Massey all set for a new chapter
By Daire Walsh
KNOCKLYON native Dane Massey will begin the latest chapter in his League of Ireland Premier Division career when his new club Drogheda United welcome Waterford to United Park tomorrow evening (kick-off 5.45pm).
Following an eight-year, trophy-laden spell at Dundalk, Massey made the switch to their County Louth rivals at the beginning of January.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a good couple of weeks. Obviously it has been a fresh start for myself. I’ve slotted in quite well and I feel at home already. I’m looking forward to this weekend, getting stuck in,” said Massey.
Tomorrow’s game is set to be Massey’s first competitive outing since August 30 of last year. He subsequently required surgery on a torn rectus femoris tendon and despite regaining fitness before the season was finished, he missed out on Dundalk’s Europa League campaign and their FAI Cup success over Shamrock Rovers.
Nonetheless, he gained match sharpness ahead of the new term through a couple of pre-season encounters – including a Jim Malone Cup clash with his most recent employers.
“It was strange. There’s been a lot of change over the last couple of years there as well. There’s a lot of new faces there in the starting 11, so it was kind of a strange one playing against Dundalk, but at the same time I have many friends left at the club.
“It was just another game for myself, I took it very seriously. We had something to get out of the game. We wanted to be competitive, which we were, and I thought we played really well. Our confidence is definitely up after the game.”
At newly-promoted Drogheda, Massey will be working under two of the brightest young coaches in the league. Manager Tim Clancy and his assistant Kevin Doherty (a former team-mate of Massey at Bray Wanderers) are aged 36 and 40 respectively.
“I think that comes through in their training and how we’re going to play will be full of energy this year and it’s an exciting time for them. It’s an important stage in their career as well. I’m sure that they’ll want us to do well and they’ll drive us on,” Massey added.
“You only have to see Tim. He kicks every ball on the line and he commentates on every play in the game. I’m sure you’ll probably hear more of Tim than you’ll probably hear of the players on the pitch.”