Drogs boss looking for cup bounce on seaside
PETE Mahon wasn’t getting carried away by Drogheda United’s first competitive victory in 15 matches but feels it could be a confidence booster ahead of Friday’s trip to Bray Wanderers (7.45pm).
The Boynesiders came through a tricky-looking assignment away to non-league Evergreen with a handsome 4-0 victory on Sunday afternoon and now turn their attention back to the league where they are nine points from safety with just eight games remaining.
They take on a Bray side who have been in turmoil themselves in recent weeks and who have lost five and drawn one of their last six games, although three of those matches were against Cork City (2) and Dundalk.
Although the table makes grim reading for the Boynesiders, Mahon hasn’t conceded defeat in Drogheda’s relegation battle and three points on Friday would certainly give the other sides in the scrap a bit of the jitters.
‘Things aren’t looking great, but you never concede anything until it’s mathematically certain and I’m not throwing in the towel,’ he responded when asked about the league standings on Sunday evening.
‘People have perceptions about the way things are going and I heard people saying a few weeks ago that players were not playing for the manager, and people are entitled to their opinion, but I had nobody coming up to me in the dressing-room saying they didn’t want to play for me.
‘I will be judged at the end of the season, not now, and we will see what happens. We are looking forward to the game against Bray and we’re looking for a favourable draw in the cup on Monday night. At least we’re in the draw.
‘You can’t read too much into the result because you must remember that Evergreen are in pre-season, but it was a good, professional performance and keeping a clean sheet was important too.’
Mahon was full of praise for 39-year-old debutant Dave Mulcahy who was named captain on the day, with Sean Brennan injured and Luke Gallagher on the bench.
‘Dave was a major plus for us,’ the manager enthused.
‘I’ve been getting stick from the moment we signed him, but I know what he brings. We have been missing a leader in the team and he is a man playing along with a lot of young players - boys really.
‘I am hoping that he stays fit and we keep him going for the rest of the season because we are back to the real stuff against Bray now. The Cup is great, but it’s for the supporters really and so we will enjoy the win and move on. The big thing for the manager and staff is the league.
‘I would be hoping we do get a confidence boost [from the Cup win], but football is so unpredictable and you never know.
‘We are in the Premier Division though and there are very few players who get to play in it - there’s only 12 teams in this league.
‘They are in a privileged position, playing in the best league in the country, whether you like it or not, and we have to try and make sure that we’re still in it next year.’
In team news, Thomas Byrne looks set to return after serving a one-match suspension against Evergreen, but Colm Deasy, Kevin Farragher, Sean Brennan, Gavin Brennan and Stephen Elliott all miss out through injury once more and Jamie Hollywood and Eoghan Dempsey are away in Taiwan with the Irish Universities squad.
As for Bray Wanderers, their starting line-up could be very familiar as they featured five former Drogheda players in their starting line-up for last week’s 1-0 FAI Cup defeat at the hands of Cork City, including the youngest of the Brennan brothers, Ryan.