Wretched Drogs don’t measure up in Inchicore
FROM a position of relative comfort barely a fortnight ago, Drogheda United now look extremely vulnerable to being sucked into relegation trouble following Friday night’s defeat by St Pat’s.
The Boynesiders have taken just two points out of nine against bottom-three teams ahead of their trip to Turner’s Cross this week, but it’s their performances more than results that will have their supporters worrying about what the future holds.
A draw was a poor return from the game against Sligo after some enterprising attacking play, but they were second best against Galway and didn’t really deserve a point, while this latest display in Richmond Park was wretched, particularly in the first half.
Hosts St Pat’s were bottom of the table and had the worst home record in the league going into this fixture, and yet they had managed eight attempts at the Drogheda goal by the 21st minute.
In fairness, Pete Mahon was missing five likely starters in Sean Thornton, Adam Wixted, Gavin Brennan, Stephen Elliott and Colm Deasy through either illness, injury or suspension, but that doesn’t excuse the desperately poor fare served up in a game where an away win would have lifted Drogheda into the top half of the table.
In the opening seconds Ciaran McGuigan dallied on the touchline and was all too easily dispossessed, and that incident set the tone for an abject first-half performance.
With five minutes on the clock two defenders went for the same ball, allowing Kurtis Byrne to deliver a dangerous cross towards Christy Fagan who fired wide from eight yards.
It proved to be only the briefest of let-offs for Drogheda, though, as St Pat’s struck in the eighth minute with a goal that was disastrous from a defensive point of view.
Pat’s skipper Conan Byrne floated in a free kick from the right and Pat’s captain Ian Bermingham peeled off at the back post to stand completely unmarked as he stroked a volley past the badly exposed Stephen McGuinness.
Drogheda players stood looking at each other in utter bemusement, and their expressions summed up the team’s inept firsthalf performance. They seemed badly prepared - although that was surely not the case - and there was no shape about the team despite the best efforts of Killian Brennan in his long-awaited comeback game.
Conan Byrne almost turned in a Fagan cross at full stretch, McGuinness saved from Darragh Markey, Gavin Peers headed wide and Fagan had a shot blocked by a defender after Richie Purdy was dispossessed - all in an eight-minute period.
Three McGuinness kicks went out of play and the keeper then pushed a Kurtis Byrne effort around the post, although the ball seemed to be going wide anyway.
That Pat’s chance came as a result of Luke Gallagher giving possession away on the edge of his own box, and it was just as well that Fagan somehow fired wide from six yards from the resulting corner kick.
Fagan was having a nightmare in front of goal and he missed another sitter on 26 minutes after Conan Byrne had muscled his way past McGuigan all too easily.
Drogheda had a rare chance just after the half-hour as Gareth McCaffrey swung in an inviting cross towards Jake Hyland whose header was clutched at the second attempt by Pat’s keeper Conor O’Malley.
Brennan had a heated exchange with captain Gallagher and the conversation seemed to have an effect as chances briefly dried up for St Pat’s coming up to half-time. Indeed, Drogheda had one of their own when Purdy somehow shook off two challenges after being put in trouble by Gallagher, and then played the ball wide to McCaffrey who fired into the side netting.
Conan Byrne had by this stage limped off for St Pat’s, but his namesake Kurtis forced McGuinness into an excellent tip-over save as the first half drew to a close with Pat’s somehow only a single goal ahead.
On the restart the hosts didn’t waste any time putting the game virtually out of Drogheda’s reach, however. Markey showed brilliant awareness to spot the run of Kurtis Byrne who advanced on goal and supplied a cool finish to give McGuinness no chance.
The remaining 33 minutes and time added on for stoppages were as forgettable and lacking in entertainment as I’ve seen for a long time.
St Pat’s eased off considerably and seemed content to let Drogheda come at them, but Pete Mahon’s side seemed hopelessly lacking in imagination and indeed interest.
Thomas Byrne seemed to be the one player capable of inflicting any damage and shortly after that second Pat’s goal he whipped in a brilliant cross, but sadly no teammate was switched on to the youngster’s intentions and the ball was put behind for what turned out to be a fruitless corner kick.
There was a scare for Pat’s in the 57th minute, though, as McCaffrey - so quiet up to that point - latched onto a hopeful ball forward and nipped in between two defenders before seemingly being upended in the box by the advancing keeper O’Malley.
It looked a good case for a penalty, and when referee Buttimer turned away the former Shamrock Rovers man sprinted 30 yards to remonstrate fiercely with the official who perhaps showed some leniency in brandishing a yellow card.
Killian Brennan, whose only other appearance this season lasted 45 minutes some 11 weeks ago, had nothing more to give at this stage, and having won all three domestic trophies during his time in Inchicore he got a warm reception from Pat’s fans as he was replaced by brother Sean.
Within seconds of coming on, the substitute blazed over the bar when under pressure from a defender after McCaffrey had teed him up.
Mahon gave his team a lesson in ball control when brilliantly trapping a towering clearance in front of the away dugout, and in the latter stages gave as good as they got, without being able to create a clear-cut chance.
Gallagher almost caught out O’Malley with a speculative 35yard drive that skipped off the wet surface and bounced narrowly wide, and there was one final chance deep into stoppage time when sub Mark Doyle got on the end of a move involving Hyland and Sean Brennan and hit a stinging shot that was clutched by O’Malley.
Drogheda will look at the unsuccessful penalty claim as a crucial moment in the game and a goal at any stage in the second half would have made for an interesting finish.
However, the 2-0 scoreline flattered them over the 90 minutes and it was their deplorable start that cost them dearly - certainly not Mr Buttimer.