Luckless Drogheda ladies come up just shy again in water polo's Irish Senior Cup Finals
Having under-performed by their own standards early on in the season due to missing a number of key players, the Drogheda outfit began to find their form in recent months as they picked up a number of notable wins in the run-up to the 'Diamond Event', the Irish Senior Cup Finals.
The tournament was held in Limerick University, with a total of 14 teams involved between men's and ladies.
It all started off well enough for Drogheda as, after being paired off against one of their many old rivals North Dublin, the Boynesiders prevailed 12-6 thanks to a well-executed team plan.
Next was a match versus Tribes of Galway who entered the competition as one of the most in-form teams in the country, on the back of a very impressive run of eight wins and just one loss.
It was in this encounter that Drogheda unfortunately were outplayed and so they secured 'only' the runners-up position in Group B and therefore had to face Group A winners St Vincents in the semi-finals.
This was a highly anticipated match in light of the fact that Drogheda knocked them out at the same stage in 2024 following a penalty shootout, but this time the Boynesiders were beaten by a better team who went on to win the competition and record their 12th triumph in the last 13 Irish Senior Cup finals.
Still, Drogheda can look forward with optimism to the 2025/26 season which will see the return of some pivotal stalwarts. Perhaps that will boost their chances of finally going all the way in the Irish Senior Cup, having contested four of the last five finals.
The Drogheda senior ladies squad are always looking for new players, as are the junior ranks of the Drogheda underage club who train in Aura in Drogheda on a Monday night.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
9 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.'
Irish Independent
11 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Luckless Drogheda ladies come up just shy again in water polo's Irish Senior Cup Finals
Having under-performed by their own standards early on in the season due to missing a number of key players, the Drogheda outfit began to find their form in recent months as they picked up a number of notable wins in the run-up to the 'Diamond Event', the Irish Senior Cup Finals. The tournament was held in Limerick University, with a total of 14 teams involved between men's and ladies. It all started off well enough for Drogheda as, after being paired off against one of their many old rivals North Dublin, the Boynesiders prevailed 12-6 thanks to a well-executed team plan. Next was a match versus Tribes of Galway who entered the competition as one of the most in-form teams in the country, on the back of a very impressive run of eight wins and just one loss. It was in this encounter that Drogheda unfortunately were outplayed and so they secured 'only' the runners-up position in Group B and therefore had to face Group A winners St Vincents in the semi-finals. This was a highly anticipated match in light of the fact that Drogheda knocked them out at the same stage in 2024 following a penalty shootout, but this time the Boynesiders were beaten by a better team who went on to win the competition and record their 12th triumph in the last 13 Irish Senior Cup finals. Still, Drogheda can look forward with optimism to the 2025/26 season which will see the return of some pivotal stalwarts. Perhaps that will boost their chances of finally going all the way in the Irish Senior Cup, having contested four of the last five finals. The Drogheda senior ladies squad are always looking for new players, as are the junior ranks of the Drogheda underage club who train in Aura in Drogheda on a Monday night.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
‘Whether you are PSG or Drogheda' - LOI side's level playing field plea to UEFA
Daire Doyle says Drogheda United should be treated no differently to the biggest European clubs when it comes to implementing UEFA's multi-club ownership rules. Multi-ownership is becoming more and more common throughout the game, with European champions Paris St Germain just one example. They are owned by Qatar Sports Investment, as are Portuguese side Braga, who are set to compete in next season's Europa League. Drogheda United's problem is, their owners, Trivela Group, bought a majority stake in Danish side Silkeborg, who last weekend qualified for the same competition - the Europa Conference League - as the Boynesiders. This has put Drogheda's place in European competition this summer in jeopardy, and talks are ongoing between the League of Ireland side and UEFA on how to resolve the issue. Similar discussions are ongoing regarding Europa League qualifiers Crystal Palace and Lyon, who are both majority-owned by US businessman John Textor. United assistant manager Daire Doyle said: 'You'd hope it would be the same procedures regardless. I know they (Crystal Palace) were over at the same time. 'The procedures should follow, whatever it is, whether you are PSG or Drogheda, it should be the same.' Talks are ongoing, with a resolution needed ahead of the European draws, which take place on June 17. Doyle continued: 'I know the club have been in contact with UEFA over the past number of months, they're doing all they can and they've let me know that they're hopeful that we can see a positive outcome to it all. 'There has been indirect contact with UEFA for a number of months now, there has been work done over a period of time to do what we need to do to find a solution to it. 'Talks have been going on, I think they're confidential talks. I know the club and the board are doing everything they can to make sure it turns out we're playing in Europe. That the big thing. 'But at the moment, them talks are confidential, and are ongoing. 'We'll hope for a positive outcome and look forward to a European campaign but on top of that, I don't know much else to be honest.' Trivela bought a majority stake in Silkeborg earlier this year and straight away that raised alarm bells at Drogheda, who secured their European spot by winning last November's FAI Cup final. The Danish outfit only claimed their place in last week's play-off for the country's final European spot. But in the event that UEFA ruled only one club could proceed into the Europa Conference League, Silkeborg would advance because of their higher league finish to Drogheda's last season, when they finished ninth in the Premier Division. 'Hopefully we are in a position where ourselves and Silkeborg can both play in Europe,' Doyle continued. 'The players are aware of the situation, we've told them as much as I've told you today. 'We're trying to keep them in the loop as regards what's happening but the outcome hasn't come out as yet. 'So we now have to wait on that, we've gone into UEFA with the full respect that the situation deserves, we've put forward our case to them and we're hopeful that we'll be in Europe come July.' In the meantime, Doyle and manager Kevin Doherty are doing all they can to prepare for the club's first foray into Europe in 12 years. 'We focus on the football and on the pitch, that is our job, we leave that sort of stuff to the board that do the job on that end,' he said. 'They've assured us they are doing everything they can. We want it to be positive and we believe it will be but until the decision is made, there is not a lot we can really say. 'As regards the players, we're just keeping them focused on the next few games, we've had a really good first half of the start of the season where we picked up a lot of points with our performances. 'That's going to be the challenge now for the second half of the year, can we put in the performances to get them points to keep us in a position that we're challenging. That's what we're focused on.' Drogheda's focus will soon include their defence of the FAI Cup - and yesterday they were handed a banana-skin of a home tie against top Leinster Senior League side Crumlin United. 'I've actually seen them play this season, I go to quite a few Leinster Senior League games myself,' said Doyle. 'I have a 22-year-old son (Jack) playing for Home Farm. I've seen quite a few games this year, they've quite a few good players. 'James Lee is an excellent manager and former player as well, we're really happy we got a home draw, that's the most important thing. 'We'll do our homework on Crumlin now and make sure we find out as much as we can about them before the game.'
