Unlikely winners to raise curtain in President's Cup

Shelbourne v Drogheda United, Tolka Park, 7.45pm

The unlikely winners of the 2024 season, league champions Shelbourne and FAI Cup victors Drogheda United, clash at Tolka Park tonight to raise the curtain for the new campaign in the President's Cup.

These sides can take credit for being major contributors to a memorable year and helping the League of Ireland break new ground, with the respective managers writing their names in the history books.

That will officially be left behind as the first ball is kicked in 2025.

There are new faces in both sides and perhaps different outlooks.

A now fully-professional Drogheda will look to move from a basic goal of staying in the division to now trying to climb the table.

For Shels, the only way is down if they do not retain their title.

This fixture will provide the chance to win another piece of silverware, but perhaps more importantly a game in front of a big crowd to hone a selection for the opening day of the season next Friday.

Shels boss Damien Duff wants this encounter to be a starting point for his side.

He revealed that a couple of players will miss the game due to knocks "picked up not at the club" and "gotten on their off-season".

"No matter how hard you work, you're always nervous and wondering how far you are down the line," Duff told RTÉ Sport as he began to serve a warning to his team.

"You can work hard and players can look good but you don't know until the first game. And I'm classing Drogheda as the first game.

"I'd like to think the team and the squad will evolve naturally because of the quality we've brought in.

"Outside of that, it's the same. We train with the same intensity and we're aiming for the stars again."

He feels both sides will be going all out for victory