Drogheda United
Encyclopedia
Drogheda United Football Club is an Irish
football
club currently playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland
. The club hails from Drogheda, Ireland
and, since 1979, plays its home matches at Hunky Dorys Park.
The current club is the amalgamation of two former Drogheda
area clubs, Drogheda United a non-league club 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 Cup
s 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 with three games still remaining.
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. In 2002/03 they were promoted to the Premier Division.
More extensive history can be found at DUFC A Claret and Blue History
in 2005, beating Cork City
in the final 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. This time they fared better 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 11-10 in an epic penalty shoot-out 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 finally won the League Of Ireland for the first time in 2007. They beat Cork City 2-1, with three games to go, with the crucial goal coming from Guy Bates
. The league win meant that they would 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 a late goal for Kiev
secured a 2-1 victory at Dalymount Park
. An early Kiev goal after 13 minutes seemed to have finished the tie, but remarkably, on 41 minutes, Drogheda 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 Dynamo Kiev.
, like Cork City, after failing to pay back a €500,000 loan to the Revenue Commissioners and €10,000 rent to Bohemians for their use of Dalymount Park
in their Champions League
Qualifiers. Their plans for a new €35m stadium fell through 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 when a judge ruled in Drogheda's favour to the delight of the teary eyed Chairman Vincent Hoey.
, the club went part-time and lost their entire league-winning squad, and manager, Paul Doolin
, who took over Cork City
. Former Cork and Longford
boss Alan Mathews
took over, after Doolin left the club. Mathews had to sign a side of semi-pros and free agents. After a disastrous start to the season, Drogheda were in the bottom half of the table for the whole season, despite some impressive wins over Cork and Derry
. On 10 November 2009 they hosted Bray Wanderers in a relegation play-off. Goals from James Chambers
and Brian King
secured a 2-0 win and a Premier Division place for 2010.
as his assistant, and with a small spending budget, cobbled together a squad of amateur and semi-professional players, who had been released from their clubs at the end of the 2010 season. 2011 got off to an even worse start than the previous year as a new-look Drogheda slumped to the bottom off the table, after only 2 points in 14 games. On 26 May 2011,
they got their first win against Galway. On 10 June, they beat local rivals Dundalk
2-1 in Oriel Park
- their first derby win in 13 years, which took them off the bottom of the table for the first time that year. That win was the turning point in Drogheda's season. Cooke made some mid-season signings, defender Dave Rogers
, midfielders Gavin Brennan, Lee Lynch and Peter McMahon
, strikers Tiarnan Mulvenna
and Jordan White. These signings made a huge impact on the squad and Drogheda beat UCD
, Galway (twice), Bray
and St Patricks Athletic over the rest of the season to keep them up for the 2012 season.
is run by the Shamrock Rovers Members Club, however the target of 500 members was not reached and membership levels settled at just over half that target.
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.
The club crest focuses on the star and crescent element of the town arms of Drogheda. It is similar to the crest of Portsmouth F.C. in England and this is no accident as both towns were given their charters by King Richard I of England i.e. Richard the Lionheart, and his own crest was the source of the star and crescent symbols. However, there are no formal links between Portsmouth F.C.
and Drogheda United F.C..
As Drogheda United share the same symbols and colours as Trabzonspor
, in Turkey - both recently declared to be brother teams.
:
UEFA Cup
:
Overall:
Graham Gartland
has the most appearances for the club in European competitions having appeared a record 12 (twelve) times in Drogheda's colours in UEFA
competitions. He also is tied with Eamon Zayed
, on 3 (three) goals, as Drogheda United's leading goalscorer(s) in UEFA
competitions. http://www.uefa.com/teamsandplayers/teams/club=52378/profile/index.html
Also worth noting is that another former Drog i.e. Ollie Cahill
holds the record for the most appearances in European competition for an Irish domestic player (39). Has scored against Olimpija Ljubljana
in August 2003 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/2003/0829/Pg021.html#Ar02101:0905640EE5890895990B15A70CD6220FA6370F96221096370E07B111C7C70906720D2688 and again for Drogheda against Levadia Tallinn on the 16th of July 2008 in a Champions League
qualifier http://www.eircomloi.ie/news-centre/news-1/july-2008/news-40/index.xml.
Assistant Manager: Robbie Horgan
Goalkeeper Coach: Brendan Kennedy
Physio: Danny Miller
Tommy Breen
Ray Treacy
Tony Macken
Mick Meagan
Mick Leech
Cathal Muckian
Jerome Clarke
Frank "Dusty" Flanagan Stephen Bradley
Phil Murphy
Andy Myler
Graham Gartland
Joe Haverty
Keith Fahey
Ollie Cahill
Fahrudin Kudozovic
Declan O'Brien
Dan Connor
Shane Robinson
Brian Shelley
Paul Keegan
Éamon Zayed
Jason Gavin Conor Kenna
James Chambers
Brendan McGill
Simon Webb
1976-79 Paul Doolin
2003-08 Alan Mathews
2009-10
The most vocal supporters stand on "the shed side" of Hunky Dorys 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. One section of their supporters are known as '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.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club currently playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
. The club hails from Drogheda, Ireland
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
and, since 1979, plays its home matches at Hunky Dorys Park.
The current club is the amalgamation of two former Drogheda
Drogheda
Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
area clubs, Drogheda United a non-league club 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 Cup
Setanta Sports Cup
The Setanta Sports Cup, commonly known as just the Setanta Cup, is a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland...
s and an FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
. 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 with three games still remaining.
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 IrelandLeague of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and 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
Cork Hibernians F.C.
Cork Hibernians F.C. were an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1957 and 1976 and played their home games at Flower Lodge. In 1971, they were League of Ireland champions.-History:...
in the 1970-71 season. They did, however, get to FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
Final that season where they were beaten 3-0 by Limerick
Limerick F.C.
Limerick Football Club is an association football club based in Limerick, Ireland. The club currently play in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The first Limerick FC was founded in 1937 and has had a number of guises through its history, known at different times as Limerick FC, 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
Finn Harps F.C.
Finn Harps Football Club are a professional Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their home matches at Finn Park. The club's colours are blue...
) and Cathal Muckian
Cathal Muckian
Cathal Muckian , a native of Dundalk, County Louth; enjoyed a stellar career in League of Ireland football during the 1970s and early 80s. Muckian played with many of Ireland's top clubs, notably Drogheda United and Dundalk FC, with whom he played in European competitions against Glasgow Celtic,...
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
Athlone Town A.F.C.
Athlone Town F.C. is an Irish football club from Athlone, playing in the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they play their home matches in Lissywoollen their new stadium which opened in 2007...
. 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
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
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. In 2002/03 they were promoted to the Premier Division.
More extensive history can be found at DUFC A Claret and Blue History
Paul Doolin Era
In 2003, Harry McCue was sacked as manager of Drogheda United. Paul Doolin took over and instantly made the squad fully professional and released all players who wished to remain part-time. The change to full-time saw the club's fortunes drastically improve. They won their first FAI CupFAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
in 2005, beating Cork City
Cork City F.C.
Cork City Football Club is an Irish football team that plays in the League of Ireland. Founded and elected to the league in 1984 to continue the long tradition of Association Football in Cork, City's traditional colours are green and white with red trim, and the crest is a variant of the Cork...
in the final and won back-to-back Setanta Cups in 2006 and 2007.
They also qualified for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
for the 2006-2007 season thanks to their 2005 FAI Cup success. This time they fared better than in their first foray into Europe as they defeated HJK Helsinki
HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi , internationally known as HJK Helsinki, is a Finnish football club, based in the capital Helsinki...
4-2 on aggregate in the First Qualifying Round and were just eliminated 11-10 in an epic penalty shoot-out in the next round against I.K. Start
I.K. Start
IK Start is a Norwegian football club from the town of Kristiansand, currently playing in Adeccoligaen having been relegated from Tippeligaen in 2011. The club was founded on 19 September 1905. The coach is Mons Ivar Mjelde...
of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. They were also in the UEFA Cup Qualifying stages for the 2007-2008 campaign, losing to Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF
Helsingborgs IF , commonly referred to as Helsingborg and locally HIF, is a Swedish football club located in Helsingborg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan...
in the second round.
United finally won the League Of Ireland for the first time in 2007. They beat Cork City 2-1, with three games to go, with the crucial goal coming from Guy Bates
Guy Bates
Guy Bates is an English footballer who plays for Black Bull FC in the Meath & District League.-Career:Bates joined his hometown club Newcastle United at the age of 8 in 1993...
. The league win meant that they would be playing in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Qualifiers for the first time in their history in the 2008-09 season. They succeeded in their first qualifier against FC Levadia Tallinn
FC Levadia Tallinn
MTÜ SK FC Levadia Tallinn is an Estonian football club based in Tallinn. The club was founded in 1998, under the name FC Levadia Maardu. FC Levadia currently play in the Meistriliiga, the highest level of Estonian football...
, 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 a late goal for Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
secured a 2-1 victory at Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...
. An early Kiev goal after 13 minutes seemed to have finished the tie, but remarkably, on 41 minutes, Drogheda were awarded a penalty. Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson is an Irish football midfielder currently playing for Finnish Veikkausliiga club FC Haka. Scored 7 goals in his first season in Finnish football and won supporters player of the year 2011....
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
Graham Gartland
Graham Gartland is an Irish football defender who currently plays for St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League....
scored an 88th minute goal to make it 2-2. Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes is an American comic book artist who has worked for companies such as DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros...
got a further chance when he had an open goal, but miskicked the ball and it flew over the bar. Then, Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson is an Irish football midfielder currently playing for Finnish Veikkausliiga club FC Haka. Scored 7 goals in his first season in Finnish football and won supporters player of the year 2011....
hit a shot from a tight angle which hit the post. Despite Drogheda's late rally, they were knocked out by Dynamo Kiev.
Examinership
In October 2008 Drogheda went into examinershipExaminership
Examinership is a process in Irish law whereby the protection of the Court is obtained to assist the survival of a company. It allows a company to restructure with the approval of the High Court....
, like Cork City, after failing to pay back a €500,000 loan to the Revenue Commissioners and €10,000 rent to Bohemians for their use of Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...
in their Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Qualifiers. Their plans for a new €35m stadium fell through 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 when a judge ruled in Drogheda's favour to the delight of the teary eyed Chairman Vincent Hoey.
2009
In the 2009 season Drogheda got off to a difficult start. Due to bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, the club went part-time and lost their entire league-winning squad, and manager, Paul Doolin
Paul Doolin
Paul Doolin is a former Irish footballer and manager.He played for Bohemians, scoring on his debut on 13 September 1981. In June 1985 he signed for Shamrock Rovers and in his three years at the club won the double twice scoring 30 goals in 107 appearances. In his first season at Milltown he was...
, who took over Cork City
Cork City F.C.
Cork City Football Club is an Irish football team that plays in the League of Ireland. Founded and elected to the league in 1984 to continue the long tradition of Association Football in Cork, City's traditional colours are green and white with red trim, and the crest is a variant of the Cork...
. Former Cork and Longford
Longford Town F.C.
Longford Town F.C. is an Irish football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club, founded in 1924 and elected to the league in 1984, hails from Longford, County Longford and play their home matches at Flancare Park...
boss Alan Mathews
Alan Mathews
Alan Mathews is a former Irish footballer and the current manager of League of Ireland First Division side Shelbourne.-Player:As a player, Mathews played for St...
took over, after Doolin left the club. Mathews had to sign a side of semi-pros and free agents. After a disastrous start to the season, Drogheda were in the bottom half of the table for the whole season, despite some impressive wins over Cork and Derry
Derry City F.C.
Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
. On 10 November 2009 they hosted Bray Wanderers in a relegation play-off. Goals from James Chambers
James Chambers (Irish footballer)
James Chambers , is an Irish footballer who currently plays for Hamilton Academical. Chambers is a central midfield player.-Club career:...
and Brian King
Brian King
Brian Franklin Vernon King was a suffragan bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.King was educated at Sydney Boys' High School and the University of New South Wales. After studying at Moore Theological College he was ordained in 1965. He was a curate at Manly and then rector of Dural...
secured a 2-0 win and a Premier Division place for 2010.
2010
The 2010 season was disastrous on and off the pitch. Drogheda started terribly and after a 6-0 loss at the hands of Sligo on May 15, Alan Mathews quit his managerial post. Youth team coach and Drogheda native Darius Kierans took over as caretaker manager and beat St. Patricks Athletic in his first home game. The club appointed Kierans as permanent manager even though he had yet to complete his Europa A license which is an FAI requirement for league managers. After much objection from the FAI Darius became Director of Football and the club appointed Paul Lumsden as Interim Manager. Lumsden took the team for only one game before resigning. Brian Donnelly was then appointed as the second Interim Manager of the season but he too resigned in September. Darius Kierans took the team one more time in a 4-0 home defeat to Sporting Fingal before stepping away from first team affairs on 27th Sep. when the club announced the imminent arrival as manager of another former player – Bobby Browne. Despite finishing rock-bottom of the table with only four wins and nine draws (a total of 21 points) in 2010 and being relegated, Drogheda United were reprieved after the extinction of Sporting Fingal in February 2011. In the pre-season transfer window, the whole squad left the club and so did their manager. Bobby Browne resigned on the 26th February 2011.2011
Mick Cooke, manager of Monaghan took over as manager on 27th February 2011, becoming the sixth Drogheda manager in nine months. Cooke appointed former Drogs goalkeeper, Robbie HorganRobbie Horgan
Robbie Horgan is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-Career:Horgan started his career at Shamrock Rovers, making his debut on 14 April 1987...
as his assistant, and with a small spending budget, cobbled together a squad of amateur and semi-professional players, who had been released from their clubs at the end of the 2010 season. 2011 got off to an even worse start than the previous year as a new-look Drogheda slumped to the bottom off the table, after only 2 points in 14 games. On 26 May 2011,
they got their first win against Galway. On 10 June, they beat local rivals Dundalk
Dundalk F.C.
Dundalk Football Club is a professional Irish football club based in Dundalk, County Louth. The club currently play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. Founded in 1903, they are the second most successful team, in terms of trophies won, in the history of the League of Ireland. The...
2-1 in Oriel Park
Oriel Park
Oriel Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Dundalk, County Louth, Republic of Ireland. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Dundalk F.C. Its current capacity is about 4,500 with 3,000 seats. The ground was opened in 1919.-History:...
- their first derby win in 13 years, which took them off the bottom of the table for the first time that year. That win was the turning point in Drogheda's season. Cooke made some mid-season signings, defender Dave Rogers
Dave Rogers
Dave Rogers is an English footballer who currently plays for Drogheda United in the League of Ireland. He is Drogheda's team captain.-Playing career:...
, midfielders Gavin Brennan, Lee Lynch and Peter McMahon
Peter McMahon
Peter McMahon is an Irish football midfielder who currently plays for Drogheda United in the Airtricity League Premier Division....
, strikers Tiarnan Mulvenna
Tiarnan Mulvenna
Tiarnán Mulvenna is an Irish footballer who plays as a forward for Drogheda United.-Football career:Tiarnán Mulvenna is a striker. He signed for Dundalk in 2006 after impressing in the youth team at Oriel Park. Although born in Belfast Mulvenna is a native of Dundalk, Mulvenna is tipped for a big...
and Jordan White. These signings made a huge impact on the squad and Drogheda beat UCD
University College Dublin A.F.C.
University College Dublin Association Football Club known commonly as UCD is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland. The club, founded in 1895 was elected to the league in 1979 under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the 2008 season they have...
, Galway (twice), Bray
Bray Wanderers A.F.C.
Bray Wanderers A.F.C. are an Irish football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club, founded in 1942 and elected to the League in 1985, hails from Bray and play their home matches at the Carlisle Grounds. Club colours are Green and White, and it goes by the nickname...
and St Patricks Athletic over the rest of the season to keep them up for the 2012 season.
The Claret & Blue Club
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 at least €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 Panorama Holidays. 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 was in a position to bring in over €35,000 to the club annually, with membership figures rising daily. It was hoped that the Claret & Blue Club will take full ownership of the club in 2010 and run the club similar to the way Shamrock RoversShamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...
is run by the Shamrock Rovers Members Club, however the target of 500 members was not reached and membership levels settled at just over half that target.
Share Issue
In January 2011, a Claret and Blue Club steering committee announced new plans for a share issue. It is hoped that 200 shares will be sold at €1000 each and that this new revenue will provide stability for 2011-12 and allow the club to finally become a supporter-owned community club.Emblem
The crest of Drogheda United is an adaptation of the town arms of Drogheda, which feature the heraldic symbols of a star and crescentCrescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
over a shield depicting St. Lawrence's Gate, three lions
Lion (heraldry)
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.-Attitudes:...
and a ship. The three lions passant represent England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- as Drogheda lay within the Pale
The Pale
The Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...
and was a garrison town - and the ship represents the town's port.
The club crest focuses on the star and crescent element of the town arms of Drogheda. It is similar to the crest of Portsmouth F.C. in England and this is no accident as both towns were given their charters by King Richard I of England i.e. Richard the Lionheart, and his own crest was the source of the star and crescent symbols. However, there are no formal links between Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
and Drogheda United F.C..
As Drogheda United share the same symbols and colours as Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...
, in Turkey - both recently declared to be brother teams.
Record by competition
UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
:
| Appearances | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
:
| 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 UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... Round 1 |
 |
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane.... |
0-14 agg. |
| 2006/07 UEFA Cup 2006-07 The 2006–07 UEFA Cup was the 36th UEFA Cup, Europe's second tier club football tournament. On 16 May 2007, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla won their second consecutive UEFA Cup, defeating Espanyol 3–1 on penalties after the match finished 2–2 after extra time... |
UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... Qual. Round 1 |
 |
HJK Helsinki HJK Helsinki Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi , internationally known as HJK Helsinki, is a Finnish football club, based in the capital Helsinki... |
4-2 agg. |
| 2006/07 UEFA Cup 2006-07 The 2006–07 UEFA Cup was the 36th UEFA Cup, Europe's second tier club football tournament. On 16 May 2007, at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Sevilla won their second consecutive UEFA Cup, defeating Espanyol 3–1 on penalties after the match finished 2–2 after extra time... |
UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... Qual. Round 2 |
 |
I.K. Start I.K. Start IK Start is a Norwegian football club from the town of Kristiansand, currently playing in Adeccoligaen having been relegated from Tippeligaen in 2011. The club was founded on 19 September 1905. The coach is Mons Ivar Mjelde... |
1-1 agg. 10-11 (pen.) |
| 2007/08 | UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... Qual. Round 1 |
 |
A.C. Libertas A.C. Libertas A.C. Libertas is a Sanmarinese football club, based in Borgo Maggiore. The club was founded in 1928. Libertas currently plays in Girone B of Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio. The team's colors are red and white.... |
4-1 agg. |
| 2007/08 | UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... Qual. Round 2 |
 |
Helsingborgs | 1-4 agg. |
| 2008/09 | UEFA Champions League UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It... Qual. Round 1 |
 |
FC Levadia Tallinn FC Levadia Tallinn MTÜ SK FC Levadia Tallinn is an Estonian football club based in Tallinn. The club was founded in 1998, under the name FC Levadia Maardu. FC Levadia currently play in the Meistriliiga, the highest level of Estonian football... |
3-1 agg. |
| 2008/09 | UEFA Champions League UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It... Qual. Round 2 |
 |
FC Dynamo Kyiv FC Dynamo Kyiv FC Dynamo Kyiv is a professional football club based in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Founded in 1927, the club currently participates in the Ukrainian Premier League and has spent its entire history in the top league of Soviet and later Ukrainian football... |
3-4 agg. |
Graham Gartland
Graham Gartland
Graham Gartland is an Irish football defender who currently plays for St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League....
has the most appearances for the club in European competitions having appeared a record 12 (twelve) times in Drogheda's colours in UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
competitions. He also is tied with Eamon Zayed
Éamon Zayed
Eamon Zayed is an Irish footballer of Libyan descent who currently plays for Derry City. He also writes a weekly column on League of Ireland website, extratime.ie.-Youth career:...
, on 3 (three) goals, as Drogheda United's leading goalscorer(s) in UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
competitions. http://www.uefa.com/teamsandplayers/teams/club=52378/profile/index.html
Also worth noting is that another former Drog i.e. Ollie Cahill
Ollie Cahill
Ollie Cahill is an Irish professional footballer, currently playing with Bohemians in the League of Ireland. Cahill is primarily a left winger....
holds the record for the most appearances in European competition for an Irish domestic player (39). Has scored against Olimpija Ljubljana
NK Olimpija Ljubljana (1911)
NK Olimpija Ljubljana was a Slovenian association football club based in Ljubljana. The club had traced its origin back to 1911 when it was originally founded as SK Ilirija. It had gone through a series of mergers in the first half of the 20th century before adopting the name Olimpija in 1962...
in August 2003 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/2003/0829/Pg021.html#Ar02101:0905640EE5890895990B15A70CD6220FA6370F96221096370E07B111C7C70906720D2688 and again for Drogheda against Levadia Tallinn on the 16th of July 2008 in a Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
qualifier http://www.eircomloi.ie/news-centre/news-1/july-2008/news-40/index.xml.
First Team
(Captain)Coaching Staff
Manager: Mick CookeAssistant Manager: Robbie Horgan
Robbie Horgan
Robbie Horgan is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-Career:Horgan started his career at Shamrock Rovers, making his debut on 14 April 1987...
Goalkeeper Coach: Brendan Kennedy
Brendan Kennedy
Brendan Kennedy is a former Irish football player.Kennedy is the brother of Mark Kennedy - the ex-Irish international and ex-Liverpool player. He is a goalkeeper who played for junior clubs such as Cherry Orchard, Ashtown Villa, and Moyle Park before entering the League of Ireland with Shamrock...
Physio: Danny Miller
Notable former players
Chris ToddChris Todd
Christopher Todd , is a Welsh professional footballer currently playing for Forest Green Rovers.-Swansea City:...
Tommy Breen
Tommy Breen
Tommy Breen is a former Irish footballer who played as a goalkeeper for, amongst others, Belfast Celtic, Manchester United, Linfield and Shamrock Rovers...
Ray Treacy
Ray Treacy
Ray Treacy , is an Irish former professional footballer.-Playing career:He played 42 times for the Republic of Ireland national football team between 1966 and 1980...
Tony Macken
Tony Macken
Anthony "Tony" Macken is an Irish former professional football player. He was born in Dublin.- Career :Macken was a right back or midfielder who played for Home Farm F.C., Glentoran F.C. and Waterford United F.C. in Ireland before moving to Derby County F.C. in August 1974 for a fee of £30,000...
Mick Meagan
Mick Meagan
Michael Kevin "Mick" Meagan is a former professional footballer. He was the first manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team to be given total control over selecting players.-Early days:Meagan grew up in Dublin, Ireland...
Mick Leech
Mick Leech
Mick Leech was an Irish professional football player who made his name with Shamrock Rovers in the 1960s.He was signed by Paddy Ambrose and Liam Tuohy for Rovers in September 1966 from junior side Ormeau. He spent 6 weeks in the reserves before he made his first team debut against Dundalk at...
Cathal Muckian
Cathal Muckian
Cathal Muckian , a native of Dundalk, County Louth; enjoyed a stellar career in League of Ireland football during the 1970s and early 80s. Muckian played with many of Ireland's top clubs, notably Drogheda United and Dundalk FC, with whom he played in European competitions against Glasgow Celtic,...
Jerome Clarke
Jerome Clarke
Jerome Clarke is an Irish former football player.He played for Drogheda United and won his only cap for the Republic of Ireland national football team when he replaced Johnny Giles 12 minutes from time in a 3–0 friendly defeat to Poland national football team on 12 April 1978 in Lodz.A striker, he...
Frank "Dusty" Flanagan Stephen Bradley
Stephen Bradley (footballer)
Stephen Bradley is an Irish football midfielder who currently plays for St. Patrick's Athletic in the League of Ireland....
Phil Murphy
Phil Murphy (footballer)
Philip Murphy is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.-References:...
Andy Myler
Andrew Myler
Andy Myler is a retired Irish footballer.Andy was signed by Shamrock Rovers from Longford Town in July 2006 making his debut against Galway United on 4 August....
Graham Gartland
Graham Gartland
Graham Gartland is an Irish football defender who currently plays for St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League....
Joe Haverty
Joe Haverty
Joe Haverty was an Irish football player.Haverty played for Home Farm and St Patrick's Athletic, before signing for Arsenal in July 1954...
Keith Fahey
Keith Fahey
Keith Declan Fahey is an Republic of Ireland international footballer who plays for English club Birmingham City. With Ireland he was part of the team that secured qualification for UEFA Euro 2012....
Ollie Cahill
Ollie Cahill
Ollie Cahill is an Irish professional footballer, currently playing with Bohemians in the League of Ireland. Cahill is primarily a left winger....
Fahrudin Kudozovic
Fahrudin Kudozovic
Fahrudin 'Faz' Kuduzović is a Bosnian professional footballer who currently plays for Eintracht Trier in the Regionalliga West in Germany...
Declan O'Brien
Declan O'Brien (footballer)
Declan 'Fabio' O'Brien, , is a professional footballer who is currently playing for Monaghan United.-Drogheda United:...
Dan Connor
Dan Connor (footballer)
Daniel Connor, more commonly known as Dan Connor, is a retired Irish football goalkeeper formerly of Hereford United....
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson is an Irish football midfielder currently playing for Finnish Veikkausliiga club FC Haka. Scored 7 goals in his first season in Finnish football and won supporters player of the year 2011....
Brian Shelley
Brian Shelley
Brian Shelley is an Irish footballer currently playing Ballarat Red Devils.He began his career at Shamrock Rovers but moved to rivals Bohemians in 2000. He made his first team debut for the club as substitute in the UEFA Cup tie against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in September 2000...
Paul Keegan
Paul Keegan (footballer born 1984)
Paul Keegan is an Irish professional soccer player who currently plays for Doncaster Rovers in the Championship.-Career:Keegan signed for Drogheda United in July 2005 having previously played for Home Farm and Leeds United...
Éamon Zayed
Éamon Zayed
Eamon Zayed is an Irish footballer of Libyan descent who currently plays for Derry City. He also writes a weekly column on League of Ireland website, extratime.ie.-Youth career:...
Jason Gavin Conor Kenna
Conor Kenna
Conor Kenna, born in Dublin on 21 August 1984, is a footballer for League of Ireland side St. Patrick's Athletic.Kenna began his League of Ireland career with Shelbourne where he was a primary figure in the Reds' under 21 squad and was briefly part of their first team squad...
James Chambers
James Chambers (Irish footballer)
James Chambers , is an Irish footballer who currently plays for Hamilton Academical. Chambers is a central midfield player.-Club career:...
Brendan McGill
Brendan McGill
Brendan McGill is an Irish footballer who plays as a winger for League of Ireland First Division club Shelbourne.-Career:...
Simon Webb
Simon Webb
Simon Webb was a British chess player, an International Master, and a chess writer.Born in London, he was joint British under-18 champion in 1966, and fourth in the European Junior Championship in 1969...
Notable former managers
Jimmy McAlindenJimmy McAlinden
Jimmy McAlinden was an Irish footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, most notably, Belfast Celtic, Portsmouth, Shamrock Rovers and Southend United. As an international, McAlinden also played for both Ireland teams - the IFA XI and the FAI XI...
1976-79 Paul Doolin
Paul Doolin
Paul Doolin is a former Irish footballer and manager.He played for Bohemians, scoring on his debut on 13 September 1981. In June 1985 he signed for Shamrock Rovers and in his three years at the club won the double twice scoring 30 goals in 107 appearances. In his first season at Milltown he was...
2003-08 Alan Mathews
Alan Mathews
Alan Mathews is a former Irish footballer and the current manager of League of Ireland First Division side Shelbourne.-Player:As a player, Mathews played for St...
2009-10
Honours
- FAI CupFAI CupThe Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
:- Winners: 2005
- Runner Up: 1971, 1976
- League of IrelandLeague of IrelandThe League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the 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 ShieldLeague of Ireland First Division ShieldThe League of Ireland First Division Shield is a now defunct Irish football competition which was run by the Football Association of Ireland. The tournament was confined to those teams competing in the League of Ireland First Division and ran during the 1980s and 1990s.-List of Finals:Possibly...
:- Winners: 1991
- Setanta Sports CupSetanta Sports CupThe Setanta Sports Cup, commonly known as just the Setanta Cup, is a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland...
:- Winners: 2006, 2007
- FAI Junior CupFAI Junior CupThe FAI Junior Cup is a football competition organised by the Football Association of Ireland. It is regarded as one of the biggest competitions at the junior level in European football....
:- Runner Up: 1939/1940, 1941/42, 1943/44, 1950/51
- Leinster Senior CupLeinster Senior Cup (football)The Leinster Senior Cup is an association football cup competition organised by the Leinster Football Association. It contested by the top League of Ireland sides based in the province in Leinster along with four Leinster Senior League sides and the two Leinster Junior Cup finalists. The Cup was...
:- Runner Up: 1982/83, 1985/86
- Tyler CupTyler CupThe Tyler Cup was a football competition played between soccer clubs in the North and Republic of Ireland played between 1977 and 1981. It was similar to the earlier Blaxnit Cup, North-South Cup, Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup or the present day Setanta Sports Cup.-Tyler Cup results:The finals...
:- Runner Up: 1979/80
- Presidents Cup:
- Runner Up: 1970/71
- FAI Youth Cup:
- Winners: 1971/72, 1972/73, 1996/97
Most league goals scored for Drogheda United F.C.
(Players in bold still playing for Drogheda)| # | Name | Career | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Declan O'BrienDeclan O'Brien (footballer) Declan 'Fabio' O'Brien, , is a professional footballer who is currently playing for Monaghan United.-Drogheda United:... |
2002-08 | 71 |
| 2 | Gel Martin |
1972-86, 1987-89 | 52 |
| 3 | Damien Byrne Damien Byrne Damien Byrne is a former Irish professional football player. In a career spanning 20 seasons, Byrne won player of the year awards in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the only man to do so... |
1974-83 | 47 |
| 4 | Jerome Clarke Jerome Clarke Jerome Clarke is an Irish former football player.He played for Drogheda United and won his only cap for the Republic of Ireland national football team when he replaced Johnny Giles 12 minutes from time in a 3–0 friendly defeat to Poland national football team on 12 April 1978 in Lodz.A striker, he... |
1968-80 | 45 |
| 5 | Cathal Muckian Cathal Muckian Cathal Muckian , a native of Dundalk, County Louth; enjoyed a stellar career in League of Ireland football during the 1970s and early 80s. Muckian played with many of Ireland's top clubs, notably Drogheda United and Dundalk FC, with whom he played in European competitions against Glasgow Celtic,... |
1994-98 | 40 |
| 6 | Andy Myler Andrew Myler Andy Myler is a retired Irish footballer.Andy was signed by Shamrock Rovers from Longford Town in July 2006 making his debut against Galway United on 4 August.... |
2002-04 | 33 |
| 7 | Paddy Dillon |
?? | 30 |
| 8 | Barry O'Connor |
1992-96 | 29 |
| 9 | Denis Stephens |
?? | 27 |
| Gerry Brammeld |
?? | 27 | |
| 11 | Martin Murray |
1982-86 | 25 |
- League Victory: 7-1 v Finn HarpsFinn Harps F.C.Finn Harps Football Club are a professional Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their home matches at Finn Park. The club's colours are blue...
, 24 April 1977, 6-0 v Kilkenny CityKilkenny City A.F.C.Kilkenny City A.F.C. was an Irish football club. The club played in the First Division of the League of Ireland until 18 January 2008 when they announced that they resigned their position in the league citing “lack of finance, poor results and paltry attendances”.The club hails from Kilkenny and...
, 16 December 1994 - League Defeat: 1-8 v Cork HiberniansCork Hibernians F.C.Cork Hibernians F.C. were an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1957 and 1976 and played their home games at Flower Lodge. In 1971, they were League of Ireland champions.-History:...
, 30 January 1972, 0-7 v Shamrock RoversShamrock Rovers F.C.Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...
, 8 January 1984 - Most Points in a Season: 64 in 1998-99
- Most League Goals in a Season: 21, Cathal MuckianCathal MuckianCathal Muckian , a native of Dundalk, County Louth; enjoyed a stellar career in League of Ireland football during the 1970s and early 80s. Muckian played with many of Ireland's top clubs, notably Drogheda United and Dundalk FC, with whom he played in European competitions against Glasgow Celtic,...
, 1977–78 - Most League Goals: 71, Declan O'BrienDeclan O'BrienDeclan O'Brien is President of Utopia Pictures & Television as well as a writer and producer whose most recent work was writing, along with the help of Jeff Hare and Kevin Moore, for the Sci Fi Pictures original film, Savage Planet.- Biography :...
, 2001–08
Supporters Player of the Year Award
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Lee Lynch |
| 2010 | Mick Daly |
| 2009 | James Chambers James Chambers (Irish footballer) James Chambers , is an Irish footballer who currently plays for Hamilton Academical. Chambers is a central midfield player.-Club career:... |
| 2008 | Graham Gartland Graham Gartland Graham Gartland is an Irish football defender who currently plays for St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League.... |
Supporters and rivalries
Drogs is a nickname for supporters of the club. 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 stadium 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 Hunky Dorys 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. One section of their supporters are known as 'F45U' (Famous 45 Ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...
.)
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.