Bit O’ drama on cards in Drogs’ last hurrah

THERE will be final-day drama after all in United Park on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm) as Sligo Rovers look to secure the point they need to avoid joining Drogheda and Finn Harps in the First Division.

Victories for St Pat’s and Sligo at the weekend left them three better off than Galway United and it’s the Tribesmen who will become the third team to go down unless they beat Dundalk and either St Pat’s lose away to Derry or Sligo are beaten by the Drogs.

Against that backdrop, Drogheda United will hope they can end their campaign by recording a home league win for the first time since defeating Shamrock Rovers in the first week of April.

But they will have to do so with the disadvantage of having played last night (Monday) as well following the postponement of last Friday’s away game in Ballybofey.

Finn Park had passed a morning pitch inspection, but subsequent heavy rain led to a second inspection at 6pm, after which the match was postponed and rescheduled for Monday night. Maginn Park in Buncrana, Derry City’s temporary home, will stage the game if Finn Park remains unplayable.

Drogs boss Pete Mahon, speaking ahead of the rearranged date, expressed deep frustration over Friday’s events, which left the Boynesiders having to make a second 460km round trip to the North West in the space of 72 hours.

‘It was shambolic,’ he began. ‘We’d been there about 20 minutes when it was called off, but there’d been an inspection at 10am and if they’d taken the weather forecast into account they would have known [what was going to happen].

‘It was monsoon stuff and there was no way the game could go ahead.’

The postponement, Mahon pointed out, has financial implications both for the club and the players who travelled.

‘The clubs bears the brunt of it and it’s ridiculous. It costs us €1,000 to go up there with pre and post-match meals and coach travel, and the players don’t get paid for loss of earnings from having to take a half-day off work.

‘The league should be compensating clubs, because we’re paying enough in affiliation fees.’

Harps still had a chance of avoiding relegation themselves going into Friday’s game, but results elsewhere rendered last night’s rearranged match as meaningless - not that Drogheda were simply planning to go through the motions.

‘Having to go there on a Monday night is a disaster because of players not being able to get time off work again, so we’ll go there with 14 or 15 players in total,’ Mahon revealed.

‘Thankfully it doesn’t mean anything now other than the three points, but regardless of that we want to win the game.

‘Friday’s going to be an interesting night as well, with Sligo needing a point to be absolutely certain [of staying up]. They should bring a crowd and there’ll be a bit of atmosphere in the place.

‘It will be a chance for young players to show what they can do at this level and we’re not throwing in the towel - we are going to go for it.

‘Things have been difficult for us, but [Finn Harps manager] Ollie Horgan was very generous on Friday when he said he’d watched us a couple of times and the one thing that stood out like a sore thumb was the effort our players have been putting in despite being relegated.’

Jake Hyland and Richie Purdy are both doubtful for Friday’s final game of the season, but Thomas Byrne could play after recovering from injury and Colm Deasy will be available after serving his onematch suspension on Monday night.

We’d been there about 20 minutes when it was called off, but there’d been an inspection at 10am and if they’d taken the weather forecast into account they would have known