Lincoln City CEO Liam Scully is just back from a trip to Ireland and despite rumours that Damien Duff is at the forefront of his mind, it's another League of Ireland manager that has impressed him.
Scully took in Drogheda United v Shelbourne on the final night of the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division last Friday, with the game being his final opportunity to take a look at Shels forward Jack Moylan, who will be joining the Imps in January.
The trip was certainly worth his while, as Drogheda raced into a 2-0 half-time lead before Shels came back to win 4-2, with Moylan helping himself to a brace.
The result was a big one for Duff's side, as it secured fourth place in the table and a route into Europe, if St. Patrick's Athletic beat Bohemians in the FAI Cup Final on Sunday.
Speaking to BBC Sport Lincolnshire this week, Scully was asked whether the trip was about more than watching Moylan, with the interviewer appearing to imply that he was on the lookout for a replacement for Mark Kennedy, the former Ireland international who left his role as manager last month.
However, despite social media rumours that he was looking at Duff, Scully wouldn't bite and instead opted to heap praise on the man in the opposite dugout on Friday, Drogs boss Kevin Doherty.
Lincoln CEO on Damien Duff rumours
"It was about Jack Moylan," laughed Scully, before adding: "I'll say this glibly before the betting odds go crazy. When people are talking about League of Ireland managers, I can't believe Kevin Doherty's not in the mentioning for that because the job that he and the team at Drogheda have done this year has been phenomenal.
"To be able to see that, they obviously played a huge part in Freddie Draper and Elicha [Ahui]'s early season with them... so yeah, there could be a few ruses and a few red herrings there."
Was the trip to Ireland at the weekend about seeing Jack Moylan play or anything to do with the managerial search at @LincolnCity_FC ?
Listen here to Liam Scully, the Imps chief executive: https://t.co/A8edGtsmPG pic.twitter.com/tUFPZabX8K— BBC Sport Lincolnshire (@BBCSportLincs) November 7, 2023
Kevin Doherty impresses Liam Scully
Scully's admiration for Doherty is shared with many around the league of Ireland, as the Dubliner has once again worked wonders on a part-time budget at the Louth club, securing their safety with weeks of the season to spare.
After Friday's game, Duff dropped a hint that Shelbourne have been slow to tie him down for a 2024 campaign that could yet see European football return to Tolka Park for the first time since 2006.
While Lincoln look to be distancing themselves, another strong season for either Duff or Doherty could attract more admirers from across the water.
