Drogheda United manager Tim Clancy has been speaking ahead of the Boynesiders opening league game of the season away to Cobh Ramblers.
Goalkeepers – Gratzer Injury – Treacy, Odemuso, McCarthy.
“Luca got a knock on his foot in the first few weeks of pre-season. It’s not a fracture but it’s like same pain you’d get in a fracture. He had a scan and it just shows inflammation in the joints in his foot.
“That will hopefully settle down now in the next week or two and we’ll get him back on the pitch training. David and Ross have both done well. David’s had a lot more game time than Ross, he hurt his shoulder up in Dundalk. We’ve got them two both fit and we’ve got young Jack McCarthy as the third choice keeper so they are our options for the game tomorrow.”
“When I sat down and spoke to David and his dad, I said I wasn’t bringing him in as a third choice, an U19 / third-choice keeper. I said he’d be the same as any other keeper, he’d be here to fight for his place.
“It shows at Drogheda the last couple of years, since I’ve been here, that we aren’t afraid to play young players. We’ve got the confidence in them.
The Opposition – Cobh Ramblers
“It’s difficult to gauge it. We haven’t seen a lot of Cobh. It’s hard because lot of the games in Munster are usually on the same nights we are playing. They signed a bulk of players who were there last year.
“It was a tight game last year (last meeting between the sides), it finished 4-2 in the end but it was very tight for long periods. I’d be expecting the same again now the first day of the season, home game, they’ll be right up for it.
“It’s important we get down there, express ourselves, play with a lot of energy from the very start, get a foothold in the game and something to build on from the very start.
Defensive Signings – Douglas, Prendergast, Tuite.
“It goes one with the other. It’s hard to get a balance of scoring loads of goals but keeping clean sheets aswell. If you look at Longford last season, had an unbelievable start to the season. The majority of that was based on not conceding. They didn’t score many goals.
“We were probably the opposite, scoring a lot of goals but conceding aswell so it’s something we have looked at. We’re trying to make ourselves more solid, not give up as many goals but we also don’t want to take away from the attacking threat we’ve had the last couple of seasons.
“It’s a balance between players we’ve brought in, maybe tweaking a few things in the team and players maturing a bit more but if we can be a bit more solid at the back and keep the same track going forward.”
Jordan Adeyemo – Three goals in an impressive pre-season
“It isn’t just about scoring goals. I’ve said it to Jordan aswell, probably after every game we play. He has so much potential the kid, look at his finishing, he’s so so good. He’s got a bit of pace, he’s got skill and in a good way, he’s got a good arrogance about himself. He’ll back himself to score, he’s a very confident kid and I like that.
“There’s more to the game than just scoring a goal. If you look at how Chris plays, our all round game goes through Chris. Jordan’s only a young lad, he’s still to add to it but he’s done very well in pre-season. I’d like to think he’ll kick on more this season and get a lot more goals for the first team hopefully.
Rest of Squad, Fitness & Injuries.
“Everyone else is fine. Just Luca (Gratzer), otherwise we’ve a fully fit squad. Last year, we were decimated with injuries. We’re hoping to have a season maybe like the season before when we didn’t have many injuries. Last year was catastrophic at times with the amount of injuries we had, players all being out for 6, 8, 10 weeks at a time.
“It’s part of football, you’ll have injuries, everyone can’t be fit all season. It’s why we have a strong squad. We’re hoping with the players we’ve brought in, adding to the squad, it gives us more options and with a bit of luck we avoid injuries but if it happens, we’ve the players there to step in.
Injured: Luca Gratzer
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Drogheda United Head-to-Head vs Cobh Ramblers
5/7/19: Drogheda United 4-2 Cobh Ramblers
27/4/19: Cobh Ramblers 1-4 Drogheda United
22/2/19: Drogheda United 4-0 Cobh Ramblers
22/9/18: Cobh Ramblers 0-2 Drogheda United
29/6/18: Drogheda United 2-1 Cobh Ramblers