"We can do it" - Doherty confident Drogs can complete the job at Harps

Drogheda United assistant manager Kevin Doherty is adamant that his side’s job is far from done after they defeated Finn Harps 1-0 in the first leg of the play-off final at United Park.

Chris Lyons struck a dramatic stoppage-time winner for the hosts and while Doherty believes the victory was deserved, he is keen to keep his players’ feet on the ground.

“We were delighted with the performance and I thought the late goal was exactly what we deserved,” Doherty explained shortly after the final whistle. “Both sides had chances but I felt we were the more creative and more likely to score.

“It was a real battle out there. I don’t think there were any malicious challenges but there will be players on both sides feeling it tomorrow morning.

“It’s only half-time in the tie and that’s what we’ve reminded the players of. Tonight is a good start but there’s a lot of football still to be played.”

Despite having twice been denied by Mark McGinley earlier in the game, Lyons was once again the match winner for the Boynesiders as he netted his 15th goal of the season.

“Chris is the kind of striker who enjoys a battle with a defender and he certainly had that tonight.

“The best thing about Chris is his work rate, he never gives anything up and always helps set the tempo and standard for the rest of the team.

“He’s really added an end product to his game this season and we’re going to need him to be on top of his game again on Friday.”

With Drogheda now having a lead to protect, does Doherty expect his side to approach the second leg with a more cautious approach?

“The tie is still so finely balanced, we certainly don’t have the type of lead where we can sit back and just defend it.

“We play our best football when we’re on the front foot and I’d expect Harps to start fast and really bring the game to us.

“It’s a tough place to go but we’ve risen to every challenge we’ve faced this season and hopefully we can do it one more time.”