Drogheda set to sign Richie Sadlier
Drogheda United are on the verge of signing Republic of Ireland international Richie Sadlier.
Sadlier, 26, quit football in 2003 because of a persistent hip problem but is keen on making a return and has already verbally agreed a deal with Drogheda manager Paul Doolin.
At present, the striker is completing a University degree in Sports Science in London and will combine his studies and playing for Drogheda until June when he will return to Ireland full time.
Sadlier was one of Ireland’s great striking hopes when he was at Millwall but a series of hip injuries meant he never added to his one international cap claimed in 2002. He retired in 2003 and briefly worked as a player agent, head of recruitment for Millwall and as a pundit for Setanta Sports.
Meanwhile, Drogheda look set to miss out on entry into the UEFA Cup via the European Fair Play League.
Every year, UEFA award two spots in the UEFA Cup based on fair play with the country that tops the fair play rankings (based on games under the jurisdiction of UEFA) being awarded one spot with the other spot being a draw between every country with a fair play coeffecient exceeding 8.0.
At the moment, Ireland’s is 7.9 and, with very few Irish teams due to take part in games under UEFA’s jurisdiction before the end of May, it is unlikely that Ireland will qualify for the draw.
