Dane Massey has won it all in the domestic game but this season could present his biggest challenge yet.
A player of his experience knew that Drogheda were going to be in a dogfight this season, having finished seventh last term. Losing their first two games, to Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers, underlines the task at hand.
"A lot of young lads have come in and, with the games last Friday and Monday, have been thrown in at a deep end really," said Massey.
"It's going to be extremely tough but I think we're well able for it. It's going to be really competitive, more so than last year."
Tim Clancy left the hot-seat for St Pat's in the close season and Mark Doyle followed, while other regular performers last season have also departed, but the club's new captain is determined that new-look Drogheda will hold their own.
Massey won five League titles, three FAI Cups, a League Cup and two Presidents Cups - and also played in the Europa League pool stage twice during a glorious six year period with Dundalk.
The Dubliner left Oriel Park ahead of last season for Louth rivals Drogheda, and, after Clancy left and his assistant Kevin Doherty succeeded him, Massey was asked to be the club's new skipper.
"I was captain at Dundalk for a couple of months while the big man, Garts (Brian Gartland), was injured, but this is my role now," said the 33-year-old.
"It was a huge vote of confidence in myself. Kev was only named manager and he got on the phone straight away and asked me, and I've taken great confidence from it.
"It's a massive honour. The club is steeped in great history, and to be honest I was a bit taken aback.
"But look, I've great experience in the game, I've probably won all there is here but it's how you portray yourself to the new lads and share your experience.
"When you look at the squad here, we have Gary Deegan, Darragh Markey, Chris Lyons - an experienced core group there, and those are the type of characters who don't need an armband to express their views, which is good.
"That experience is going to be vital for us this year.
"I want to be approachable from the start but if someone steps out of line you've got to let them know, especially the younger lads.
"You can't make any mistakes in this league or you get punished, and we saw that against Rovers on Monday.
"There'll be a couple of young lads playing at this level for the first time this year, so they need to get to grips with it quickly."
He describes the Doherty-Daire Doyle management team as "a breath of fresh air" and that the former transitioned easily from the number two role.
"The lads know the position, Kev said it from day one that he's the gaffer and he made that clear," stressed Massey.
But following a demanding pre-season, the postponement of the opening night trip to Finn Harps was a blow - it was a fixture the Drogheda camp had targeted from a couple of weeks out.
Massey admits that a good start breeds confidence, especially in a new-look team.
And with UCD up next, a home victory looks increasingly important given that Drogheda's next five matches are against Sligo, Derry, Dundalk, St Pat's and Bohs.
"There's definitely no panic here," Massey said. "We've only played two games and it's going to be a long year.
"Conor Hoey (Drogheda's chairman) made a promise during lockdown to let fans in for free for a game this season and he's kept his word - this is the game, and hopefully we'll get a big crowd in.
"Three points would be amazing as it would get us off the mark but I feel that we're getting there, we're starting to gel and find our feet. We can be a surprise factor this year."
It is five years since Massey put away his electrician's tool kit to go full time and, when his playing days end, his plan is to stay in the game rather than go back to the old job.
He starts his UEFA B licence this month.
"It's good to have that base as an electrician and I know I can go back to it if I ever needed it, but I stopped in 2017, it feels like a lifetime ago," he said.
Massey is delighted that he took the plunge into life as a full-time footballer. The decision probably extended his career.
"It would have been extremely tough to keep going with both," he said.
"It's all about rest and recovery now, being full time. If I was up for work at 7 in the morning every day it would be so much harder.
"I feel great, I'm extremely lucky that I can do that but I don't take it for granted."
He caught the coaching bug while helping out at Knocklyon United, where he started as a youngster. He works with young players and with the senior squad.
"I really enjoy it and that's why I want to take up coaching when I finish up," Massey said. "I want to pass on that love for the game that I have."
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