd says it was "a no-brainer" to stay at Oriel Park for 2023 as he eyes a title tilt and a crack at Europe.
The 22-year-old Welshman was a big success for Stephen O'Donnell last season having come to Ireland from Brentford 'B'.
O'Donnell's gamble on youth paid off emphatically, with Shepperd maturing into one of the best stoppers in the division.
He's in the running to be named the Goalkeeper of the Year at Saturday's SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland awards having made the short list alongside Shamrock Rovers veteran Alan Mannus and Brian Maher of Derry City.
And after the Lilywhites finished third in 2022, 13 points behind champions Rovers having lost only one game more than the Hoops, Shepperd is targeting some more forward strides.
"It was my first proper experience [of men's football]... playing in front of fans for three points."
"I wanted to come back and play in Europe," he said. "It was a no-brainer for me. I didn't want to leave at all.
"We need to back up what we did last year. We had a spell where it wasn't great for a few weeks but over the course of the season, we did well and we want to do that again and be more consistent so if we have a spell where we lose a couple of games, if we're more consistent and winning those games I'm sure we'll be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.
"I came here with the goal of playing. It was my first proper experience [of men's football]... playing in front of fans for three points.
"It's the same again [this year]. I want to play games in the league and the cup, and hopefully we'll do well in both competitions. We'll be playing in Europe as well which will be a great experience for myself. I haven't played in Europe before so I'm
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