In October 2008 Drogheda went into examinership, like Cork City, after failing to pay back a €500,000 loan to the Revenue Commissioners and €10,000 rent to Bohemians for their use of Dalymount Park in their Champions League Qualifiers.

[3] After successfully raising money through various fund raisers arranged by the supporters, the club escaped extinction on 30 January 2009 when a judge ruled in Drogheda's favour, to the delight of the teary eyed chairman Vincent Hoey.

Due to bankruptcy, the club went part-time and lost their entire league-winning squad, and manager, Paul Doolin, who took over Cork City.

Drogheda started terribly and after a 6–0 loss at the hands of Sligo Rovers on 15 May, Alan Mathews quit his managerial post.

[10] Despite finishing rock-bottom of the table with only four wins and nine draws (a total of 21 points) in 2010 and being relegated, Drogheda United were reprieved after the extinction of Sporting Fingal in February 2011.

[12] Cooke appointed former Drogs goalkeeper, Robbie Horgan as his assistant, and inherited the players who had been signed by Bobby Browne to play in the First Division so hopes weren't high.

The win turned their season around and despite operating on the lowest playing budget in the league, Drogheda managed to avoid relegation.

Cooke finally had his own team of players and despite having less than a tenth of the budget that the club had in the glory days under Paul Doolin, Drogheda have had their best season by far since then.

In the Europa League qualifying rounds that season, the club were drawn against Swedish giants Malmö and only lost by a single goal over two legs after a battling performance.

John Gill took over as assistant manager with Mark Kinsella ex Irish international remaining part of the coaching staff.

Unfortunately for the Drogs, a late winner from Chris Lyons at United Park[18] was not enough, as they shipped 2 goals in the second leg in Ballybofey, condemning them to playoff heartbreak once again.

United opened their season with a 2–0 away win at Cobh Ramblers on 22 February, followed by a 1–0 home loss to Longford Town F.C.

[24] A break of over 3 months would follow, and they finally returned to action with a 2–2 draw to Shamrock Rovers II on 2 August, without spectators.

[25] The Drogs only lost 3 games between the months of August and November, and their title race with Bray Wanderers went down to the final day, when they travelled to the Stradbrook to face Cabinteely on 27 October.

At the beginning of the evening, Drogheda were 1 point behind their Wicklow counterparts, but a 2–0 win courtesy of goals from James Brown and Luke Heeney meant they would lift the trophy on a historic night which granted them a place in the 2021 League of Ireland Premier Division.

The young coach managed to attract the experienced heads of Gary Deegan,[27] Dane Massey,[28] Dinny Corcoran[29] and Ronan Murray,[30] all veterans of the league.

[37] Another impressive performance came when Drogheda won 2–1 against Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds on 12 June, Chris Lyons scoring a brace.

[38] Their surprise victories meant the newly promoted side were pushing for European places deep into the season, when many expected them to be in a relegation dogfight.

On 20 August, Drogheda pulled off a historic victory over their rivals Dundalk at Oriel Park, the first time they had done so for 9 years, courtesy of a Mark Doyle brace.

Doherty had a big job on his hands to paper the cracks left in his team, but did well to hang on to a number of key players, as well as recruiting others.

[citation needed] On 20 May, 10 man Drogheda came back from a 1–0 deficit to beat Finn Harps at home, with 3 goals in the final 20 minutes.

[44] They followed this up with a historic home victory over league champions Shamrock Rovers 3 days later,[45] and a 1–1 draw at Dalymount Park against Bohemians on 27 May.

[46] On 9 July, Dean Williams scored one of the fastest goals in League of Ireland history, when his 1st-minute strike gave Drogheda their second derby win of the season at home to Dundalk.

[48] In response to the economic difficulties facing the country, a group of supporters established The Claret & Blue Club in June 2009 with the aim of providing a steady income stream to Drogheda United FC.

The newspaper argued that it had not invented the name and that the fans in the shed side of the stadium often sing a song called Super Drogs.

They sing football/Drogheda United chants, wear club colours (claret and blue), wave banners and flags and generally try to help lift the team and demonstrate fervent support.

This fixture is usually a fiery encounter due to both teams historically competing in close proximity to each other on the league table, and the number of former Shelbourne players in the Drogheda United camp.

This partnership has reaped rewards for both sides, with Emmanuel Adegboyega, Freddie Draper, Evan Weir and Douglas James-Taylor all having moved between the clubs in recent seasons.

The occasion strengthened the bond between Drogheda United supporters and the travelling Walsall contingent, and the fans maintain a good relationship with one another.

[56] (Players in bold still playing for Drogheda) As of 29 January 2025 [58] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.