Drogheda continue impressive pre-season
BRAY Wanderers were hanging on at the end of Friday night’s latest pre-season friendly as Drogheda United went close to making it a hat-trick of home victories against top-flight opposition in as many weeks.
Only Dundalk have managed to beat the Boynesiders since Tim Clancy took charge and that was a hard-fought 3-1 win on their own patch, and Drogheda fans drifting out of a freezing United Park could be satisfied with another solid display.
Bray are expected to struggle in the top flight this year, but with Gary McCabe and Aaron Greene up top they should score plenty of goals and both were in the Seagulls’ starting line-up.
The Boynesiders had seven of last year’s squad, together with Lee Duffy and Paul Skinner who both played for the club previously, leaving former Bray striker Chris Lyons and young centre-half Ciaran Kelly as their only new faces.
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It was the Premier side who looked strongest in the early stages, with Greene striking a free kick into the Drogs’ defensive wall before McCabe sent a 30-yard effort crashing off the crossbar, with Skinner rooted to the spot.
The Boynesiders created a couple of shooting opportunities from distance, but Jake Hyland and Lyons were both well off target and McCabe had the ball in the Drogheda net in the 25th minute, but only after using his arm to control it.
Despite the game’s status as a friendly, it clearly mattered a lot to Hyland and Mark Doyle who had both heated exchanges with the referee over the award of a couple of dubious free kicks.
Bray eventually made their dominance count on 28 minutes when the ball was played into the box and a little nudge on centre-half Kelly was enough to open up a yawning gap in the home defence, allowing Ronan Coughlan space to draw the advancing Skinner before drilling to the net from eight yards.
Not a bad start for the former Huddersfield Town academy striker whose signing for the Seagulls was only confirmed a couple of hours beforehand!
Drogheda regrouped and looked threatening for the first time in the game on 33 minutes when Sean Brennan and Luke Gallagher combined to release Duffy whose shot was charged down by the Bray defence.
Conor Kane at left-back was excellent throughout for the Drogs and particularly effective in the first half as he repeatedly attacked the left flank, making life uncomfortable for Coughlan and Bray right-back Dan McKenna who is currently on loan from English Championship leaders Wolves.
However, all too often Kane’s industry had no end product and on a couple of occasions Doyle and Lyons didn’t seem to read each other’s intentions as moves broke down.
Right on half-time, though, Drogheda put together their best move of the match. Hugh Douglas had been dominating his duel with Lyons, but on this occasion the home striker drilled in a great cross from the left towards Brennan. The captain teed up Duffy whose powerful drive was beaten away by Bray netminder Evan Moran.
On the restart Douglas was quickly into action to block a Brennan drive after Kevin Farragher had made a great break out of defence and set Duffy away down the right.
Bray substitute Dan Kelly ballooned over the bar, but that would be the Seagulls’ only goal attempt of the entire second half as the home side grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.
Kane and Colm Deasy set in motion an attack that ended with Brennan setting up Duffy whose fierce drive from an acute angle rose inches above the junction of post and crossbar.
Duffy was causing real headaches for the away defence and he had two further attempts on goal before controversially going into the referee’s notebook for going down too easily in the box following a challenge by Sean Heaney.
However, the Boynesiders kept pressing and they were finally rewarded with an equalising goal on 77 minutes. The move began deep in their own half, close to the left corner flag indeed, before substitute Gareth McCaffrey took possession near the sideline.
What followed was like something out of rugby’s Six Nations Championship as McCaffrey’s square pass picked out fellow sub Richie Purdy on the burst. Purdy sprinted up the field, benefiting from a couple of lucky ricochets, and then released Duffy who pulled his shot badly across goal. However, the ball ran loose around the penalty spot and first onto it was Stephen Meaney - another of the substitutes - who made no mistake as he fired decisively past Moran.
The Seagulls made a brief insurgence into Drogheda territory just past the 80-minute mark and Jake Kelly bore down on goal, only for Victor Ekanem to close him down and make a vital clearance.
Instead it was the Boynesiders who created the best opportunity to grab a winner as Kealan Dillon whipped in a superb cross from the right and McCaffrey met it at the near post with a header that flew narrowly over the bar.
Drogheda also forced a couple of late corners and Bray were lucky not to concede on one occasion as Dillon’s kick - again fired in at pace - bounced right across the six-yard area without anyone getting a touch.
In the end it was ‘only’ a draw but a decent result and performance nevertheless, one that no doubt gave the watching Finn Harps manager Ollie Horgan plenty to ponder.
DROGHEDA UNITED: BRAY WANDERERS: