John Mountney (born 22 February 1993) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, for League of Ireland Premier Division club Dundalk. Club career Early career Having grown up in Bohola, County Mayo, Mountney began playing with Kiltimagh/Knock United and Ballina Town, during which time he was capped at U16 and U18 level. While at Ballina, he was selected in Sean McCaffrey's final international squad in August 2010, as he was chosen for the Jezek International Tournament in Czech Republic. There, Mountney came on for the second half of a 2-0 defeat by the host nation, before he played the full game against Ukraine where the Irish fell to a 3-0 loss. Earlier that month, he scored an injury-time winner for Ballina against Westport United which was crucial in ensuring the Super League title. His performances in the latter part of the campaign earned him a place on the Team of the Year. After being watched by Charlton Athletic and Burnley, Mountney joined Mervue United ahead of the 2011 League of Ireland First Division. He made his league debut when coming on as a second-half substitute against Athlone Town at the Athlone Town Stadium on 22 April 2011. Just six days after making his league debut, Mountney played for the Irish Schools U18s against England in the Centenary Shield and scored with a long-range strike that made the game 2-2. In total, Mountney made 20 league appearances for Mervue United, including 17 starts, as the Galway club enjoyed their best season since entering the league in 2009, with a seventh-placed finish. It was these performances which attracted the attention of managers in the Premier Division and he joined Dundalk in January 2012. Dundalk Mountney made his Dundalk debut in a scoreless draw against Monaghan United at Gortakeegan on 2 March 2012. In the FAI Cup on 25 May 2012, the midfielder scored his first club goal with the decisive strike in a 1-0 win over St Patrick's CY at Oriel Park. Despite the overall poor performance of the team during the 2012 season, Mountney was one of the better players and earned a contract with Stephen Kenny for the 2013 season. He scored his first league goal for the club at the 30th attempt with the third in a 3-1 win away to Shelbourne on 15 March 2013. His 50th competitive appearance came in the 1-0 win over