How Kevin Doherty turned Drogheda United around from relegation certainties into FAI Cup finalists
Kevin Doherty has revitalised Drogheda United through smart recruitment and a change of tactics.
On the twelfth of July it looked like Dundalk were on the march.
A 4-2 win over Drogheda moved them five points clear of their relegation rivals. There and then no one gave Kevin Doherty’s team a chance of survival. Now look at them. Eight wins, three draws and one defeat later and the Drogs are on their way to the FAI Cup final and have shifted from bottom to ninth, seven points clear of Dundalk who have only three games remaining.
Drogheda have four League games left. Plus they have that November 10 date at the Aviva against Derry City. Add in the possibility of a promotion/relegation play-off and you could say they will have a Cup final every week for the next month.
Read more: FAI Cup final ticket information as briefs go on sale for Drogheda United v Derry City
“Well, it has kind of been that way for a while,” says Doherty, “because since that Dundalk defeat we have gone into every game thinking ‘we need to win this’.
“In Cup games, you’ve no choice. It is win or go out. A lot of people thought when we played (non League) Wilton (in the last 16 of the FAI Cup) that we would rotate but at that stage we needed to get into the habit of winning games.
“So we played our strongest team.”
And they won 9-0. Next they beat Sligo 7-0 in the League.
For a team that couldn’t score, suddenly they couldn’t stop. They hit four against Athlone, three against Wexford. They beat Waterford, Derry and Bohs in the League, drew with Rovers, Bohs and Galway.
Doherty said: “Some days you could not ask for things to go any better.
“To go back to that Dundalk game, when we lost 4-2, the big thing for me was we had them the following week in the Cup and I remember talking to the players afterwards and pointing out that it is very rare you have an opportunity to put a marker down and say, ‘we are not done yet’.
“The reality is we were completely written off.
“But the fight back has been incredible.”
It stems from two things.
First some summer shopping, Doherty bringing in five players, Luke Dennison, Douglas James-Taylor, Shane Farrell, James Bolger and Elicha Ahui. Plus Dave Webster was promoted into the side and Luke Heeney switched position.
“They added competition. For the most part they have all played every game. That is rare, that you could sign five players and all become regulars. We signed players who knew the league, who know we are in a serious battle to try and stay in the League. They had to have some understanding of that.”
The tactical shift - from his favoured 4-2-3-1 to a 3-5-2 - also worked. Yet he downplayed the significance of this impact, even though the arrival of Taylor has brought out the best of Frantz Pierrot, who has come alive ever since he received company in attack.
Doherty said: “The system is nothing that hundreds and thousands of other teams don’t play. And the truth is that a system and tactics will only get you so far. The players still have to carry it out.
“Our gameplan isn’t too complicated. We still have to defend and hunt the ball. At times we can be basic; where we get the ball up front to the two boys up front and leave them to it.
“It is no genius tactical idea on my behalf. But it has worked. We worked hard on both shapes in pre-season. It does not have to be complicated. Players just need to know their jobs and have clear roles. I’m wary of saying ‘this has worked’ because we still have a hell of a lot of work to do.”
And the upshot is that if Drogheda beat Waterford tonight then they will close the gap to Bohs to one point. Eighth place equates to a guarantee of safety. Three points would also make it impossible for Dundalk to catch them.
But Doherty said: “I want to emphasise that they can still catch us. We are not done yet. We have more work to do.”
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