Kierans hopes to revitalise Drogs
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Drogheda United have appointed Darius Kierans as interim manager while the search for Alan Mathews successor begins. Mathews left the squad earlier this week citing player apathy and terrible results as the reason behind his departure.
This has lead to the appointment of Kierans, who will take charge of the squad for what is undoubtedly their biggest game of the season. Amidst the quick step up to first team manager, Kierans has also had to deal with the departure of centre back Brian King who quit the squad citing work commitments.
Speaking to extratime.ie Kierans said that his first training session with the squad was all about putting some confidence back into the side.
“It’s been a difficult week for all the boys and everyone involved in the club, and all I wanted to do is try and get some confidence back in the squad.”
Coming into the team in such a turbulent time Kierans believes that “it’s all about responses.”
“Training last night was very positive and it’s all about getting the confidence back into the players because they have had a very difficult time. They have obviously underachieved and they aren’t playing as well as they can.
"In the early games of the season they were coming up against a lot of top teams and were just being unlucky in the results they were getting.
“I know a lot of the players and I was being honest last night and I told them I think they are playing within themselves. It’s all about work rate and being positive because at the moment we can only look as far as the game on Friday. It’s the biggest game of the season so far."
The loss of Brian King will be a massive blow; the centre back was suspended for the game due to being dismissed in the 6-0 drubbing Drogheda received against Sligo Rovers in what is believed to be the straw that broke the camels back for Alan Mathews.
“We are still in talks with Brian to come to some arrangement but at the moment he can’t fully commit to either his job or the team so for work reasons he last decided to leave the squad.”
So does Kierans feel that in his first and Drogheda’s biggest game of the season his side can get the three points they desperately need?
“There is no doubt that it’s going to be difficult, Bray are in the very same position as ourselves," Kierans began. "They are going to be looking at the game in the exact same way as ourselves.
"Eddie [Gormley] is going to be looking at the game and seeing it as a massive opportunity for his side. But I think if the boys go out and work as hard as they can and put in the performance that they are capable of then we could get a result.”
Kierans feels that he would only consider applying for the full-time Manager role if Drogheda manage to beat Bray.
“At the moment I haven’t thought too much about it. It’s like being a player; you always want to make the step up and up as far as you can go. I’ve been with the club for five years and started with the U-17s and moved on to the A squad and the U-20s and now I’m here but I haven’t had time to think about it really. I guess if we beat Bray it’s something I will consider more.”
This has lead to the appointment of Kierans, who will take charge of the squad for what is undoubtedly their biggest game of the season. Amidst the quick step up to first team manager, Kierans has also had to deal with the departure of centre back Brian King who quit the squad citing work commitments.
Speaking to extratime.ie Kierans said that his first training session with the squad was all about putting some confidence back into the side.
“It’s been a difficult week for all the boys and everyone involved in the club, and all I wanted to do is try and get some confidence back in the squad.”
Coming into the team in such a turbulent time Kierans believes that “it’s all about responses.”
“Training last night was very positive and it’s all about getting the confidence back into the players because they have had a very difficult time. They have obviously underachieved and they aren’t playing as well as they can.
"In the early games of the season they were coming up against a lot of top teams and were just being unlucky in the results they were getting.
“I know a lot of the players and I was being honest last night and I told them I think they are playing within themselves. It’s all about work rate and being positive because at the moment we can only look as far as the game on Friday. It’s the biggest game of the season so far."
The loss of Brian King will be a massive blow; the centre back was suspended for the game due to being dismissed in the 6-0 drubbing Drogheda received against Sligo Rovers in what is believed to be the straw that broke the camels back for Alan Mathews.
“We are still in talks with Brian to come to some arrangement but at the moment he can’t fully commit to either his job or the team so for work reasons he last decided to leave the squad.”
So does Kierans feel that in his first and Drogheda’s biggest game of the season his side can get the three points they desperately need?
“There is no doubt that it’s going to be difficult, Bray are in the very same position as ourselves," Kierans began. "They are going to be looking at the game in the exact same way as ourselves.
"Eddie [Gormley] is going to be looking at the game and seeing it as a massive opportunity for his side. But I think if the boys go out and work as hard as they can and put in the performance that they are capable of then we could get a result.”
Kierans feels that he would only consider applying for the full-time Manager role if Drogheda manage to beat Bray.
“At the moment I haven’t thought too much about it. It’s like being a player; you always want to make the step up and up as far as you can go. I’ve been with the club for five years and started with the U-17s and moved on to the A squad and the U-20s and now I’m here but I haven’t had time to think about it really. I guess if we beat Bray it’s something I will consider more.”
About P.J. Murray
P.J. generally covers Drogheda games at HD Park and can generally be found at any Dublin ground when of a loose end on a Friday night. View Full Profile