‘It went down like a lead balloon’ – Jon Daly on missing family holiday to join Dundalk

It came at a personal cost though. With free time suddenly available after his Pats sacking, Daly went ahead and booked a family holiday but when his wife and kids fly out to Turkey on Thursday of this week for some sun, he will be hard at work, preparing his Dundalk side for a test against Derry City.

“It went down like a lead balloon,” he says with a smile when asked how he broke the news to his family, who are still based in Scotland, that he was back in work but his holiday off the agenda.

“I’m obviously not going. They are going, I made them go, they weren’t going to go but it’s important to have that and we managed to convince Linda’s sister to go with them and her kids.

“So it’ll be nice for them to have that time with their cousins and I will get away at the end of the season… hopefully.”

Today’s Sports News in 90 Seconds – 27th May

Dubliner Daly had been accustomed to the life of being a dad remotely as his family remained in Scotland – where he had the bulk of his playing and coaching career – while he was in Dublin, first as assistant at St Pat’s, then Saints manager and now his gig as Dundalk boss.

“When you leave a club, the little silver lining for me was I was going back to my family. I’ve lived away from them for the last three and a half years. It was nice to go home and see them, the excitement of me coming home and being there with them,” he said.

“That was probably the thing for me. I was disappointed to leave St Pat’s, nobody wants to lose their job, but my silver lining was ‘right, I’m going home to my family, I’m going to spend time with my kids, I’ve missed a lot of them growing up’.

“So I spent a lot of time with them, picking the kids up from school, dropping them to school, bringing them to training, a lot of the stuff that other parents get to a daily, weekly basis and then obviously this opportunity comes up.

“It’s something we need to manage but I am fortunate to have a very understanding wife and my kids are very resilient and resolute, they love football so they love sitting and watching the games on a Friday night.

“They were huge St Pat’s fans and now they are Dundalk fans, I’ll need to get them the jerseys and all the Pat’s stuff will go in the bin.

“That’s the life of a football player and manager and coach, the family supports where you are and I am lucky that my family are supportive.”

Daly was only appointed as Noel King’s successor, when veteran King stepped down due to health reasons after just a month in charge, before last week’s game away to Galway United and while he had planned to take a watching brief and let the incumbent staff take the game, he was in the dugout for a 2-0 loss.

He’s since had a few days to work with the squad but time’s not on his side and neither is the fixture list as Dundalk’s run of games pits then against Derry City, his former club St Pat’s and Shelbourne.

“We were in yesterday (Sunday). We did a little bit yesterday and this is the first proper day’s training. It’s been really enjoyable,” Daly said.

“I know it’s only been a couple of weeks but you forget how strenuous it is taking a training session and how much energy you put into it. When I came in at the end there I was needing a little seat afterwards.

“I’m really pleased to be here, delighted to get the opportunity first and foremost to come in. I’m disappointed for Noel in the sense that he’s had to step down due to health reasons.

“That’s quite sad and I hope he’s OK but it’s given me an opportunity to come in and try to help the club, get some points on the board and start climbing the table.”