Town off the mark after lucky strike

DROGHEDA TOWN BALLYFERMOT UNITED 1 0

DROGHEDA Town are counting down to their first derby of the season away to Parkvilla tonight (Tuesday) after making a winning start to their Leinster Senior League campaign at Blackstone Motors Marian Park last Friday.

Robbie Horgan’s charges, facing one of the likely promotion contenders in the Major Sunday division, made a tentative start against a Ballyfermot side who looked lively in attack.

However, they quickly settled down and had an early chance to hit the front when Dale Harding was put through one on one and forced the visitors’ keeper into a save when the Town player probably should have scored.

Shortly after Harding was out of luck again when he got on the end of a great team move, only to strike the upright with a shot hit with the outside of his foot.

Town finally made the breakthrough on 32 minutes, although the goal had a large slice of luck attached to it. Right-back Nathan Noone Garland took possession on half-way and played the ball up the wing to Callum Cooney.

Cooney took on his man on the outside and shaped to cross from a position a few yards wide of the corner of the penalty area, but from the moment the ball left his boot the Ballyfermot keeper looked to be in trouble as it looped over his out-stretched arm and nestled in the net.

The goal was captured on video and by Sunday lunchtime had been viewed 300 times on the club’s Facebook page.

In the run-in towards half-time Ballyfermot came at Town again, but the home defence stood firm and the 1-0 scoreline remained going into the break.

On the restart, like the first half, the away side were quicker into their stride and showed good movement, but again Town had a good shape about them and goalkeeper ? remained relatively untroubled.

Town had a chance to make virtually certain of all three points when Davy McTeggart nodded a cross back into the path of Harding whose header cannoned off the post via a slight deflection off a Ballyfermot defender.

In the latter stages Town were happy to play on the counter-attack as Ballyfermot pushed for an equaliser, but there were no further goals and so Town collected all three points - a result that manager Horgan described as a ‘big scalp’.

Attention now turns to the Parkvilla game at Claremont Stadium tonight (kick-off 8pm).

DROGHEDA TOWN: Michal Skrzypckak, Nathan Noone Garland, Ciaran Cluskey Kelly, Davy McTeggart, Eoghan Breathnach, Callum Cooney, Neil Donnelly, Barry Kelly, Alan Connor, Roy Kierans, Dale Harding. Subs: Emmanuel Santos, Harry McCarthy, Scott Byrne, Sanele Duma, Dean Haggins, Andy Hickey, Kevin Dunne.