By Kevin Regan
It’s an all too familiar theme at this stage where we as a nation grow up supporting an English Soccer Club.
It’s been that way for generations upon generations and it’s not going to change anytime soon because that’s just how it is.
I grew up supporting Manchester United and have been following them ever since, after going over and back to see them at Old Trafford and at Ewood Park against Blackburn at one stage.
Over the past few months Dundalk have been producing performances which are nothing short of sensational.
The Irish minnows have been punching well above their weight and currently lie second in their group in the Europa League.
They actually weren’t far off making the Champions League Group Stages, where they just lost out to a Legia Warsaw side who last night drew 3-3 with none other than European Giants Real Madrid.
In their Europa League campaign to date they have drawn with AZ Alkmaar, defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv and last time out they took the lead against Zenit St Petersburg only to lose out narrowly by 2-1 late on.
On the same night Manchester United played Fenerbache and as passionate as I am about United I elected to watch Dundalk play Zenit instead and have no shame whatsoever in admitting or doing so.
I'm a United fan all my life but I'm watching @DundalkFC tonight and every other Irish soccer fan should do the same #SupportYourOwn
— Kevin Regan (@KevRegan91) October 20, 2016
See the point I make here is that lots of Irish fans love it when England don’t do well at International level, but yet they will shout for the same players week in week out at the expense of a team from their own country who are epitomizing what we pride ourselves on as a footballing nation – The Fighting Irish with a never say die attitude.
Tonight Dundalk are in Russia to face Zenit again and a result here would put them in a serious position to progress to the knockout stages.
The game kicks off at 6pm, which is exactly the same that Manchester United will kick off at in Turkey when they meet Fenerbache again.
With Dundalk on the cusp of making even more history I know what game I will be watching.
The choice at the end of the day is rightly down to the individual but anyone that calls themselves a true Die Hard Irish Soccer fan should get behind the Lilywhites as they continue to elevate League Of Ireland Soccer.
