Drogs ‘won’t be star struck’
So, having already shut up shop before a ball has even been kicked, Drogheda will this evening be hoping to do more than merely set out their own stall out when they take on the Swedes in the first leg of a UEFA Cup second qualifying round tie at their Dublin home from home (7.45pm).
And while the presence in the Helsingborg side of the former Celtic, Barcelona and Manchester United striker adds an undisputed touch of glamour to the tie, Drogheda boss Paul Doolin is confident that his players won’t be star-struck.
“If all you’re worried about is swapping jerseys with Henrik Larsson, there’s no point in going out on the field,” he says.
“The main thing for us is to perform well and get a decent result to take to Sweden for the next leg.”
Drogheda are Ireland’s sole remaining representatives in European competition and clearly the best, as their current position atop the eircom League Premier Division attests.
On the face of it, they are also in a healthier state than their opponents whose Irish visit could come as a refreshing break from their domestic woes, after a poor start to the season has left them languishing in ninth position in the Swedish league.
Nevertheless, Doolin reckons there’s more to Helsingborg than their current league form might suggest.
“They are a good side, they play on the break and have quick, strong players,” he observes.
“Physically they are very strong and you can be lulled into a false sense of security because they are so far down the table.
‘‘They are a decent team and a good test for us to see how much we’ve come on. But we’re playing quite well at the moment and we want to keep that going.”
Drogheda’s main selection worry is Brian Shelley who is rated a 50-50 chance as he struggles to recover from a hip injury sustained in the top of the table win against St Pats.
With Damien Lynch also ruled out, Doolin could draft Stuart Byrne in at right-back.
Fit again Jason Gavin could also play there but after a long injury lay-off the Drogheda boss might be reluctant to bring him back into the first team for what is bound to be a testing UEFA Cup clash.
For Richie Baker, a veteran of some of Shelbourne’s European exploits, the confidence to go out and play their natural game will be key to his club’s chances of success.
“All my life, I’ve never gone into a game with fear and any team I’ve played with hasn’t had any fear and this team is the same,” he says.
“Sure, you’re going up against players who are quality but we’re quality as well and hopefully we will show that we can match them in all areas.”
Upon arrival in Dublin yesterday, Helsingborg’s Scottish manager Stuart Baxter had two major revelations.
The first was that he once made efforts to sign Paul Doolin to AIK Stockholm. And the second was that Henrik Larsson was suffering from a head cold.
That might have meant a no-show for the Irish press but Doolin and Drogheda can be pretty sure that the great man will be all systems go tonight.
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