Leinster defeat no concern to Clancy
A DROGHEDA United team comprising mainly of Under-19 squad members was comfortably beaten by Leinster Senior League champions Bluebell United in this provincial quarter-final tie played last Tuesday evening.
Richie Purdy was the only regular first-teamer in the starting line-up and he was subsituted at half-time, while fringe players Gareth McCaffrey, Kealan Dillon and reserve keeper Luca Gratzer all played the full 90 minutes to boost their match sharpness.
Against an experienced Bluebell team, Drogheda were always going to have their work cut out, although they did create the tie’s first two openings as Eoin McPhillips shot wide and Dillon had a free kick saved by Andy McNulty, diving low to his left.
However, Bluebell settled into the game and stunned the Boynesiders with two goals in a minute coming up to the half-hour mark.
Former Shamrock Rovers and Waterford player Sean Byrne put the Dubliners ahead from close range after Gratzer had let a corner kick slip out of his hands, and Gary Seery then fired in from 25 yards, via the post, after robbing last man Sean Trimble of possession.
On the restart Drogheda boss Tim Clancy replaced Purdy and Leo Tang - one of three 17-yearolds in the starting line-up - with James Carroll and Victor Ekanem and within seconds Gareth McCaffrey went through on goal, only to fire wide of McNulty’s far post.
The Bluebell keeper then produced a superb save to keep out a McCaffrey header.
There was more action on the subs bench around the hour mark as Eoin Broughan replaced William Hondermarck for the Drogs and 40-year-old ex League of Ireland star Jason Byrne came on for the visitors.
From that point Bluebell took a firm grip of the game and were unlucky not to add to their tally. Gareth Coughlan’s bending free kick flew just wide, Jason Byrne had a goal chalked off for offside and fellow sub Yanis Boulmehl looked certain to score until Trimble appeared to make a timely last-ditch challenge.
In the end it was comfortable for Bluebell as they joined Waterford, Shamrock Rovers and Wexford in the semi-finals, but Clancy - who by his own admission doesn’t pay much heed to the Leinster Senior Cup competition - won’t be losing too much sleep over this defeat. DROGHEDA UNITED: Luca Gratzer, Dylan Connolly, Lloyd Buckley, Sean Trimble, Leo Tang (Victor Ekanem 46); Richie Purdy (James Carroll 46), Kealan Dillon, Eoin McPhillips; Jordan Adeyemo, Gareth McCaffrey, William Hondermarck (Eoin Broughan 64). Subs not used: Mark Doyle, Josh Scully, Paul Skinner.
BLUEBELL UNITED: Andrew McNulty; Luke McWilliams, Gilmar Mandiangu, Sean Gleeson, Glen Walsh; Gary Seery, Aaron Robinson, Gareth Coughlan (Yanis Boulmehl 69), Sean Byrne; Richie O’Hanlon (Jason Byrne 57), Tony Griffiths (Tony Keeler 80). Subs not used: Jeff Flood, Brian Cullen, Rhys Kelly.