Youth policy good news
THE financial constraints Drogheda United operate under mean that some of the club’s Under-19s will be needed to make up the numbers - and that’s good news for local schools international player James Carroll.
The 17-year-old defender has already featured in some of the first team’s pre-season games and he’s relishing the opportunity to train with the squad and keep himself in good shape should he get the call from manager Tim Clancy.
‘It’s very good to be here representing Drogheda, my home-town club,’ he agreed.
‘A couple of other clubs were interested [Athlone and Dundalk], but I decided that Drogheda was the best place for me.
‘I was in and out of training with the first team last season, but this year I’ve committed to training all year with them and that was a big part of why I wanted to be here.
‘I’m delighted that there’s a youth policy here. It’s a young squad I happen to be part of and there’s a good mix of older lads as well and it’s great to be training with them every day.
‘My ambition for this year is just to be a part of it. I’m still young and I just want to get experience off the older lads.’
The modest St Oliver’s Community College pupil is the son of former Drogheda United defender John Carroll, who signed for then manager Pat Devlin in 1992 and played for the club for nine seasons. After retiring from playing he managed Drogheda’s reserves and was appointed as Paul Doolin’s assistant in 2006, helping mastermind his home town club’s title triumph the following year.
Young James agreed that his father’s history with the club was another factor in opting to stay at United Park.
‘There’s some good characters here like Sean Brennan