Heeney eager for the new season

Duleek FC clubman Noel Heeney has called on Drogheda Utd supporters in Meath and elsewhere to get behind the club as it prepares to open a new chapter in its chequered history. Heeney recently joined the five-man management committee at United Park and now they are aiming to keep the club on the straight and narrow after the last few turbulent months when it looked like Drogheda Utd FC might go out of existence. 'We"ve a lot of hard work done, but a lot more to do. The people of Drogheda got behind their team in recent months and we would ask them to rally behind the team once the new season gets underway.' he told the Meath Chronicle. 'Don"t forget also we have a quite a lot of support from the east Meath region and towns such as Navan.' Heeney has supported Drogheda teams in the League of Ireland since the mid-1960s when former Irish international Arthur Fitzimons arrived to take over as player/manager. Fitzsimons received the 'hall of fame" accolade at the FAI annual awards this month. Heeney said he was 'honoured' to be asked to join the management committee by chairman Jim McArdle and help out the Drogs in their moment of greatest need. At the beginning of February Drogheda Utd had only two players, Steve Williams and Alan McNally, signed. Over the past week or so new manager Alan Mathews has added to a growing squad that bears little or no resemblance to last season. Goalkeeper Williams is a high profile signing and his experience will be useful as Drogheda set about their main task of retaining their place in the Premier League. Williams has had spells spent at Cardiff City, Notts County, Dundalk and Shelbourne. McNally formally played for UCD. Other signings include Ian Ryan, Paul Crowley, Jamie Duffy and Robbie Farrell. Drogheda are projecting that they will have a budget of €640,000 to operate from this season and there are likely to be further high-profile recruits with Richie Baker among those targetted. Drogheda Utd have yet to secure their licence for the new season, but according to Heeney this is a formality. The new Drogheda Utd structure is debt-free and the budget is a projected figure the club hope to raise during the season through sponsorship, fundraising activities, gate receipts and ticket sales. New manager Alan Mathews has taken his players for a number of training sessions at Mosney which was the first step in the preparations for the new season. However, Drogheda are considerably behind other National League clubs who are already well advanced in their pre-season preparations. Drogheda start their new season with a friendly against Shelbourne at United Park on Friday, 7.45, and they begin their Premier League campaign away to Derry City on Friday 6th March, 7.45.