Top-of-table clash is fit for the president
Drogheda Utd 2 Galway Utd 2
UNITED Park was lit up by a tremendous match as well as the brand-new floodlights as 10-man Drogheda salvaged an excellent point against title favourites Galway on Friday night.
Michael D Higgins, a Galway supporter, was in attendance for this top-of-the-table clash and it was a game fit for a president, with plenty of goalmouth action, good attacking play and heroic defending as well as controversy.
Both teams were missing key players, with Sean Brennan and Lee Duffy absent for the Drogs and Galway fielding without prolific striker Danny Furlong. In came Kealan Dillon and Gareth McCaffrey for the home side and the two replacements almost combined for a goal inside three minutes as McCaffrey flashed a near-post header narrowly wide from Dillon’s inswinging corner.
However, Galway quickly grabbed control and serious questions were asked of the home defence for the first time this season after relatively straightforward tests against Athlone and Wexford.
They were almost undone by a slide-rule pass that put Eoin McCormack through on goal, but young centre-back Ciaran Kelly denied him with a brilliantly timed tackle that had to be executed to perfection to avoid conceding a penalty kick.
McCormack then flicked on a Mark Ludden throw for the on-rushing Alan Murphy who steered his header high and wide, before Ryan Connolly’s snap shot forced keeper Paul Skinner into a save on 11 minutes.
Drogheda looked dangerous on the break, though, and Chris Lyons took advantage of a Maurice Nugent mistake to race clear, only to be dispossessed by Murphy as he tried to switch onto his right foot.
A minute later the home defence produced more heroics. Stephen Kenny’s curling shot was parried low down to his right at full stretch by Skinner and McCormack was onto the rebound in a flash, only to be left frustrated as Kelly somehow booted off the line.
Coming up to the half-hour Mark Doyle made a nuisance of himself and forced a corner from which Dillon’s kick was aimed deep. Lloyd Buckley headed back towards goal and Stephen Walsh had to clear from right under the crossbar.
Then a well-worked free kick saw Dillon roll a pass to Lyons who cut inside and fired straight at Tadhg Ryan in the Galway goal.
It was Dillon once more who steered a pass into the path of the on-rushing Jake Hyland and he hooked a pass inside towards Lyons in a great position. However, Walsh popped up in the nick of time from Galway’s point of view and at full stretch toe-poked the ball to safety as Lyons lined up a shot.
After that mini spell of pressure the Boynesiders were then rocked twice in the space of three minutes as Galway put themselves firmly in the driving seat going into half-time.
The opening goal was clinically executed. McCaffrey vacated his right flank to put pressure on Galway’s back four coming out of defence, but the visitors managed to retain possession and immediately swept the ball into the space out on their left.
Kevin Farragher was dragged out of position in an attempt to cover and that left Connolly in splendid isolation when the ball was played up to him on the edge of the box. The skipper might have had a shot himself but instead set up McCormack whose effort took a fortuitous deflection off the boot of Kelly and ended up in the net.
Drogheda actually had a chance to restore parity immediately, but Lyons mis-kicked in front of goal and Galway immediately counter-attacked, with Connolly once more releasing the unmarked McCormack who chipped over the advancing Skinner for 2-0.
The break probably came at an opportune time for Drogheda and manager Tim Clancy duly hauled off both his right-sided players as he brought on Colm Deasy and Luke Rossiter.
The latter was immediately into action, releasing Lyons who forced a corner from which Doyle’s header was saved by Ryan.
Three badly mis-placed passes in succession and then an overhit corner kick suggested that Drogheda were perhaps trying too hard, but Galway seemed content to protect their lead and the hosts eventually halved the deficit coming up to the hour mark.
Deasy possesses one of the longest throws in the league and when he hurled the ball into the heart of the box the away defence somehow let it bounce all the way through to Doyle who smashed home from close range.
Full-back Deasy almost undid his good work when he allowed a Connolly free kick glance backwards off his head and Skinner was at full stretch to spare his teammate’s blushes with a tip- over save.
From the resulting corner Alex Byrne sent a bullet shot rising over the bar, but Galway were mainly on the back foot, not helped by two skewed clearances in quick succession from their keeper Ryan.
Farragher headed narrowly wide from another well-delivered Deasy throw and Lyons then fired over the bar after latching onto a Hyland through-ball.
On 75 minutes the Galway defence had a big escape as a downward header by Kelly struck the post before being scrambled
away by Ryan as Hyland looked poised to convert the rebound.
However, moments later the home side were hit by ‘red peril’ for the second time in successive games. Deasy, who had been unlucky to be booked earlier, made a fairly harmless-looking challenge on Kenny who then collapsed to the turf. Referee Adriano Reale decided a second yellow card was warranted and Deasy trudged back to the dressing-rooms.
The latter stages were frantic. Rossiter was off target with a free kick after Stephen Meaney was brought down in a central position, and then Galway’s McCormack then somehow hooked the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard box from a Carlton Ubaezuono centre.
However, on 83 minutes 10-man Drogheda grabbed the equaliser they so richly deserved. Luke Gallagher won possession and played it to Meaney. The substitute lifted the ball over the away defence for the on-rushing Gallagher who blasted an unstoppable volley past Ryan.
The Boynesiders almost conceded immediately as Ubaezuono once again picked out McCormack six yards out, but this time he directed a header straight at a relieved Skinner.
It was all hands on deck in the remaining time as Drogheda hung on desperately, but they defended like their lives depended on it, typified by Doyle who made a brilliant block with his body to keep out a powerful shot.
This was the Boynesiders’ first real test of the season and they’ve shown they can hack it with the best.