Drogheda United assistant manager Daire Doyle confident squad is strong enough to handle a heavy schedule
The SSE Airtricity League clubs went into the hat alongside the first-round winners at the Sport Ireland campus in Abbotstown on Thursday and with three teams left in the pot it looked like Drogheda and the team they beat in last year's final, Derry City, might be set for an immediate rematch.
However, that proved not to be the case, the Drogs got the home draw they craved and Leinster Senior League outfit Crumlin - the last team to be pulled out of the hat - will be the visitors to Sullivan & Lambe Park next month.
The tie will take place the week before Drogheda play the first leg of their Uefa Conference League tie - subject to the club being permitted to take their place in that competition - but Doyle doesn't seem too concerned about a potential fixture pile-up.
'I don't think having the FAI Cup will test our resources,' he said.
'We play a league match on July 4 and we don't play the following week and then the cup match is fixed for the 18th. So it's before that run of games (around the Uefa Conference League) and we will be fine as regards bodies.
'We are hoping that we can go well in the cup again. Winning it last year has been huge for the club. The strong finish we had to last season gave us momentum that we carried into this year and it put belief into the group that we have. A lot of the lads that played in the cup final are still with us.'
As for the challenge posed by Crumlin, Doyle is very familiar with the Leinster Senior League as his son Jack plays for Home Farm and he feels Drogheda could be found wanting if they under-estimate the challenge Crumlin will bring.
'I think when you look at it on paper, Crumlin are a strong side and they've had some good runs in the cup in the last couple of years and they've a lot of experience there.
'They're certainly a team we won't be taking lightly and it's a potential banana skin if you don't give it your full attention and do your homework, but we're delighted that we've been drawn at home.'
With that tie more than a month away, though, all thoughts of another cup run have been parked as Drogheda are now preparing for a return to league duties, starting with a trip to face St Patrick's Athletic this Friday.
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'We've a busy run of Friday/Monday games coming up and I don't think our attentions can get away from that, so we have to focus on that and see what happens after,' said Doyle.
'It's about getting back on the pitch and focusing on the next game against St Pat's.
'We've picked up some good points on the first few months and got ourselves into a good position and the challenge for us for the rest of the season is to maintain that and push on and continue to put in them performances and if we can do that then we should be in a good position come the end of the season.'
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Irish Independent
5 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Drogheda United assistant manager Daire Doyle confident squad is strong enough to handle a heavy schedule
The SSE Airtricity League clubs went into the hat alongside the first-round winners at the Sport Ireland campus in Abbotstown on Thursday and with three teams left in the pot it looked like Drogheda and the team they beat in last year's final, Derry City, might be set for an immediate rematch. However, that proved not to be the case, the Drogs got the home draw they craved and Leinster Senior League outfit Crumlin - the last team to be pulled out of the hat - will be the visitors to Sullivan & Lambe Park next month. The tie will take place the week before Drogheda play the first leg of their Uefa Conference League tie - subject to the club being permitted to take their place in that competition - but Doyle doesn't seem too concerned about a potential fixture pile-up. 'I don't think having the FAI Cup will test our resources,' he said. 'We play a league match on July 4 and we don't play the following week and then the cup match is fixed for the 18th. So it's before that run of games (around the Uefa Conference League) and we will be fine as regards bodies. 'We are hoping that we can go well in the cup again. Winning it last year has been huge for the club. The strong finish we had to last season gave us momentum that we carried into this year and it put belief into the group that we have. A lot of the lads that played in the cup final are still with us.' As for the challenge posed by Crumlin, Doyle is very familiar with the Leinster Senior League as his son Jack plays for Home Farm and he feels Drogheda could be found wanting if they under-estimate the challenge Crumlin will bring. 'I think when you look at it on paper, Crumlin are a strong side and they've had some good runs in the cup in the last couple of years and they've a lot of experience there. 'They're certainly a team we won't be taking lightly and it's a potential banana skin if you don't give it your full attention and do your homework, but we're delighted that we've been drawn at home.' With that tie more than a month away, though, all thoughts of another cup run have been parked as Drogheda are now preparing for a return to league duties, starting with a trip to face St Patrick's Athletic this Friday. ADVERTISEMENT 'We've a busy run of Friday/Monday games coming up and I don't think our attentions can get away from that, so we have to focus on that and see what happens after,' said Doyle. 'It's about getting back on the pitch and focusing on the next game against St Pat's. 'We've picked up some good points on the first few months and got ourselves into a good position and the challenge for us for the rest of the season is to maintain that and push on and continue to put in them performances and if we can do that then we should be in a good position come the end of the season.'
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