Shock win will boost promotion prospects
DROGS skipper Jake Hyland is hoping Friday’s headline-grabbing victory will spur the team on and help them secure a place in the promotion play-offs.
It’s back to the bread and butter of the league this week and a difficult assignment away to Cabinteely, but Hyland feels that armed with the confidence from beating a top Premier side will do wonders after a mixed run of form in previous weeks.
‘It’s good momentum beating Shamrock Rovers and we’re all over the moon, but our attention will turn to Cabinteely now,’ he said in the aftermath of last Friday’s victory.
‘We’ll have to match that performance tonight and go out and hopefully get the three points, because at the end of the day the league is the most important thing for us.
‘Our attitude and application was unbelievable and I think from training on Monday Tim will be right at us and we’ll be 100% up for it to go out and win that game against Cabinteely.
‘Beating Rovers might give us the lift we need. It’s the first time we’ve seen the crowd packed, which is brilliant. I know a lot of them were Rovers fans, but there were a lot more Drogheda on the far side as well and we’ll need that for the last four games and hopefully the play-offs.’
Hyland acknowledged that even with the extra man Drogheda had to give every ounce of energy to see them over the line.
‘I’m absolutely knackered, but it was well worth it,’ he smiled. ‘It was such a good night and a great atmosphere. The extra crowd spurred us on a bit and we needed it. They’re a full-time team and a lot of us came from work today to play against these and I think we fully deserved it.
‘You’re always going to be nervous when you’re 1-0 up. It’s never enough in a football match and we said that at half-time, but as you saw watching the match we were going for the second goal. We hit the post and had a couple of chances and the keeper made some good saves.’
Now it’s a case of ‘bring it on’ in the next round.
‘We’d take anyone,’ Hyland said. ‘I wouldn’t be singling any team out. We’ve beaten Rovers, who would have been one of the favourites, so it would be good if we got a home draw, maybe against another Premier team.’