Sam keeps cool to earn Victory for the Boys

DROGHEDE BOYS FC 3 LIFFEY VALLEY RANGERS 2

ON a beautiful sunny Saturday morning Drogheda Boys travelled to Dublin to play their last league game before the mini break.

From the start Drogheda were playing smooth passing football which was pulling the Liffey players all over the pitch.

Alan Beattie was combining with Taju Adigun and Sam Victory in the middle of park who were then playing the ball wide for Frank McClean and Cian King.

While Drogheda were in control the final pass was not forthcoming to create the chance to turn the possession into goals.

Then on 29 minutes against the run of play Liffey Valley played a long ball over the top and a mix up in the defence allowed their centre forward in to push it past the Drogheda keeper into the net. 1-0 Liffey.

Into the second and Drogheda were starting to create chances, Sosa in midfield added tenacity and no little skill to create openings for Fola Oki up front to harass the Liffey defence.

In the first few minutes of the second half Drogheda hit the bar and blazed one over.

Then, on 40 minutes disaster struck when Liffey pressed the Drogheda defence and pounced on the loose ball to score, 2-0 Liffey. For the next few minutes Drogheda were under the cosh.

To their credit they stuck to their task and gradually started to get on the ball and play their passing game.

On 50 minutes Alan Beattie played the most wonderful 40 yard pass from just inside the centre circle over the top of the Liffey centre half for Michael Leddy to latch onto only for the keeper to pull off a great save. This acted as a catalyst to Drogheda.

Sam Victory and Sosa in midfield started to dominate their opposite numbers and were moving the ball out both wings where Michael Leddy and Frank McClean both came close with chances.

Then on 60 minutes Fola Oki received the ball in the penalty area and despite fierce attention from the two centre backs made space for himself and with minimal back lift, fired off an unstoppable shot into the net, 2-1 and now the momentum swung Drogheda’s way.

Wave after wave of attacks came when on 65 minutes Michael Leddy playing on the right wing and tormenting the full back skipped past him into the penalty area to fire off a low scorching shot into the net, 2-2.

From being down and out on 40 minutes, Drogheda were in the ascendency driving forward in seeking the winner. The pressure was to tell when in the 70th minute Sosa broke into the Liffey penalty area where he was brought down, penalty to Drogheda.

Up stepped Sam Victory to calmly put the ball to the keeper’s left, 3-2 to Drogheda.

Liffey Valley from the restart pushed up to try and create a chance but it was cleared by captain Dipo Dele. A tenacious performance to go into the mini break with a well deserved win. DROGHEDA BOYS: Jonathon Clear, Oladipo Dele, Taju Adigun, Sam Victory, David Massaqui, Alan Beattie, Bradley Abedeen, Cian King, Sean Collier. Fola Oki, Escosa Omoregbe, Michael Leddy, Frank McClean