Stephen Kenny lifting the League trophy with Vinny Perth As the 2012 season drew to a close Dundalk were in the doldrums, finishing bottom of the table when not including Monaghan United who withdrew from the League and barely hanging on to their spot in the topflight when defeating Waterford United in a play-off over two legs. But in November of that year came a decision that would change the fortunes of the club drastically, as the board appointed Stephen Kenny as their new manager. In his first season he turned the club from relegation strugglers to title contenders, narrowly missing out on the title despite working off a small budget but by October of 2014 he had brought success back to the town.