Adam Foley: ‘I’ve had that underdog tag for many years so it is nothing new to me’

Andrew Dempsey reports from the Aviva Stadium

Adam Foley has been an underdog for most of his time playing in the League of Ireland – but it is something that he relishes.

Foley, 33, joined the Boynesiders from Finn Harps at the end of the 2021 campaign and has played a key role under Kevin Doherty at Weavers Park since then.

And following Monday night’s shock win over St Patrick’s Athletic, Foley is set to extend his Premier Division stay by another year if Drogheda United secure their top-flight safety in the coming weeks.

But Monday’s game against the Saints was an unexpected win given the form of Jon Daly’s men and Drogheda United’s supposed struggles in previous midweek games.

“Someone mentioned it to me that night and I didn't even didn't even think about it,” Foley said when speaking to extratime.com at the EA SPORTS FC 24 SSE Airtricity League Cover Launch.

“I saw it online then and we had people ranting and raving about just taking points on a Monday but I couldn’t remember the last Monday game we had. But it was great to keep the run going.

“Before the FAI Cup game against Bohs we won three in a row against Cork, UCD and Kerry.

“We didn't bring it into the Bohs cup game but we gave a good account of ourselves to get a point off them and then to beat Pat's. It was a good weekend for us.”

That win means Drogheda have now won away against each of the top three in league this season – which is a feat in itself for Doherty’s men.

“We've put it up to the best teams in the league,” the Balbriggan man said. “It's not like it's a one-off result or a fluke. I think people seem to talk more about the opposition team than about us.

“That suits us down to the ground. We just turn up, do our jobs and always hope for the best. But we know what the quality that we do have in the dressing room. When we turn up we know we can give any team a game.”

On being underdogs, Foley added: “It's great. For the match on Monday in particular, all the talk in the media was that if Pat’s win they go within three points of Shamrock Rovers.

“They didn't even mention us so we were rubbing our hands. We wanted to catch them and that's exactly what we've done. I’ve had that tag for many years so it’s nothing new to me.”

And that victory means that Drogheda could secure their top-flight safety as early as Friday night when they take on local rivals Dundalk at Oriel Park.

They could even move to within four points of the Lilywhites with a win.

“It's a great chance for us to just get that point – but it’s not that we’re going there to play for the point,” he added. “We’re going there to win but it would be great to get it done.

“We know what they're like and they know us so we’re very familiar with what both teams can do. I just look forward to it and hopefully we will get the job done.”

And if they manage to do so, it would cap a fantastic season for a side who were tipped to battle with UCD at the foot of the table from the start of the season.

“We're always tipped to go down and we keep proving them wrong every time,” Foley admitted. “It's a great credit to the staff and the players because there's a lot of work that goes on there and we work hard at what we do.

“We know what we're good at and not so good at so we try to nullify that as much as we can. But we play to our strengths and thankfully it's paid off.

“We've had some great nights this season and I hope we can go and finish it off now on Friday with another great night.”

Join the Club as EA SPORTS FC welcomes the League of Ireland to FC 24! Featuring the individual club crest of all 10 SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division teams, these exclusive sleeves will be available to download free from https://www.ea.com/FC24 when the game launches worldwide this Friday, September 29th!

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— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) September 29, 2023