Newly-promoted Drogheda United secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Galway United away from home in their first league match of the campaign thanks to a late Gareth McCaffrey goal. The Drogs match-winner spoke exclusively to SSE Airtricity League repor
Newly-promoted Drogheda United secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Galway United away from home in their first league match of the campaign thanks to a late Gareth McCaffrey goal.
The Drogs match-winner spoke exclusively to SSE Airtricity League reporter Trevor Murray in the post-match area at Eamonn Deacy Park.
“It’s great to play any kind of minutes. I know I was a sub, but to come on is a bonus,” he said.
“Obviously, it’s fantastic to score a goal in the season opener, but without the lads who put in the effort for the 70 minutes before I came on, I wouldn’t have been given the opportunity to give the guys a hand.
“So, we’re delighted as a team, as a squad, to come away with the three points in the season opener.”
It was a cracking finish from the 20-year-old in the 80th minute as he rounded Ciaran Nugent before slotting home from a tight angle minutes after replacing Stephen Elliot, but he was keen to heap praise on his team-mate for the assist.
“Without Thomas Byrne, who also came on as a sub, there’s no way that goal ever would have happened,” McCaffrey said.
“And I think Sean Brennan peeled away for Thomas – he was another sub who came on – so as I said we’ve got a good squad, the whole squad are good, technical hard-working players.”
In the press huddle following the game, however, manager Pete Mahon played down his part in changing the game with clever substitutions.
“You’re a genius when it comes off,” he responded.
“This is what happens. As I said earlier on, the lads are probably disappointed not to start the game and maybe they felt they had a point to prove, I don’t know, but it just worked for us tonight.
“It’s only one game. I mean, we’re in the Premier Division now and when you look at the fixture list, we’ve [St Patrick’s Athletic] at home next week so it’s not going to get any easier – it certainly wasn’t easy tonight.
“Everybody’s tipping ourselves and Galway to be down there in the relegation battle during the season, well we’ll see about that because I think they’ve some very, very good players, some very very experienced players at this level and the two boys up front, they’ll get goals between them no doubt about that,” Mahon concluded.
