Last-gasp Drogs draw comfort from point
Drogheda Utd 1 Longford Town 1
THE league table shows that Drogheda have surrendered top spot following Friday night’s First Division action, but that didn’t matter one jot after the dramatic climax in United Park.
Entering the final seconds of their game against Longford Town, the Drogs were heading for a second defeat in three games and showing no sign of breaching a Longford defence which hadn’t conceded a goal in six hours of football.
However, one last hopeful punt up the field led to a defensive mistake which was gleefully punished by teenager Ciaran Kelly. Ultimately it was ‘only’ a draw, but this felt like a victory and who knows how important the hard-earned point will be come the end of the season.
Sean Brennan was prominent from the start for the hosts, although not always for the right reasons as he produced a typically Jekyll and Hyde performance. In the fifth minute, for example, he carelessly gave the ball away, leading to a chance for Aobh Dervin who fired over the bar from distance.
Two minutes later, though, Brennan planted an inch-perfect free kick straight onto the head of Luke Gallagher who was unable to test Mick Kelly in the Longford goal, but the visitors then threatened through former Drogs striker Chris Mulhall who saw his snap shot deflected wide.
After another wayward pass from Brennan, the former captain found his range again with a lovely chipped ball into the path of Mark Doyle who worked space for a shot which struck Daniel O’Reilly and bounced away for a corner kick.
Those first 13 minutes or so were pretty helter-skelter, but thereafter Longford took control of the game and Kelly had to make an acrobatic clearance from a dangerous Mulhall centre.
Both teams were guilty at times of trying to thread the ball through the eye of a needle as the final pass was wasted, while some of Drogheda’s general play was pretty ragged and the sight of their three midfield players gesticulating at each other with furrowed brows indicated all was not well.
The Boynesiders did survive that ropey spell, though, and another great through-ball from Brennan found Lee Duffy who hooked the ball into the hands of Kelly from a difficult angle.
Brennan then fired a long-range free kick into the defensive wall before connecting better with the rebound which was blocked by a defender.
Longford themselves won a free kick in a dangerous area, but that one – struck by Evan Galvin – was blocked by Jake Hyland in Drogheda’s wall.
The visitors’ best chance of the first half arrive on 43 minutes when Peter Hopkins and Dean Byrne combined initially before Galvin squared for Tristan Noak Hoffman who dragged his left-footed shot well wide with only Paul Skinner to beat.
However, in first-half stoppage time Longford were lucky not to concede when Richie Purdy’s low, diagonal cross-shot into the box somehow travelled all the way beyond the back post where Hyland arrived to poke the ball over the line just as the assistant referee flagged for offside.
Within seconds of the restart Drogheda lost concentration, allowing Dean Byrne the freedom to hit a low shot which had Skinner at full stretch as it flashed narrowly wide.
Despite forcing a couple of corners, the Boynesiders couldn’t create a clear opening in the third quarter and it was Longford who hit the front on 57 minutes.
Not for the first time, Brennan coughed up possession some 40 yards from goal and substitute Karl Chambers was onto it in a flash before squaring to Byrne whose first-time shot from nearly 25 yards gave Skinner no chance as it nestled in the corner of the net.
Twice more in the next two minutes Drogheda were fortunate not to concede again as Luke Gallagher was caught out by long, diagonal balls towards Longford’s left flank. The hosts heaved a collective sigh of relief when Galvin fired narrowly wide and Hopkins then blazed over as he went for glory.
Thereafter, though, the Boynesiders raised their game and they became increasingly dominant in the last half-hour.
Gareth McCaffrey had a closerange effort blocked by O’Reilly after Doyle had intercepted a wayward Longford pass, and shortly after Doyle sent a low ball fizzing across the goal-line before it was grabbed by Kelly.
Chris Lyons and Colm Deasy were summoned from the subs bench, later joined by Stephen Meaney, and Deasy’s long throws gave Longford one or two headaches.
Brennan’s clever 79th-minute free kick into the inside right position for Duffy ended with a shot into the side netting, and when Deasy
knocked an attempted cross into Anneville Crescent shortly after, it was starting to look like Longford’s night.
Mick Kelly was having a very easy night up to that point, and even when Conor Kane did well to cross from the byeline in the 86th minute, sub Lyons could only steer a header straight into the hands of the keeper.
A minute later, though, Kelly was extended for the first time in the match as Kelly got on the end of a Brennan free kick and nodded it goal-wards, only for the netminder to produce a brilliant tip-over save.
Deep into the five minutes of stoppage time it seemed Longford had the points sewn up as they played the clock down, but with 15 seconds remaining Farragher hoofed the ball long into the penalty area, Adam O’Connor misjudged the ball in the air and it flicked off the ankle of O’Reilly into the path of Ciaran Kelly 12 yards out.
With the ball on his stronger left side the centre-back got over the ball and pinged it low and hard past the despairing dive of namesake Mick Kelly.
You’d think Drogheda had won the Cup as the celebrations unfolded and there was barely time for Longford to kick off before referee Mullally blew the long whistle to spark more joyous scenes among the United players and supporters.