Drogheda were dominant in the league, only losing three games and winning the title by seven points. The league win meant that Drogheda 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 Levadia Tallinn, beating them 3–1 on aggregate. They played the second qualifying round against Dynamo Kyiv which, they ended up losing 4–3 on aggregate. In the first a late goal for Kyiv secured a 2–1 victory at Dalymount Park. In the second game, an early Kyiv goal after 13 minutes seemed to have finished the tie, but remarkably, on 41 minutes, Drogheda were awarded a penalty.
On 20 August, Drogheda pulled off a historic victory over their rivals Dundalk at Oriel Park, the first time they had done so for 9 years, courtesy of a Mark Doyle brace. [39] Just over 2 weeks later, they defeated Bohemians at Head In The Game Park. [40] Their last win of the season came against high fliers Derry City on 24 October. [41] Unfortunately for the Drogs, they finished the season with 3 losses in a row, but it didn't manage to take away from their impressive season, finishing 7th with a respectable 44 points, and making sure of a Premier Division place for 2022 2022 season[edit] Drogheda's impressive 2021 campaign meant their squad was practically torn apart by the bigger clubs in the pre season of 2022. Their manager, Tim Clancy, was signed by St Patrick's Athletic.
[35] This was followed by a 4-game winning run, including a 3–1 win over Saint Patrick's Athletic on 14 May, [citation needed] a 1–0 away victory at Finn Harps, [36] and a 4–1 home win against Longford. [37] Another impressive performance came when Drogheda won 2–1 against Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds on 12 June, Chris Lyons scoring a brace. [38] Their surprise victories meant the newly promoted side were pushing for European places deep into the season, when many expected them to be in a relegation dogfight.
[3] After successfully raising money through various fund raisers arranged by the supporters, the club escaped extinction on 30 January 2009 when a judge ruled in Drogheda's favour, to the delight of the teary eyed chairman Vincent Hoey. [4] 2009–2010[edit] 2009 season[edit] In the 2009 season Drogheda got off to a difficult start. Due to bankruptcy, the club went part-time and lost their entire league-winning squad, and manager, Paul Doolin, who took over Cork City.
They won their first FAI Cup 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 2006–07 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 IK Start of Norway. They were also in the UEFA Cup Qualifying stages for the 2007–08 campaign, losing to Helsingborgs IF in the second round. United finally won the League of Ireland for the first time in 2007, beating Cork City 2–1 at United Park with three games to go. Guy Bates scored the winning goal for Drogheda that day, shooting himself into Drogs folklore.
At the beginning of the evening, Drogheda were 1 point behind their Wicklow counterparts, but a 2–0 win courtesy of goals from James Brown and Luke Heeney meant they would lift the trophy on a historic night which granted them a place in the 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division. [26] 2021-present: Back in the Premier Division[edit] 2021 season[edit] There was little expectation on the newly promoted Drogs team as the 2021 season approached, but this changed when Tim Clancy began his recruitment.
Drogheda United F.C. - Wikipedia
Drogheda United vs Dundalk Live Score scorecard, Club