Dundalk re-sign three-title veterans Chris Shields and Brian Gartland
Dundalk will be helped in their quest to reclaim the Premier Division next season by two three-title veterans in Chris Shields and Brian Gartland after the pair penned two-year deals.
Stephen Kenny's side rallied late to push eventual champions Cork City to the final two weeks but the Rebel Army had too much in the tank after running up an 18-point lead earlier in the season.
And having lost several key players in Ronan Finn, Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle at the end of the last season, manager Stephen Kenny has moved quickly to ensure that exodus isn't repeated.
26-year-old midfielder Shields is the joint longest-serving player at the club, along with John Mountney, and enters his seventh year in Lilywhite having joined ahead of the 2012 season.
Shields is thus a veteran of the club's recent nadir, when they finished 11th in the Premier Division and had to defeat Waterford United in a play-off to retain top-flight status.
The Clondalkin native played youth football with St Francis before joining Bray Wanderers as a 17-year-old in 2008, making more than 100 appearances over four seasons.
In 2012, he moved to Dundalk and was immediately made club captain by his former Ireland under-21 manager Sean McCaffrey.
30-year-old centre-half Gartland joined the club midway through the 2013 season after finishing up with Northern Ireland Premiership side Portadown and has been a mainstay ever since.
The Knocklyon native began his senior career with Bray Wanderers and spent a year with Shelbourne in 2007 before settling with Monaghan United in 2008.
He spent three seasons at Gortakeegan before moving north of the border with Portadown, with whom he spent two-and-a-half seasons before coming to Oriel Park.
