Last-gasp goal puts Drogheda at summit

DDSL U18 GIRLS PREMIER LAKELANDS 2 DROGHEDA UNITED 3

NEWLY-CROWNED U19 Leinster champions Drogheda United had to battle until the very last minute to come away with victory against one of their closest U18 Premier Division rivals in Sandyford on Sunday.

Playing in their own age group for the first time since that provincial triumph, Drogheda were sluggish in the opening half and Lakelands could have gone ahead a number of times, on one occasion hitting the inside of the post from a long-range effort.

Drogheda defenders Alisha Ajisafe and Niamh Leonard needed to be at the top of their game and thankfully for the visitors they were as the home side camped out in the Boynesiders’ half and continued to probe throughout.

Drogheda were most dangerous on the right flank, with Hannah Newman and Romy McAvinia combining well to cause problems, while on the left Sophie Everitt and Ciara McCroary also managed to work overlaps on the counter-attack to cross, but the accuracy of the final pass just wasn’t quite good enough.

With a minute to go before the half-time whistle, McAvinia won the ball back from a defender in the corner and dribbled towards the box, only to be taken down from behind.

Although it looked like an obvious penalty to the visitors and Drogheda skipper Grace Martin duly placed the ball on the spot to take the kick, the referee then judged the initial foul to have taken place outside the box and the visitors had to make do with a free kick, which the home side were able to clear.

The referee then signalled for half-time, and the break seemed to suit the Drogs as they came back out looking much more energetic, taking the game to their opponents from the restart.

Niamh O’Hart and Kacey Cummins were able to find space in the middle of the park to create chances for Martin and Everitt, but both prolific goalscorers were thwarted by the excellent Lakelands goalkeeper on a number of occasions.

Around the 60-minute mark Lakeland won a free on the edge of the Drogheda penalty area and goalkeeper Jade Murphy was beaten by a well taken kick to give the home side a deserved lead on the balance of play up to that point.

Almost instantly Drogheda responded, though, when a long ball played over the top of the Lakelands defenders found Martin. She combined with McAvinia to release O’Hart 25 yards out from goal, and the talented midfielder was able to spot the goalkeeper off her line and hit a delightful, inch perfect lob to level the score at 1-1.

Lakelands had further good chances, but strong defending by Lyndsey Horan and goalkeeping by Murphy helped keep them at bay.

On 75 minutes Lakelands were back in front, however, when Drogheda conceded possession high inside their opponents’ half before the home team’s winger dribbled past two defenders and fired home to put her team back into pole position, and indeed back at the top of the Premier Division table.

This seemed to wake Drogheda, though, and the final 15 minutes of the game provided further evidence of how hard it is to beat this team as they unloaded on Lakelands with everything they had to offer.

Midfielders Megan Murray, O’Hart and Zoey English seemed to find another gear and were able to move the ball around the pitch impressively, while also breaking up any counter-attacks whenever possession was lost.

Martin had a number of chances inside the box but was denied a goal for all her hard work chasing down defenders.

However, with four minutes remaining Drogheda won a corner kick, which was delivered perfectly by Cummins into the six-yard box, where McAvinia rose highest to head home and bring her side level at 2-2.

Then, with two minutes left on the clock, a moment of brilliance by Zoey English helped secure a huge win for Drogheda when she received the ball on half-way from a throw-in before spinning her marker and playing a beautiful 40-yard, defence-splitting pass along the ground.

On the receiving end on the edge of the Lakelands box was Sophie English who unleashed a powerful shot that nestled in the net despite the home keeper’s best efforts.

Drogheda now sit two points above Lakelands with a game in hand at the top of the Premier Division with 10 games remaining, including a home clash against the Sandyford side who they will also face in the semi-final of the DDSL Cup.