Joy and relief for Drogheda's Doherty after 'a very good but tough week'
Luke Heeney celebrates after his side kept their Premier Division status Credit: Al Robinson (ETPhotos)
Drogheda United manager Kevin Doherty collapsed into the Tallaght Stadium dugout after witnessing his side preserve their Premier Division status, capping off an emotional six days that also saw them win the FAI Cup last weekend.
Drogheda won their first FAI Cup in nineteen years and only their second in history last Sunday. However, Doherty wouldn’t allow himself to become too immersed in the celebrations, knowing there was still a crucial job to do against Bray Wanderers on Saturday.
The Dubliner expressed pride in his side’s “professional” performance as a brace from Frantz Pierrot and a strike from James Bolger brought an end to a week filled with both joy and relief.
"It was great, but it was mental. We want to be congratulated for doing a great job, but it was always like, 'Yeah, but…' I'm just so glad we did what we did,” said Doherty.
“A very good end to a very good week. A tough week, though—it was tough. All I wanted to do was watch videos from Sunday. I did, and of course, I looked back on stuff. I saw the celebration and the amount of people sending me videos.
“Whether it was my next-door neighbour, my wife, family—anybody telling me ‘Well done, amazing win’—I was just trying to focus on this. There was a massive consequence to losing this game, for the club, going into the First Division.
“I don’t think we could have looked back on the cup win with any… in 20 years, maybe. But it would always be tainted because we got relegated.
“I’m so happy for the club. Look at the support we had. Imagine bringing that here four or five years ago. Everyone bought into it—you saw owners on the pitch after the game.
“We are so lucky that things are going in the right direction. Hopefully, I’m playing a bit of a part in it.”
On the 12th of July, Dundalk beat Drogheda 4-2 at Oriel Park, leaving the Drogs five points from safety and seemingly staring relegation in the face.
But an autumn resurgence saw Drogheda secure a fifth successive year in the top flight, win the FAI Cup, and book a place in European football for next season, along with an appearance in the President’s Cup at Tolka Park—a fact Doherty admitted he had forgotten about.
“I got an email during the week about playing in the President’s Cup. And it’s in Tolka, which is only five minutes down the road!” he laughed.
“We were dead and buried, according to everyone. On the 12th of July, Dundalk beat us to go five points ahead. To be fair, most people stuck with us. There were a couple who weren’t happy, and we listened to them, but we said, ‘Keep going, keep fighting.’
“We shouldn’t just be relieved that Drogheda stayed in the Premier Division. We’ve done it, and we have the experience of doing it. The rest are throwing mad stuff at it to get success, but we’ve stayed in the league and won the cup.
"If we went down today, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. There would be consequences, but because of how we are run, it wouldn’t have been catastrophic. We won the cup, we’re playing in Europe, and we would have tried to get back up next year. But I’m so glad we don’t have to.”
Doherty plans to relax with a glass of wine and rewatch Saturday’s playoff win over Bray. However, he won’t be going into hibernation this winter, with plenty of contracts to renew and a need to capitalise on Drogheda’s new European standing to attract players to Weavers Park.
“Elicha [Ahui] was let go from Lincoln, went to Dundee, and didn’t kick a ball. Webby, Dennison, Andrew Quinn.
“We’re in Europe and have won the Cup, but I think we’re attractive to players because of what we can do with them. Daire and Tiernan, with me—well-coached, well-organised.
“The one thing the players can do is trust me. I’m honest with them. If I think they’re not doing enough, I’ll tell them. I pulled a couple of lads up yesterday. We will give them everything. We left no stone unturned in this preparation.
“There are plenty of attractive things about the club, but I think what we do for players is what makes us stand out.”
