THE one thing a team presided over by John Caulfield and Ollie Horgan will never be accused of is complacency, and that will never be more important than this Friday when the Tribesmen head to the north-east to take on Drogheda United (7.45pm) in the first of two games in the space of four days.

It is something of a ‘champions weekend’ for United: Drogheda are the FAI Cup holders, while league champions Shelbourne make the trip west on Monday looking to avenge not one, but two defeats at the Dyke Road venue last season.

That Monday meeting (7.45pm) will be put on the back burner until Saturday, as Horgan says that all the focus this week will be on the trip to Louth.

“It is a very tough place to go, but at least we’re going there with a little confidence from tonight. We will look at Shelbourne on Saturday, but all the focus is on Drogheda,” he said after last Friday’s 2-1 win at home to St Patrick’s Athletic.

“They turned their season around incredibly last summer. They looked dead and buried last year and to turn around their league performances, and to win a cup, it was second to none.

“I really don’t know how they did it, I never saw a turnaround as good as that. I have seen teams improve, but what Kevin [Doherty, the Drogheda manager] and Daire [Doyle, the assistant coach] did up there was, in my eyes, in my time in the league as regards an improvement, second to none.

“They are a proper proper side and they’re better again this year. They are after beating Sligo Rovers 3-0 tonight in Drogheda, that’s the quality that they have, and it’s a hugely difficult venue, but we’re going there having won a game against Pats, so that has to bring a bit of confidence with it,” he said.

Drogheda made a woeful start to last season, winning just one of their first 10 league games, and just three of their first 24, but while they did turn things around in the last third of the season, they were somewhat lucky to have a wretched Dundalk side sloshing around in the depths below them to save them from relegation.

They did end up in the promotion/relegation play-off final, where they proved too strong for Bray Wanderers, running out 3-1 winners; and they also capitalised on a Devon Loch collapse in form by Derry City to lift the FAI Cup.

Pictured: Galway United’s Patrick Hickey is mobbed by his teammates after scoring his second goal against St Patrick’s Athletic during Friday’s Premier Division clash at Eamonn Deacy Park.