Clancy is anticipating a stern ‘Cab’ interrogation
CABINTEELY’S visit to United Park on Friday night is the priority for Tim Clancy and his Drogheda squad this week despite another home fixture tonight (Tuesday) against Bluebell United in the Leinster Senior Cup quarter-finals.
While the Drogs are just two games away from competing for silverware in the provincial decider, the manager admits he has little interest in the competition and is using it to give game time to fringe players and blood some of the club’s Under-19s.
For the record, Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and Wexford are already through to the last four and once again there will be extra time and penalties if required, as happened when the Drogs eventually put Bangor Celtic out in the previous round.
However, it will be no surprise if Clancy (pictured below) fields an entirely different starting XI from the one that won impressively in Galway last Friday, for a number of reasons - chief among them the danger of picking up injuries to key players in what is a small squad.
Speaking on Monday afternoon, the Trim native said: ‘It will be similar to the Shelbourne game in the League Cup where we give a few of the lads on the fringes some game time and give some Under-19s a chance to see how they step up.
‘Bluebell are the best junior team in the country, so it will be a tough test for them, but the Leinster Cup is not that important. It’s a massive week for us in the league, with games on Friday, next Monday and then Friday again, and we had a tough game in Galway last Friday night as well.
‘Lee Duffy is suspended for the Cabinteely game and a couple of others are one booking off being suspended as well, so that makes it more important the lads who are short on game time get a few minutess [against Bluebell] and it’s actually came a good time for that game to be on.
‘I don’t know who is available yet, but it’s highly unlikely that their confidence will be sky-high following their shock 2-0 home victory over leaders UCD last week and Drogheda know only too well the threat that they pose.
‘They are good,’ Clancy responded. ‘They beat us at home and UCD and Shelbourne at home as well, and I was at their game against Galway and they should have beaten them too.
‘So we know it’s going to be a difficult game and we won’t take them lightly. We saw last time when we dropped short of our standards and made the wrong decisions, what happened against Cabinteely in Stradbrook.
It’s an absolutely massive game in regards to ourselves, but we’re unbeaten at home and that’s something we want to keep going. Beating Galway down there was a huge win for us and probably gives the players a bit of confidence, knowing they can beat teams on their own ground.
‘If we can pick up another couple of wins in the next week then it will put in a very strong position to get into the play-offs.’
The Bluebell and Cabinteely games both have a 7.45pm kick-off, and then Drogheda play their refixed league game away to Shelbourne on bank holiday Monday at 5pm in Tolka Park.
Clancy once again was unhappy with the performance of the match officials down in Galway, after Chris Lyons was forced into a change of socks during the second half, leaving Drogheda Drogh down to 10 players for some five minutes.
‘Chris had his socks cut and was wearing a pair of white ones underneath which were showing, show so the referee was only‘ only enforcing the rules.
‘My problem was that Danny Furlong had the same sa situation and they did nothing about it. It’s the inc‘ inconsistency again.
‘And then after the game when whe you try to talk to them about abou it, they just ignore you and walk away.
‘It was quite a worrying five minutes for us because it’s hard enough playing Galway with 11 players.’
It’s a massive week for us in the league, with games on Friday, next Monday and then Friday again, and we had a tough game in Galway last Friday night as well