Drogheda United to Face Trabzonspor in Historic Friendly
Drogheda United are heading into the unknown this autumn – and they might just run into Mohamed Salah along the way.
The League of Ireland club have confirmed a glamour friendly against Turkish giants Trabzonspor at Papara Park on 1 October, the first time the Louth side will play on Turkish soil. The date drops neatly into a three-week international break and will double as a late-season mini-camp for Kevin Doherty’s squad.
Whether Salah actually lines out is another matter. The Egypt star is due to face South Sudan in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on 27 September, leaving his involvement in the friendly in doubt. Trabzonspor’s Super Lig campaign restarts the following week, with Salah and his team-mates set for an away trip to Samsunspor, so the club’s medical and coaching staff may choose to manage his minutes carefully.
Even without a guaranteed glimpse of the former Liverpool forward, the fixture carries weight far beyond the pitch.
A friendship rooted in famine
Drogheda are one of three official sister clubs of Trabzonspor, alongside Sanlıurfaspor and Siirt Provincial Special Administration Sport, a relationship that stretches back far deeper than modern football twinning.
Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer podcast in 2020, former Drogheda United PRO Roisin Philips outlined how the bond between the town and Turkey was forged.
"It goes back far longer than 2011 when they announced that we'd become their sister club," she said.
"In fact it goes back to the Great Famine in 1845. Drogheda had links with Turkey as a result of the Sultan at the time sending aid over to the Irish people. Boats came up the Boyne in Drogheda. He also sent £1,000 at the time.
"There's been a long history of co-operation between the two countries, from the Turkish side to Ireland."
That story will sit at the heart of a new documentary, ‘An Gorta Mór – The Star & The Crescent’, to be aired on Turkish television around the game. The film will explore Ottoman humanitarian assistance during the Irish Famine and the unlikely historical bridge that now feeds into a modern football occasion.
The match itself also arrives against a broader diplomatic backdrop, as Ireland and Turkey approach the 75th anniversary of formal relations in 2026. For Drogheda, it is a rare chance to step into a different footballing world while representing more than just their club crest.
Star power in Trabzon
Trabzonspor have assembled one of the most eye-catching squads in Turkey. Salah arrived after bringing a glittering Liverpool spell to an end, joining up with his former Anfield team-mate Fabinho and ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana in a side built to chase domestic and European success.
For Drogheda’s players, the prospect of sharing a pitch – or even a warm-up – with that calibre of talent turns a routine friendly into a landmark night. For the club, it is another chapter in a story that started with famine ships on the Boyne and now stretches to a modern arena on the Black Sea coast.
Whether Salah plays or not, Drogheda will walk out at Papara Park carrying 180 years of history with them.
