Drogheda draw a blank to end with a whimper
WELL, thank God it’s over...
Another tumultuous season in Drogheda’s colourful history came to an end on Friday night and predictably they drew another blank in front of their own fans at United Park.
Their last 10 league games on their own patch yielded one solitary goal - Sean Brennan’s consolation effort in a drubbing by Bohemians - and it’s that deplorable scoring record as much as anything that is responsible for the Drogs finishing bottom of the Premier Division.
That’s not to say that the team haven’t had problems defensively, but what the squad as a whole did develop towards the tail end of the season was a bit of backbone and that was evident again on Friday last.
Facing a Sligo Rovers side who needed a point to make sure of their own top-flight status, Drogheda had to defend for long spells, but with only pride to play for they rolled up their sleeves and battled.
Centre-halves Dave Mulcahy and Kevin Farragher, who had only played alongside each other on one previous occasion, were excellent throughout, and goalkeeper Stephen McGuinness was the Drogheda Independent Man of the Match following an outstanding display between the sticks.
If that great spirit and togetherness had been there from the start of the season, then Drogheda might not be heading back to the First Division.
A defeat for Sligo and a win for Galway in their game against Dundalk would have seen the Bit O’Red relegated on the final night and Drogheda fans were heavily outnumbered as hundreds travelled from the west.
With Dundalk immediately cancelling out an early Galway goal and going on to lead 3-1 at the interval, there wasn’t too much nail-biting at United Park as the away supporters seemed confident enough that Sligo would be safe from the drop come 9.30pm.
The early exchanges were even enough, with Chris Mulhall having a snap shot saved by Sligo netminder Shaun Patton, while John Russell was similarly denied by McGuinness and the visitors had a couple of other wayward efforts from distance.
Drogheda’s only other chance of the half came on 36 minutes when Adam Wixted swapped passes with Mulhall before firing straight at Patton when Mark Doyle was possibly in a better position to shoot.
Sligo did rally coming up to the interval and a downward header by Vinny Faherty bounced narrowly wide, before Russell hit a dipping shot just over the bar.
The Bit O’Red carried that momentum into the early stages of the second half, perhaps sensing that they needed to put this game to bed and not worry about events elsewhere.
McGuinness did very well to cling on to a Jack Keaney piledriver, Greg Moorhouse toe-poked a Rhys McCabe centre narrowly wide and a Gary Boylan cross bounced off the crossbar, all inside the first five minutes.
With space beginning to open up, the Boynesiders started to look more dangerous at the opposite end and after some head tennis in the Sligo box Mulcahy nodded the ball goal-wards, only to see his effort taken off the line by Kyle McFadden.
Jamie McDonagh beat three Drogheda players, only to pull his shot well wide, and as Sligo upped the tempo once more Brennan had to clear off the line from Faherty before McGuinness saved McFadden’s follow-up and a subsequent Seamus Sharkey header.
Thomas Byrne marked his introduction from the bench with a very late tackle on Patton, albeit without malice, and the Sligo keeper was forced off, to be replaced by 18-year-old Ed McGinty.
Having earned himself a yellow card, the Tenure teenager thankfully calmed down after that, and he instigated an attack that saw Stephen Meaney cleverly back-heel into the path of Ryan McEvoy whose shot rose inches over the bar.
Seamus Sharkey was rather lucky to escape with a booking for a nasty tackle on Byrne, who to his credit just got up and walked away, and from the free kick Doyle swapped passes with Mulhall before slicing his shot into the side netting.
A towering header from McFadden was brilliantly tipped over the bar by McGuinness, before there was hopeful shouts for a penalty following McGinty’s challenge on Doyle as he attempted to latch onto Sean Russell’s in-swinging cross.
With Galway drawing level with Dundalk at Eamonn Deacy Park, another goal for the Tribesmen and a Drogheda winner would have seen Sligo relegated, but still the Bit O’Red couldn’t find a way past McGuinness as the keeper dived to his right to beat away an angled Benny Igiehon effort. With injury time still to be played at United Park news filtered through of Galway’s defeat and Sligo fans celebrated their now-confirmed Premier survival as Mulhall flashed a late effort wide of the target.
In the end it was only a point for Drogheda, but the result did mean that they remained unbeaten in three meetings with Sligo this season which is a notable achievement against full-time opposition.
•There was a minute’s applause before kick-off in memory of Drogheda United fan Alan Hanlon and locally-born Eamonn Campbell of The Dubliners fame who both passed away recently.