Former Drog has no room for sentiment
IN these chaotic and worrying times it’s no surprise that as this newspaper went to press yesterday (Monday) there were doubts about whether Drogheda United’s League of Ireland game would be allowed to go ahead this evening.
But one of the few certainties is that whenever this crucial match at Galway United is played there will be a top-class goalkeeper standing in the Boynesiders’ way.
Step forward the familiar name of Micheal Schlingermann, the 29-year-old who was a firm favourite at United Park from 2012 to 2015 during a time when Drogheda won the EA Sports Cup and reached three other finals under the stewardship of Mick Cooke.
The Drogheda Independent caught up with the Kiltimagh native on Sunday shortly after John Caulfield’s side had completed their first group training session in a fortnight, since two of their players tested positive for Covid-19.
That development led to the postponement of the October 9th home game with Drogheda United and it’s the refixture of that clash that was due to go ahead tonight.
‘I suppose there was always a danger that this would happen and unfortunately it did and we have to deal with it and move on,’ Schlingermann responded when asked about what life has been like in the Galway United camp.
‘You have to put your health first, so we followed the protocols and everyone got tested and we’re coming through it together.
‘We weren’t able to train or leave the house for two weeks and individually we took responsibility for keeping ourselves fit.
‘We were back training this morning [Sunday] as a group because the 14 days [period of self-isolation] was up yesterday.
‘It doesn’t really affect our promotion chances and we can’t really use it as an excuse. We were playing before that, we’re all athletes and we’re fit and Drogheda’s last game was the same day as ours.
‘It’s been a mad year for the whole country and we’re glad to be able to get back and still have games to play and hopefully this game goes ahead and we can finish the year strong.’
After facing Drogheda, Galway’s last two matches are against leaders Bray Wanderers and thirdplaced UCD, so they have a considerable amount of work to do just to make the play-offs.
There will be a question mark over whether they can just pick up from where they left off - a stunning 6-2 demolition of Longford Town at Bishopsgate - but since Caulfield took charge Galway have won six of their seven league fixtures, having failed to win any of their eight First Division outings under previous manager Alan Murphy.
‘The ability in the camp was always there, but the results were going against us and we were really unlucky as well,’ insisted Schlingerman, who opted for soccer with Galway this year after a spell back in inter-county football with Mayo.
‘It was little tweaks and a change in mindset. It helps to have a a high-calibre manager like John Caulfield and we’ve started to reach our potential.
‘We’re focusing game by game and taking each game as it comes and at the moment we’re focused on what we can control, putting in a performance against a really good Drogheda team who we will have to treat with respect.
‘They’re in contention for winning the league and that’s where they should be in my opinion.
‘I think based on performances they’ve been really strong all year. Obviously there’s been a couple of blips along the way, but the manager has done a great job and they play a really good brand of football.
‘They have a really nice mix of youth and experience. Derek Prendergast was there when I was there going back eight years, and then there’s the likes of Hugh Douglas who’s a strong, physical player.
‘James Brown and Conor Kane have done really well in the fullback positions and are quite experienced even though they would be considered young players.
‘Mark Hughes was there when I was, I think, and Chris Lyons is a name in the league since as long as I can remember.
‘But with the culture that’s there and the history, maybe that puts extra pressure on them.’
From a Drogheda perspective, the hope is that Schlingermann will face a busy night and have to pick the ball out of his net a couple of times. However, Galway boast the second best defensive record in the division and anyone who saw the save he made from a freak 60-yard shot at a crucial time in the Longford game a couple of weeks ago will know he is well capable of pulling a top-class display out of the bag to deal a potentially fatal blow to Drogheda’s title hopes.
‘I had some of my best years at Drogheda and I will always remember how good they were to me and how good the club was,’ said the former Mayo inter-county keeper, who was named in the PFAI Premier Division Team of the Year back in 2015.
‘But I probably won’t be thinking about that in the lead-up to the game. I’ll be approaching it like I always do and will be doing everything I can to secure a result for Galway.’