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| Full name | Drogheda United Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Drogs or The Boynesiders | ||
| Founded | 1975 | ||
| Ground | United Park, Drogheda, County Louth (Capacity: 5,400) |
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| Chairman | Jim McArdle | ||
| Manager | Alan Mathews | ||
| League | LOI Premier Division | ||
| 2008 | 8th | ||
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Drogheda United F.C. (Irish: Cumann Peile Dhroichead Átha Aontaithe) is a professional Irish football club currently playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club hails from Drogheda, Ireland and, since 1979, play their home matches at United Park. The current manager is Alan Mathews.
The current club is the amalgamation of two former Drogheda area clubs, Drogheda United founded in 1919 and Drogheda F.C. founded in 1962. The clubs merged their operations to form the current club in 1975 and have achieved huge success since 2005 by winning two Setanta Sports Cups and an FAI Cup. The highlight came, though when they claimed their first ever League of Ireland title on 19 October 2007, beating Cork City at home 2-1.
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History
Founded in 1919 the original Drogheda United were a non-league club for all of their early years of existence but in 1963 another Drogheda Club - Drogheda F.C. (founded in 1962) were elected to the League of Ireland when the league was expanded to include twelve teams rather than ten. In their first season there they finished tenth and also in each of the next three seasons finished in the bottom three. In the 1967-68 season they achieved a respectable fifth place finish and the following season finished in sixth place. When the league expanded to include fourteen teams the club dropped down the table again finishing in the bottom five in each of the next six seasons and also recording their heaviest league defeat 8-1 to Cork Hibernians in the 1970-71 season. They did, however, get to FAI Cup Final that season where they were beaten 3-0 by Limerick.
In 1975 Drogheda F.C. amalgamated with Drogheda United to form Drogheda United F.C. and the 1975-76 season saw an improvement in fortunes on the field as they finished sixth in the league and they also reached the FAI Cup Final for the second time, this time losing 1-0 to Bohemians. For the next three seasons, quite the opposite at what had happened before, they finished in third place. During these seasons Drogheda United also achieved two club records - their biggest league victory (7-1 v Finn Harps) and Cathal Muckian scoring 21 league goals in a season. The club then endured another tough spell in the league finishing in the bottom half for the next five seasons bar the 1982-83 season when they managed to achieve their highest ever league placing of second place finishing sixteen points behind Athlone Town. They did win their first ever trophy during these seasons also, the League of Ireland Cup in the 1983-84 season.
The 1984-85 season saw the introduction of the League of Ireland First Division to begin the following season with Drogheda United among the four clubs who were relegated from the Premier Division but in this season also Drogheda United entered European Competition for the first time where they were destroyed against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Cup First Round 14-0 on aggregate. They remained in the First Division until the 1988-89 season when they went up as First Division Champions. Their joy was short-lived, however, as the following season they were relegated although this time they achieved promotion at the first time of asking. In the next two seasons Drogheda battled bravely against relegation surviving by one point and on goal difference in the respective seasons. However, they were relegated for the third time in the 1993-94 season.
Drogheda United were very much becoming a yo-yo club, swapping divisions every season between the 1993-94 and 2000-01 seasons when in 2000-01 they finished a disappointing ninth in the ten-team First Division.
Professional era
The 2002/03 season they did achieve promotion back to the Premier Division and became professional. The change to full-time has seen the club's fortunes drastically improve. They won their first FAI Cup in 2005 and won back-to-back Setanta Cups in 2006 and 2007. They also qualified for the UEFA Cup for the 2006-2007 season thanks to their 2005 FAI Cup success. They fared better this time than in their first foray into Europe as they defeated HJK Helsinki 4-2 on aggregate in the First Qualifying Round and were just eliminated on penalties in the next round against I.K. Start of Norway. They were also in the UEFA Cup Qualifying stages for the 2007-2008 campaign, losing to Helsingborgs IF in the second round. United made up of players mainly from Dublin finally won the League Of Ireland for the first time in 2007, meaning they would finally be playing in the Champions League Qualifiers for the first time in their history in the 2008-09 season. They succeeded in their first qualifier against FC Levadia Tallinn, beating them 3-1 on aggregate. They played the Second Qualifying Round against Dynamo Kiev which, they ended up losing 4-3 on aggregate. In the first late goal for Kiev secured a 2-1 victory at Dalymount Park. It didn't seem like Drogheda would do well. A goal after 13 minutes seemed to have finished the tie, but remarkably, on 41 minutes, they were awarded a penalty. Shane Robinson stepped up and slotted home the spot-kick. Drogheda then worked tirelessly trying to get the second goal, but they gave away a penalty on 72 minutes, which was converted. 2-1 down, it seemed the tie was over now.Amazingly however, Graham Gartland scored an 88th minute goal to make it 2-2. Adam Hughes got a further chance when he had an open goal, but miskicked the ball and it flew over the bar. Then, Shane Robinson hit a shot from a tight angle which hit the post. Despite Drogheda's late rally, they were knocked out by a poor Dynamo Kiev team. In October 2008 Drogheda went into examinership, like Cork City, and in November 2008 they were deduced 10 points. After successfully raising money through various fund raisers arranged by the supporters, the club escaped extinction in January 2009 after a judge ruled in Drogheda's favour to the delight of a teary eyed Vincent Hoey.
In response to the economic difficulties facing the country, a group of supporters established The Claret & Blue Club in June 2009 with the aim of providing a steady income stream to Drogheda United FC. Supporters who join the Claret & Blue Club donate €5 per week to the club, and in return, they receive a membership card entitling them to discounts of up to 10% in a range of local businesses, including restaurants, tile shops, shoe shops and many more. Each member is also entered in a monthly prize draw, with a top prize every month of a sun holiday courtesy of Thomas Cook Holidays (Ireland). Other prizes include hotel vouchers, tickets to Irish World Cup qualifier games, betting vouchers etc. Publicity on the Derek Mooney Show on RTE Radio one and full-page ads in the Drogheda Independent and Drogheda People resulted in a surge of membership, and after only four weeks of existence, the Claret & Blue Club is in a position to bring in over €35,000 to the club annually, with membership figures rising daily.
Emblem
The crest of Drogheda United is an adaptation of the crest of Drogheda town's coat of arms, which feature the heraldic symbols of a star and crescent over a shield depicting St. Lawrence's Gate, three lions and a ship. The three lions passant represent England - as Drogheda lay within the Pale and was a garrison town - and the ship represents the town's port.
While Drogheda United share the same symbols and colours as Trabzonspor, in Turkey - both recently declared to be brother teams - this has nothing to do with the Sultan of Turkey's attempted relief of the Irish during the Great Famine of the nineteenth century, as the town coat of arms pre-dates the Great Famine by almost eight hundred years.
Overall European record
Record by competition
| Appearances | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Appearances | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 22 |
Overall:
| Appearances | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 27 |
Past opponents
| Season | Competition | Country | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983/84 | UEFA Cup Round 1 |  |
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. | 0-14 agg. |
| 2006/07 | UEFA Cup Qual. Round 1 |  |
HJK Helsinki | 4-2 agg. |
| 2006/07 | UEFA Cup Qual. Round 2 |  |
I.K. Start | 1-1 agg. 10-11 (pen.) |
| 2007/08 | UEFA Cup Qual. Round 1 |  |
A.C. Libertas | 4-1 agg. |
| 2007/08 | UEFA Cup Qual. Round 2 |  |
Helsingborgs | 1-4 agg. |
| 2008/09 | UEFA Champions League Qual. Round 1 |  |
FC Levadia Tallinn | 3-1 agg. |
| 2008/09 | UEFA Champions League Qual. Round 2 |  |
FC Dynamo Kyiv | 3-4 agg. |
Current squad
Nationality given from place of birth
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Notable former players
Tommy Breen- Ray Treacy
- Tony Macken
- Mick Meagan
- Mick Leech
- Cathal Muckian
- Jerome Clarke
- Frank "Dusty" Flanagan
- Gerry Martin
- Stephen Bradley
- Phil Murphy
- Chris Todd
John Tambouras
Notable former managers
Honours
- FAI Cup:
- Winners: 2005
- Runner Up: 1971, 1976
- League of Ireland:
- Champions: 2007
- Runner Up: 1982/83
- League of Ireland First Division:
- Champions: 1988/89, 90/91, 98/99, 01/02
- Runner Up: 1994/95, 1996/97
- League of Ireland Cup:
- Winners: 1983/84
- League of Ireland First Division Shield:
- Winners: 1991
- Setanta Sports Cup:
- Winners: 2006, 2007
- FAI Junior Cup:
- Runner Up: 1939/1940, 1941/42, 1943/44, 1950/51
- Leinster Senior Cup:
- Runner Up: 1982/83, 1985/86
- Tyler Cup:
- Runner Up: 1979/80
- Presidents Cup:
- Runner Up: 1970/71
- FAI Youth Cup:
- Winners: 1971/72, 1972/73, 1996/97
Records
- League Victory: 7-1 v Finn Harps, 24 April 1977, 6-0 v Kilkenny City, 16 December 1994
- League Defeat: 1-8 v Cork Hibernians, 30 January 1972, 0-7 v Shamrock Rovers, 8 January 1984
- Most Points in a Season: 64 in 1998-99
- Most League Goals in a Season: 21, Cathal Muckian, 1977-78
- Most League Goals: 52, Gerry Martin, 1973-89
Fans
Drogs is a nickname for fans or supporters of Drogheda United Football Club who play in the League of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland.
When the name Drogs started to appear in two newspapers in the late 1990s, The Sun and the Drogheda Leader, the club wrote to the Drogheda Leader Newspaper demanding that the name not be used adding that it was not used in the ground by the fans. The newspaper argued that it had not invented the name and that the fans in the shed side of the stadium often sing a song called Super Drogs. The club considered the name was degrading and was purely a Drogheda Leader nickname not used by the supporters. In recent years the club officially embraced the nickname.
The most vocal supporters stand on "the shed side" of United Park. Many Drogs attend every home match while a smaller group travel around the country to support the team at away matches. They sing football/Drogheda United chants, wear club colours (claret and blue), wave banners and flags and generally try to help lift the team and demonstrate fervent support[citation needed]. The Drogs create a vivacious atmosphere during Drogheda United matches reminiscent of the activities of European Ultras[citation needed]. Their supporters are sometimes called 'F45U' (Famous 45 Ultras.)
Drogheda United Supporters Club (DUSC) was formed more than two years ago. Its main aim is to promote Drogheda United F.C. throughout the community. The supporters club works hand-in-hand with the football club in various ways including contributing to the match day programme, organising fund raising nights like quizzes and race nights and by organising buses to away matches.[1]
See also
References
- ^ Supporters Club, Drogheda United Official Website, 2007. Retrieved on 2 August 2007.
External links
- Official Drogheda United FC website
- Claret & Blue Club website
- Reservoir Drogs Website
- Drogs on FAI.ie
- Past League Tables on FAI.ie
- Drogheda United on eircomloi.ie
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