Last-gasp goal leaves Drogheda high ’n’ dry
With his bleached-blonde hair, orange boots and deep tan, the former Cork star stood out like a sore thumb, but the home defence hadn’t spotted his run quickly enough.
AS Ireland struggles to cope with the effects of this never-ending heatwave, Drogheda United are having to deal with a bit of a drought of their own.
It was raining goals in the opening weeks of the season as the Boynesiders put eight past Wexford, hit Athlone for six and scored five in Cobh, but they’ve hit a dry spell and it’s threatening to put their promotion push in jeopardy.
Their defence continues to perform up to par, conceding only eight in the last 11 games, but during that period they’ve scored only 11 times and in their four recent games against promotion rivals they’ve netted only once - from a contentious penalty kick.
Last Friday the Drogs should have beaten Finn Harps. They were the better side over the 90 minutes and created many more chances, but wayward finishing and some heroics from the Harps keeper kept them out.
Then came the hammer blow in the 89th minute as veteran John O’Flynn, who turns 36 tomorrow (Wednesday), struck for the Donegal men to earn them a priceless three points.
The goal came completely against the run of play, but in fairness to Ollie Horgan’s men they were a match for Drogheda in the first half.
They had clearly set out to test Ciaran Kelly who was continuing in his unfavoured left-back position owing to Conor Kane’s injury, and after only two minutes the big man was beaten for pace by Jesse Devers.
The livewire number 7 cut the ball back perfectly for Mark Coyle whose well-struck shot was well parried low to his left by Paul Skinner.
Drogheda responded by creating a half-chance as Gareth McCaffrey surged forward and released Mark Doyle. The Harps defence blocked his effort into the path of Jake Hyland who sliced wide under pressure.
At the other end Coyle ballooned over the bar after being set up by Gareth Harkin as Harps continued to threaten down their right flank, and it took a fine piece of recovery defending by Luke Gallagher to deny Devers a clear run on goal in the 10th minute. The end-to-end action continued as Kelly arrowed a cross towards McCaffrey, but a slight touch off a defender resulted in a miscued header by the Drogheda man. An instinctive cross on the volley by Sean Brennan gave Doyle a sight of goal in the 13th minute, but he could only steer his header straight at Harps netminder Ciaran Gallagher. Brennan was becoming increasingly influential and a brilliant centre by the former captain was completely missed in the air by McCaffrey, with only Gallagher to beat. Efforts by Mikey Place and Coyle failed to test Skinner as Harps continued to ask questions of the home defence, but a promising Drogheda counter-attack came to nothing thanks to a crude challenge by Paddy McCourt on Brennan which earned the former Celtic man a yellow card. As both players were treated by the physios, six Drogheda players crowded round Tim Clancy for instructions as the manager looked for improvements at both ends of the field.
Another Drogheda chance came to nothing in the 32nd minute as a cross-shot by McCaffrey flew out of reach of Doyle and Chris Lyons, while the hosts were fortunate that Devers failed to connect with an overhead effort from close range.
The Drogs’ best moment of the first half came in the 38th minute as Doyle teed up Richie Purdy who, with minimal backlift, unleashed a powerful angled shot which was superbly tipped round the post by keeper Gallagher.
Coming up to half-time the hosts were well on top and should have broken the deadlock on several occasions.
Doyle volleyed over the bar from 12 yards after an exquisite pass from Brennan, and Lyons arrived too late to get on the end of another inviting McCaffrey centre after brilliant play initially by Brennan and Lyons himself.
Deep into stoppage time Hyland had a close-range effort deflected wide after Lyons had left Lee Toland for dead with a superb turn, and Doyle fired straight at Gallagher after the keeper’s namesake Luke had delivered a pinpoint pass.
The second half was largely one-way traffic as the Drogs continued from where they left off. In the opening seconds McCaffrey showed great sharpness to nip in front of his marker and toe-poke Hyland’s cross narrowly over the bar.
A mis-hit effort by Harps’ Niall McGinley - on as a sub for the injured McCourt - deceived Skinner and bounced off the bar, before a long-range Brennan free kick took a touch off the wall and ran through to Gallagher.
A McCaffrey shot warmed the hands of the keeper on 55 minutes after Hyland’s industry had won possession back from Nathan Boyle, and Gallagher produced
another fine stop to deny Brennan.
Hyland then curled an effort straight at the keeper and moments later Brennan’s flick put Lyons through, but again a defender got a touch on the final shot to make things easy for Gallagher.
It was beginning to look like it wouldn’t be Drogheda’s night when Doyle’s powerful shot was brilliantly palmed away by Gallagher in the 79th minute, but seconds later a rare Harps attack ended with a lofted Boyle cross hitting the top of the crossbar, with Skinner seemingly unsure whether or not to intervene.
Clancy threw on debutant Robert Manley and the substitute almost became an instant hero as he challenged with Gallagher for a Colm Deasy cross, just failing to get a decisive touch.
The outstanding Harps keeper made his one and only error when coming off his line but failing to collect Hyland’s hopeful ball in. Doyle latched onto the rebound but ballooned over the bar, with Gallagher stranded.
Then came the hammer blow in the last minute but one of normal time as Boyle released fellow sub John O’Flynn just inside the box. With his bleached-blonde hair, orange boots and deep tan, the former Cork City star stood out like a sore thumb, but the home defence clearly hadn’t spotted his run quickly enough and the diminutive striker duly dinked the ball past Skinner for an undeserved Harps winner.