Full name | Drogheda United Football Club |
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Nickname(s) | The Drogs |
Founded | 1919 (as Drogheda United) 1975 (merged with Drogheda F.C.) |
Ground | United Park, Drogheda, County Louth |
Capacity | 2,000 (1,500 seated) |
Owner | Supporter owned |
Chairman | Fiachra Kierans |
Manager | Pete Mahon |
League | League of Ireland Premier Division |
2016 | League of Ireland First Division, 2nd (promoted via play-offs) |
Website | Club home page |
Drogheda United Football Club (Irish: Cumann Peile Dhroichead Átha Aontaithe) is an Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth. The club are members of the League of Ireland First Division. They play their home matches at United Park.
The current club is the amalgamation of two former clubs in the town: 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 success since 2005 by winning two Setanta Sports Cups, an FAI Cup, and their first league title, the 2007 League of Ireland.
Founded in 1919 the original Drogheda United were a non-league club for all of their early years of existence but on Saturday 22 June 1963 another Drogheda Club - Drogheda F.C. (founded in 1962) were elected to 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 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 second highest ever league placing of second-place (they later won the league in 2007) 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.