Drogs will fight to the bitter end

A DEFIANT John Gill has insisted that Drogheda United haven’t conceded defeat in their forlorn attempts to stave off relegation, as they prepare to host champions elect Cork City at United Park on Friday (7.45pm).

In what was as close to a genuine six-pointer as you can get, the Boynesiders fell eight adrift of safety with last week’s narrow defeat to St Pat’s, when a victory would have left them one win away from jumping out of the bottom three.

Given their vastly inferior goal difference, they now effectively have nine points to make up, and having not won in their last 14 games it’s surely a matter of when - not if - they are officially consigned to Division 1.

Gill was putting a brave face on things on Sunday afternoon, however, and he refused to accept that the Boynesiders’ fate has already been decided.

‘It looks a daunting task, but there’s nine games to go and we’d be doing the club a disservice if we gave up, so we’ll keep going until it’s mathematically impossible,’ he began.

‘Last Friday was a big improvement on the week before. There was a bit more heart and drive and anyone who was there could see that the players were playing for the jersey and for the manager.

‘In the second half we were by far the better team and deserved to get something at the end. The desire we showed was more like ourselves, but what we lack is quality. We know that. Scoring goals has been our Achilles’ heel all season and we’ve conceded too many as well.

‘We actually have the most clean sheets of the bottom seven teams, but in other games we have let ourselves down.’

Looking ahead to the visit of the Leesiders, who were also in action at home to Bohemians last night (Monday), Gill continued: ‘It’s probably not the best time to be playing them, the way they are going, but then maybe it’s not a bad time, with Sean Maguire and Kevin O’Connor gone. They’ve won 21 and draw one of their 22 games [before last night], but somebody has to beat them sometime.

‘It won’t be as easy for them as it was down there, and the first game against us hinged on a sending-off.

‘With the effort we put in against Pats, we’ll give them a game, and after that who knows what could happen.’

Gill claimed the atmosphere at training on Sunday morning was ‘very good’ and pointed out that there was still plenty of football to be played this season, with an FAI Cup first-round tie away to non-league Evergreen looming next week.

‘We got a great response at training and the last three weeks has actually been more enjoyable. There was a period where it was not a great place,’ he conceded.

‘Part of the problem was that even after we had a good start to the season, we knew we were going to have peaks and troughs - we went on record at the time as saying that - and it was going to be a scrap, but I don’t know if other people realised that.

‘It’s been an up and down season and it hasn’t been good. We’ve had a few problems which have been well documented, and it was always going to be a big task even with one team going down and one in a play-off.

‘We could have done what Bray Wanderers did and spent money we didn’t have at the start of the year, but we won’t do that.’

In team news, Richie Purdy will be available after missing the last 10 games, but Colm Deasy (ankle ligaments) is the latest injury blow, Stephen Elliott (dislocated toe) is likely to miss out again and Gavin Brennan, Kevin Farragher and Ryan Masterson remain sidelined.

•Drogheda United Under-19s host neighbours Dundalk tomorrow night (Wednesday) at United Park in the Enda McGuill Cup quarter-finals, with the winners to face Bohemians or Cobh Ramblers in the semis. Kick-off is at 7.30pm.

It looks a daunting task, but there’s nine games to go and we’d be doing the club a disservice if we gave up