‘It’s easy to let occasion get better of me, but I’ve got to stay calm and composed.’
TENURE teenager Thomas Byrne is hoping to get his first real taste of a Louth derby on Friday night after being left to kick his heels on the bench at Oriel Park back in March.
Two bookings in previous games perhaps planted a seed of doubt in Pete Mahon’s mind over whether Byrne could handle a high-tempo game in a relatively hostile atmosphere, and after seeing action in each of Drogheda’s first six games he had to watch the 3-1 defeat from the sidelines.
However, the 18-year-old hasn’t come to referees’ attention since the Derry match in Buncrana on March 18th and Byrne insists he’s a changed man and ready to cope with the highly charged atmosphere of a game against Dundalk.
‘He [Pete Mahon] thought it was the right thing for that game and I wasn’t involved. It was disappointing that I didn’t get on, but you have to deal with that kind of thing,’ Byrne began.
‘If I’m starting then I will defnitely take my chance, for sure, but I definitely hope to be getting on and I’m glad that my first derby is in United Park in front of our fans.’
Asked about discipline - Drogheda v Dundalk games have traditionally led to a higher than average number of sendings-off - Byrne countered: ‘ We definitely have to keep a lid on it, but we’ll be going into every tackle whole-heartedly, as I will.
‘I am working on my discipline and I’ll have to make sure I don’t go over the top. There’s a lot of things to improve on, but that’s my main thing. I got a couple of yellow cards in my first few games, but I’ve definitely improved and hopefully that continues.
‘Pete has been in the game long enough and he is very helpful with the young lads and would talk you through how you deal with this or that situation.
‘It’s easy to let the occasion get the better of me, but I’ve got to stay calm and composed.’
A red card proved costly in the game at Oriel Park as Ciaran McGuigan was dismissed 17 minutes from time, with Drogheda trailing only 2-1, and they then conceded a third goal immediately to secure the points for Dundalk.
However, Byrne took comfort from Drogheda’s performance on that occasion and feels they can put an end to their five-match run without scoring a goal.
‘Dundalk are going to be really tough because they are still a very good side. We are 100% expecting a tough game and we know we’ll need to perform, but we believe we can get the three points and get up the table.
‘We went 2-0 down [in Oriel Park] and needed to get back into it, and we did. It showed a lot of character to do that and hold them at 2-1 for that long. In the end it was a rush of blood from Ciaran [McGuigan, red card] and they got their third goal from the free kick.
‘The [goal] threat is there, but things just haven’t been falling for us and we need to be more clinical. Griff [Marc Griffin] has had a few chances, but they will go in for him eventually. We just need a bit of luck and them boys [strikers] will be firing on all cylinders. It’s all about confidence and one bit of luck can change things.
‘No better time to get my first goal. It would be brilliant to get on the end of something and score.’