IT’S NOT VERY often the annual FAI Cup final media days — an opportunity to meet both finalists in the run up to the clash at the Aviva Stadium– are overshadowed by another game, in another competition.

Dundalk’s European adventure over the last few months has seen convention thrown out the window of late.

Just six days before the Lilywhites and Cork City renew their rivalry in the domestic game’s showpiece match, the FAI Cup trophy was the centre of attention for the photographers at Oriel Park yesterday.

For Stephen Kenny, the Dundalk boss who last week was named PFAI Manager of the Year for the fourth time in a row, the focus of his attention — and the only name on his lips — was Zenit St Petersburg.

Less than 72 hours before he will lead Dundalk out at the Lansdowne Road venue looking to complete a ‘double-double’, Kenny’s charges will look to further their chances of qualification to the Europa League last-32 against the Russian giants.

Preparations for Cork will remain on the backburner for now, until Thursday evening anyway.

After giving the players the day off on Sunday, the squad — minus the injured Robbie Benson and Shane Grimes — were back at it yesterday.

“Obviously, the cup final stuff is there — but we just have to get back and focus on Zenit and realise that we have a massive game in three days,” Kenny said.

“We have to get ready for it. We can’t be thinking about anything – the league, the cup, or anything.

“Zenit are a top class team. We can’t even be 1 or 2% not focused on this. We have to be absolutely ready.

“It’s a real challenge going into their backyard. They’re quality opposition. We’ve got to be ready, really ready.

“You have to get out of a certain mindset,” he continued.

“You’re playing in the league and then you’re celebrating the league.

“The cup final is next week and people are looking for tickets for that. We have to make sure we are focused on nothing else, except this.”

Having taken four points from their opening two matches, Dundalk were left disappointed that they were edged out by the Russians in Tallaght two weeks ago.

That night, Ronan Finn and Dane Massey went mightily close to adding to Benson’s opener. They didn’t quite manage it and Mircea Lucescu’s men took advantage late on.

“We’re kicking ourselves,” Kenny said ruefully, “but they’re a fantastic team.

“They won a group with Valencia in it last year to get in to the last-16 of the Champions League.

“I think in that match up to the period where they scored, they had one chance in the match. We had three. We hit the post and Ronan Finn had a great chance.

“But they are a brilliant team, there’s no doubt about that. They are exceptional. Their reserves are internationals, and all for major countries.

“They are a formidable team. Are we going to go over there and dominate possession? No, we’re not. Does the game have to change because we’re away? I don’t see why it does.”

Kenny believes that unlike in domestic competition, Dundalk will have to utilise their counter-attacking capabilities in St Petersburg, in lieu of having the sort of possession they’re used to in league and cup competition.

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The manager believes his side are more than capable of hurting Zenit when the opportunities arise.

“We’re a brilliant counterattacking team.

“There’s nobody better in our group at counterattacking than us.

“We’ve shown it in Alkmaar, we showed it against Maccabi.

“We would ideally like to have more possession than we had in Tallaght, but it’s bloody hard to get a hold of it.

“We still believe we have a chance in this group. Someone said to me was I not better off writing this one off and then focusing on the AZ game. I just couldn’t do that.

“You can’t go into a match admitting defeat to any team. You just can’t do that.

“I won’t entertain that thinking either.”

Ciaran Kilduff has been scoring vital goals. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

That fact that Dundalk are in a position of strength in their pursuit of European progress — and have a day out at the Aviva Stadium to look forward over the next week — is down in no small part to Ciaran Kilduff.

Despite an injury-plagued season, the striker has developed a knack of scoring crucial, memorable, and historic goals for the Louth men.

His strikes in Alkmaar and in Tallaght against Maccabi have accounted for all four of their points in the group.

In the FAI Cup, he’s been even more prolific. His goals against Shelbourne and UCD were added to by strikes in each of the club’s semi-final ties against Derry City last month.

The 28-year-old has played second fiddle to David McMillan for much of the season but his part in the club getting to this point can’t be underplayed.

“They way the game went in Tallaght turned out to be a disappointment. We had a bit of a moral victory there but it’s not worth much,” Kilduff says of Dundalk’s last Euro outing.

“It’s not what we wanted but we did ourselves proud.

“We could have won that game against Zenit — and that’s an amazing sentence to be saying.

“We always make our presence felt and put up a good show against these teams. Hopefully we can do the same again.

“The goals against Maccabi — the winner and on my birthday — and then the goal against AZ, they’ll always be memorable moments for the club but also for me personally. They’re highlights of my career for so far,” he said.

“Hopefully there’s another headline or a story to be made for me or somebody else on Thursday.”

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