Carroll trying to put a dent in Drogs promotion hopes
JAMES Carroll used to play for Drogheda United and still lives and works in the town - but this Friday he’ll be doing his best to deal their promotion hopes a massive blow in the colours of Wexford.
The 20-year-old has been almost an ever present for Brian O’Sullivan’s side in this, his first season of senior football, and he’s looking forward to be being back on home territory - not least because it means there’s not a day’s travelling involved!
But how did a Drogheda lad end up playing for Wexford?
‘I finished up with Dundalk last season and coach John Gill, who I knew from when he was with Drogheda, was the reason I ended up with Wexford,’ Carroll explained.
‘He knew Brian O’Sullivan, who was the Wexford manager, and got in contact with him and said it would be a good place to go.
‘I’m still living in Drogheda and working in Gleesons, so I train down there in Wexford once a week on a Wednesday, and then I train locally with Drogheda Town on Mondays and Boyne Harps on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so they’ve been very helpful to me.
‘It will be a lot less travel playing a match in United Park, that’s for sure!
‘There was a plan that a few people from the family would come down and see it and a few of my mates who are big Drogheda United fans, but I don’t think that will be possible now [because of Covid restrictions].’
Carroll played for both Drogheda United Under-19s and the equivalent Dundalk team over several seasons, as well as making a handful of firstteam appearances in pre-season games, but never managed to make the big breakthrough with either club despite winning schools international caps.
The former St Oliver’s Community College student is the son of former Drogs defender John Carroll who played for the club throughout the 1990s and went on to manage the reserves before being appointed Paul Doolin’s assistant in 2006 during the Drogs’ trophy-laden era.
James would love to see his home-town team back competing at the top level, but on Friday the number one priority for the centre-half is trying to help engineer a result for Wexford, who have lost 11 of their last 12 matches and are desperate to avoid the ignominy of finishing bottom of the pile.
Given their recent history, it’s hard to imagine that Wexford - under their old name Wexford Youths - were themselves a Premier
Division club in 2016 and famously defeated Shamrock Rovers 2-0 in a league match at Ferrycarrig Park that year. They were eventually relegated, of course, when Drogheda United beat them in a dramatic two-leg play-off.
‘Conor English, who came to us this year, was with Wexford in the Premier Division and he’s told us all about it, but that’s the League of Ireland for you. Clubs rise and fall,’ said Carroll.
‘I’m looking out for Drogheda’s results every week and it’s a very tight league that will go down to the wire.
‘The last couple of Drogheda games are going to be crucial for them, and if we got a result against them they mightn’t get promoted, but that’s football.
‘It would be great for the club and the town if they got up - they’ve been crying out for it to happen - and the Premier Division is where the club belongs, although it’s a massive step up to be playing against the full-time clubs.’
One thing is for certain - Wexford won’t just roll over against Drogheda on Friday and if the Boynesiders needed any reminder of what they’re capable of, well, Carroll’s team put five past Cabinteely on their own patch recently and have also taken points off UCD and Galway United this season.
‘We have players who have played in the league before like Dan Tobin and Conor Crowley, but we’re a young team and there’s a lot of us who have come straight from Under-19 football.
‘At the start of the season we were ambitious and we’re all young lads who have passion and desire to make headway in our own careers, like every footballer, and we have pride when we go out and play for Wexford.
‘We go out for every game with confidence that we can get a result, like we did against Cabinteely. Once the morale in the squad stays high and you’re getting rewards [in terms of results] then it makes things easier.’
As for next season, Carroll genuinely has no idea of where he’ll end up.
‘It would be a great experience to be able to play for my home-town club [again], but you just don’t know what’s going to happen.
‘Coming to the end of last season [at Dundalk] I would never have thought I’d end up playing for Wexford.
‘The travelling is difficult, but that’s the way the league is.
‘Results-wise things haven’t gone our way, but it’s my first year playing senior football and it’s been a very good experience.’