Tonight’s contest will be played out between the last two teams to lift the Premier Division trophy, although the paths that each have followed since that success are noticeably different.
Drogheda United won the league for the first time in their history in 2007 and that was meant to be the beginning of a new era for the County Louth club. However, things didn’t go according to plan as they attempted to defend their crown.
Manager Paul Doolin had built a squad capable of winning the league for a second year running and they were tipped by many to do just that. With some clever signings and an appetite for more success, The Boynesiders started the season as clear favourites to finish on top.
Around the same time, Bohemians were busy putting the final touches to their own roster with new manager Pat Fenlon setting out his objectives for the year. A new-found confidence had gripped The Gypsies and they were about to launch their own title bid.
St Patrick’s Athletic, Derry City, and Cork City also had strong teams, so it was never going to be easy for Drogheda to retain the title. In the end, it turned out to be internal factors that brought about their downfall rather than the threat posed by other teams.
The Boynesiders wanted to match their success on the pitch with professionalism off it. Chairman Vincent Hoey, backed by three key investors, pursued his dream of moving the club to a modern stadium that would allow him to attract an even bigger fan base as well as hosting European fixtures.
Planning permission for the stadium held up that project, although Doolin’s team continued to make great strides as they beat Levadia Tallinn in a Uefa Champions League first round qualifier before narrowly losing to Dynamo Kiev. Their league form suffered during that period and it didn’t help matters that Bohs were starting to open up a gap at the top of the table.
Unfortunately for Drogheda, they were denied permission to build their stadium on the site that they had picked out. Everything started to crumble at that point with the investors pulling the plug on the funds, which led to a tumble into Examinership.
The excellent squad that they had built started to dissolve as players looked to seek steady employment elsewhere and a ten-point penalty slapped on them meant that any chance of staying in the title race was as good as over.
They ended the 2008 campaign in 8th place, while Bohemians went on to record a memorable league and cup double. Since then, Hoey has stepped down as Chairman, Doolin is now managing Cork City, and every player except Shane Barrett has moved on – including Brian Shelley and Paul Keegan, who are now with Bohs.
It was a sad demise for the 2007 champions, but lessons can be learnt from their plight and Bohs should be taking notice of it as they are now looking to defend title.
A curious thing to note is that Bohs – like Drogheda last year - started the season as favourites to win the top prize. Fenlon will certainly be hoping that his side can avoid the obstacles that tripped Drogheda up last year as they attempt to keep the league trophy at Dalymount Park.
Plenty can change in a short space of time in the modern game, but Bohemians will feel that they are well equipped to deal with any challenge that comes before them. Only time will tell if they will be victorious or not, although the upbeat mood around the club suggests that this could be a special year and that is exactly what the Bohs supporters will want to hear.