Doherty expecting tough tests in basement duels
IT’S much too early to be talking about six-pointers and relegation duels, but two wins from Drogheda United’s upcoming games at home to St Patrick’s Athletic and away to Dundalk would certainly put a much healthier complexion on the league table from their perspective.
Drogs boss Kevin Doherty insists he’s happy with his team’s performances to date, while agreeing that they have to become more prolific in front of goal.
However, he is expecting nothing easy either from St Patrick’s Athletic - who visit Weavers Park on Friday (kick-off 7:45pm) or Dundalk who Drogheda face in
Oriel Park on Easter Monday at the novel time of 1pm.
“It’s probably very early in the season to be talking about tables, but we should have beaten Sligo in our last game and if we’d got what we deserved we’d be sitting fourth with a game in hand,” said Doherty, speaking on Tuesday.
“We know what cost us in Sligo, but we’ve been working on it (finishing) and hopefully that will come into play on Friday.
“Six points out of any two games would be good, but we’re really only thinking about Friday at the moment.
“Pats are a really good side. I know they’ve lost a couple of games, but I was at their game against Shelbourne and there was nothing in it.
“They have massive strength in depth and they’ve been away (in America playing MLS side Minnesota United) last week, and that can be good when you get players together for a few days.
“I do think they’re going to be there or thereabouts towards the end of the season, so we know it’s going to be really difficult.
“And if you want to look at the Dundalk game they got a clean sheet in their last match and they’ve gone to Tallaght and picked up a point as well.
“We’re under no illusions about anybody struggling at this stage of the season, and it will be massively difficult for us going up there on Monday. But we’re confident going into every game. We’re a match for anyone and we’ve already shown that this year.”
It was suggested to Doherty that there is intense scrutiny surrounding St Pat’s manager Jon Daly and his Dundalk counterpart Stephen O’Donnell, with the pair both in desperate need of improved results to avoid the possibility of losing their jobs, but the Drogheda boss wasn’t about to enter that discussion.
“That’s the world we live in. You lose a game and you’re under pressure, you win a game and you’re the best in the world.
“But it’s absolutely nothing to do with me. I only worry about us, and saying that I’m not worried about us because I know we’re in a good place.
“Of course we’d like to have more points, but I’m happy with where we are going and how and we are developing. It might seem silly to say it because we lost our last league game 3-1, but I do think we’re getting better in every game, and we will get better and better, the more games we play.”
Doherty expects to have a full squad to pick from for the visit of St Pat’s, with the possible exception of Matthew O’Brien.
Frantz Pierrot made his first senior appearance for his native Haiti as a second-half sub in their 1-1 draw against French Guiana at the weekend, while Killian Cailloce did likewise for Republic of Ireland U19s in a 1-0 defeat to Slovakia.