Gulf in class shows no sign of shrinking
SOME Dundalk supporters might beg to differ, but from a Drogheda perspective the Louth derby has lost its lustre and it could be a long time before we see that sparkle again.
At Oriel Park on Friday night it was pretty much the same old story as the Lilywhites cantered to a seventh successive win in socalled competitive derby fixtures.
Stephen Kenny’s men did their best to give Drogheda a head start as they began this game in very sloppy fashion, but the Boynesiders weren’t good enough to take advantage and in the end they took another downward step on the seemingly never-ending staircase towards the First Division.
It’s not so long ago that these were the fixtures Drogheda and Dundalk fans most looked forward to, but the gap between the clubs is now so huge that the Lilywhites’ rivalries with Shamrock Rovers and Cork City are the ones that really matter.
Walking up the Carrick Road less than an hour before kick-off, the street was virtually empty and the traffic cones dotted around were the only clue that there was a match on at all. Even the Gardai were conspicuous by their absence.
Inside the old ground the two sides trotted out for their warmups, with Drogheda making five changes and Dundalk six, compared to the teams that lined out the previous weekend.
The hosts had left two of their best players, Patrick McEleney and Michael Duffy, on the bench, perhaps keeping them fresh for Monday’s showdown with Cork City. Could that be seen as a sign of disrespect to Drogheda?
For most of the first half it seemed that Dundalk players were thinking ahead to the game in Turner’s Cross. They were poor, perhaps none more so than centre-back Niclas Vemmulund who gave the ball away badly at least five times in those 45 minutes.
Almost straight from the kick-off he gifted possession to Adam Wixted and the ball was then played to Thomas Byrne whose cross was just out of reach of Sean Brennan.
On four minutes Vemmelund was at fault again and Wixted subsequently released Shane Elworthy - playing on the left side of midfield - whose chip from a tight angle was knocked off the line by Brian Gartland. Dave Mulcahy’s follow-up shot was blocked by Stephen O’Donnell.
Byrne was then picked out by a superb diagonal pass from Stephen Dunne, but unfortunately the youngster had strayed marginally offside and his frustration got the better of him as he twice gave the ball away cheaply in quick succession.
Dundalk had optimistic claims for a penalty when Dylan Connolly struck a cross against the arm of Mulcahy who was standing only a yard away, and 23 minutes were on the clock when the hosts finally managed a shot at goal, Steven Kinsella firing straight at keeper Stephen McGuinness.
Moments later, a poor clearance by Mulcahy dropped on the half-volley for Connolly whose looping effort came back off the upright.
However, the next chance went Drogheda’s way as Lloyd Buckley and Ryan McEvoy combined to find Wixted whose final shot was tame and didn’t trouble Gary Rogers.
At this stage the visitors were looking comfortable and had a good shape about them, in sharp contrast to the previous week against Bohemians, and they came very close to taking a shock lead on 29 minutes.
Brennan instinctively hit a 50yard towering, arcing cross-field pass which caught Rogers in no man’s land and dropped behind him into the path of Byrne. The youngster took aim and chipped a diagonal effort towards the top corner from 12 yards, only for the back-tracking Rogers to make an excellent tip-over save.
Wixted’s dancing feet retained possession for the Drogs when they next attacked and Brennan’s subsequent cross was headed wide by Elworthy.
Vemmelund headed well over the bar from a Jamie McGrath corner for Dundalk and it seemed that Drogheda would hold out comfortably until half-time.
However, three minutes from the short whistle Brian Gartland swung in a superb cross from the right for McMillan whose header was parried by McGuinness, but only into the path of Kinsella who slammed the ball to the empty net.
It was a goal Dundalk scarcely deserved and on the restart Drogheda threatened again as Byrne took off from the centre circle before sending an optimistic 30-yard effort over the bar.
However, on 52 minutes the Lilywhites could breathe easier as they struck for the second time. The visitors missed a couple of chances to clear their lines and the ball was eventually collected by Sean Gannon whose cross picked out McMillan completely unmarked eight yards out.
The club’s top scorer guid- ed the most straightforward of headers past a badly exposed McGuinness.
Understandably, Drogheda’s game went to pieces after that, as did their discipline as Mulcahy and Byrne went into the book within two minutes of each other.
Efforts from McMillan, Dane Massey and Connolly all missed the target, the latter’s chance falling when Drogheda were temporarily down to 10 men owing to an injury to Colm Deasy.
Duffy had come on for the injured Kinsella and he became