Drogs’ title dream crushed
A LONG drawn-out play-off series now awaits Drogheda United after they pressed the self-destruct button to end their hopes of First Division title glory and automatic promotion last Friday night.
Almost 2,500 fans packed into United Park to see if the Boynesiders could knock Shelbourne off their perch and go top with just one further game remaining, but the sending-off of Sean Brennan early in the second half proved to be a pivotal moment and the men from Tolka took full advantage to seal their return to the top flight.
There was a pumped-up atmosphere inside the packed stadium even before flares were lit by both sets of supporters, and the game certainly wasn’t long warming up after the game kicked off.
Shelbourne felt they were hard done by in the seventh minute when Ryan Brennan converted an Aidan Friel centre less than a second after the referee awarded the visitors a free kick for a foul by Mark Doyle on Jaze Kabia near the corner flag.
In fairness to Drogheda, though, Kevin Farragher had already reacted to the whistle and stopped as Ryan got in front of him to plant his header in the net. Still it was all Shelbourne in the early stages and Karl Moore could only watch as his low shot took a big deflection off a defender and spun narrowly wide of the Drogheda goal.
Farragher was alert to a lovely teasing cross from Ryan Brennan and did just enough to prevent Luke Byrne getting his head to the ball, but a moment’s hesitation from the Drogs centre-half presented a great chance to Ciaran Kilduff who was foiled by the advancing keeper Luca Gratzer.
The Boynesiders, however, went on to dominate the second quarter and a slick move involving Doyle and James Brown ended with a sharp turn in the box by Chris Lyons whose shot forced a corner kick.
Sean Brennan stroked the set piece low towards Lyons whose effort led to another corner and eventually a free kick which Brennan struck into the defensive wall.
Referee Rob Rogers booked both Lyons and Sean Brennan in the space of a minute as tempers threatened to boil over and the midfielder then received a clear warning from referee Rogers to ‘keep the head’ after what looked like an innocuous tackle on Shane Farrell who threw himself to the ground.
Drogheda, though, seemed to have weathered the early storm and a great flowing move involving Brown, Brennan and Lyons ended with a Doyle header that was deflected for another corner.
From that delivery, again from Brennan, Luke McNally rose brilliantly in the box and sent a header narrowly wide.
The heroics of Byrne then saved Shels in the 44th minute as he threw himself at Stephen Meaney’s shot to keep it out, after Jamie Hollywood’s quick throw had set Lyons away down the left flank.
Deep into first-half stoppage time Doyle was fouled by Friel 25 yards out on the left, and Brennan’s whipped free kick to the back post just evaded the lunging boot of Lyons.
The half-time whistle must almost have felt like an inconvenience to the home team, but the first chance on the restart also fell to Drogheda as a brilliant 50yard pass by Brennan picked out Doyle 15 yards from goal. Sensing that Shels keeper Colin McCabe was off his line, the Skerries man glanced a header towards the top corner, only for McCabe to back-track and eventually make a comfortable save.
The game was about to take a dramatic twist in Shelbourne’s favour, but not before their goal had survived a lucky escape. Conor Kane outfoxed Kabia on the left wing before firing in a near-post cross which Ryan Brennan sliced goal-wards in trying to clear.
McCabe made a brilliant reflex parry and when the ball ran loose Sean Brennan clashed with Lorcan Fitzgerald who immediately tumbled to the ground. Sean’s body language suggested he knew what was coming and referee Rogers duly reached for his pocket, showed him a second yellow card and then of course the dreaded red.
Emboldened by having the extra man, Derek Prendergast raided forward and had a long-range
effort blocked by McNally - Shels’ first shot at goal in 37 minutes.
Drogheda dug in, though, and a foul by Friel on Doyle right on the edge of the area led to a Kane shot which flew over the bar.
Shelbourne’s next attack, in the 65th minute, would see the deadlock finally broken.
Poor Adam Wixted, who had only just come on the field, found himself defending at his own corner flag and in ‘nutmegging’ his marker to get out of trouble he took a slightly heavy touch, allowing Fitzgerald to pounce and send a cross into the box. Kilduff gathered possession in the area before rolling the ball to Friel who shot low and hard past Gratzer from 20 yards.
Again, Drogheda lifted themselves and a Wixted corner produced a glancing header from another sub, Luke Gallagher, which flew wide of the target.
Drogheda were now operating with wing-backs in a 3-5-2 formation, with centre-half McNally pushed into attack, but Gratzer came to the Boynesiders’ rescue with a brilliant reaction save to tip Kilduff’s header onto the crossbar, and that incident led directly to Drogheda’s dramatic equaliser.
The ball was quickly worked up to Wixted who controlled the ball nicely before sending the ball in behind for Lyons to chase. Facing two defenders, the diminutive striker ghosted in between them and crossed from the byeline towards McNally who hammered the ball high to the net from 10 yards to send the home supporters into delirium.
The excitement around the ground was at fever pitch, but unfortunately Drogheda hopes were dashed once more just four minutes later as an Oscar Brennan volley bounced just in front of Gratzer and into the net to restore Shels’ lead.
The home side had one chance to restore parity when McNally brilliantly headed on Mark Hughes’ long delivery towards Lyons, but this time the striker couldn’t get a clean connection on his shot and McCabe made an easy save.
Entering stoppage time Shels put the result beyond doubt when two Drogheda defenders and the goalkeeper left the ball to each other and the impressive Fitzgerald arrived from nowhere to toe-poke Shels’ clinching goal to the net.