O'Donnell on Hoban departure: 'Pat felt that it was the end of the line for him at Dundalk'

Dundalk manager Stephen O'Donnell has stated that Pat Hoban's departure from the club was "best for both parties" after the striker felt his days at Oriel Park were numbered.

32-year-old Hoban - one of the country’s most prolific strikers for well over a decade - put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Ruaidhrí Higgins' Derry City on Wednesday.

O'Donnell today noted an "amicable and constructive" meeting he had with Galway native Hoban back in October, that eventually resulted in the club's record goalscorer feeling that it was "the end of the line for him at Dundalk".

"We had a sit down in person for a coffee before the game with Bohemians in October and had a chat about many different things,” O'Donnell said. 

“There was a lot of uncertainty at the time (ownership), and we talked about where the club was at, and where we felt the club was going.

O'Donnell, suggesting that he and his chief striker had interpreted the chat differently in the days after, felt it best that both parties "start afresh".

“I felt it was an amicable and constructive meeting but from media reports in the days that followed, Pat came out of it and felt that it was the end of the line for him at Dundalk.

“Once a player has that in their head, it was best for both parties to start afresh and find an agreement that was fair for both.

“The prerequisite for a team trying to achieve goals and win trophies is for everyone to have an all-for-one, one for all mentality and to be striving towards the same goal."

O'Donnell added: “Pat has been an unbelievable servant to Dundalk and he is the club’s record goalscorer. The numbers are there to show the contribution he made to the club and nobody will ever take that away from him and everyone here wishes him