Deadeye Brennan’s the toast of Drogheda
SHELBOURNE must be sick of the sight of Sean Brennan at this stage after Drogheda United’s setpiece specialist struck yet another decisive goal against them at Tolka Park on Friday evening.
Just 39 days earlier the Rathmullen native fired home a stoppage-time penalty at the same venue to snatch a point for the Drogs, and he also netted a spot kick in the clubs’ first meeting of the season which also ended 1-1.
But his latest contribution was the most significant of the three because it earned Drogheda a priceless victory against the team who are arguably their chief rivals in terms of qualifying for the endof-season promotion play-offs.
Mark Doyle had missed one of those proverbial ‘sitters’ in the 84th minute and it looked at that stage as if Tim Clancy’s men were about to draw a blank for the fourth time in their last five games.
But when Jake Hyland bravely contested for an aerial ball just outside the Shels box and Dayle Rooney foolishly jumped into him, Brennan was handed the opportunity he’d been craving.
And from 22 yards out, slightly to the left of goal, he lifted an absolute beauty over the wall of defenders. Dean Delany in the Shelbourne goal had no chance whatsoever as the ball clipped the underside of the crossbar on its way to the net, just inside his right-hand post.
But how differently the game might have panned out had Shels taken the opportunity that was gifted to them after just 40 seconds of this pivotal Division 1 fixture.
Drogheda were a little bit too casual as they passed the ball around in their own half and Kevin Farragher sent it back towards Paul Skinner. Under some pressure from Shelbourne striker David O’Sullivan, the keeper still had time to clear his lines, but a slightly heavy first touch put him in bother and O’Sullivan dispossessed him very close to the endline.
With the goal unguarded and a teammate coming up in support, Shels’ top scorer might have been advised to play the ball back to him, but instead O’Sullivan went for glory himself and from an almost impossible angle sent a low shot across the six-yard area and away to safety.
After that major scare the Boynesiders settled down a bit, and Brennan was prominent in those early stages - but not always for the right reasons.
He earned himself an early booking as the referee judged he went down too easily after being challenged as he made a darting run towards the box. Then a halfchance was passed up by the midfielder as he failed to control Farragher’s pinpoint pass, allowing Delany to make an easy save.
Ciaran Kelly’s searching ball cleared the head of Shels rightback John Ross Wilson, allowing Conor Kane to get in behind before sending his cross just over the bar.
Kane, making his comeback after three games out through injury, then played a pass up to Gareth McCaffrey whose brilliant first touch took him past Aidan Collins, only to be crowded out as he tried to engineer a shot.
The play was scrappy at times, but in the latter stages of the first half the Drogs were firmly in control and they should have taken a lead into the interval.
Lyons showed great battling skills to win possession after a wayward pass from Brennan, earning a free kick that resulted in a booking for Derek Prendergast. However, from some 35 yards out, Brennan’s set piece was poor on this occasion as the ball landed at least 15 rows back in the disused Ballybough stand.
Then a Brennan corner was met with a viciously struck volley from McCaffrey that cannoned off Collins and was eventually cleared by the Shels defence.
Lyons was also denied on two occasions by the home side’s back four and you could see why Shels have the best defensive record in the First Division. Indeed, there was further evidence of that resilience in first-half stoppage time as a Brennan free kick was half-cleared and dropped invitingly for Doyle. He drove the ball low and hard from 15 yards, but between them Alan Byrne and O’Sullivan blocked the shot and the short whistle sounded soon after.
On the restart Shelbourne, who hadn’t had a shot on or off target since the opening minute, briefly came to life as Adam Evans struck an excellent 30-yarder that Skinner palmed round the post.
That chance stemmed from Brennan carelessly giving the ball away in his own half and the former captain wasn’t having the best of evenings at this stage.
However, his teammates were
performing up to scratch and McCaffrey ghosted past Prendergast before teeing up Hyland who got the ball stuck under his feet and eventually scuffed it well wide.
The direct running of Kane and Doyle was causing problems for Shels on their right side and it was Kane who drove into the box before seeing his shot inadvertently blocked by teammate McCaffrey in the 63rd minute.
Luke Gallagher, Brennan and Colm Deasy were involved in a move that ended with Hyland lifting the ball over the bar from 18 yards, and McCaffrey then tested Delany with a low shot to the near post.
Shelbourne did create a couple of half-chances in the latter stages. Prendergast headed over the bar under pressure from Kelly, Mark Hughes - another of their former Drogs - saw a 25-yard deflected wide and Rooney hooked a shot too high to trouble Skinner.
However, the best opening of the game fell to Drogheda on 84 minutes as Deasy, Brennan and Lyons worked the ball up to Doyle in the box. Ten yards out and with only Delany to beat, the Skerries man snatched at the opening and sent the ball high over the bar.
Clancy must have considered making a late change and had he done so Brennan may well have been the man to make way, but on this occasion he kept his starting XI on the field and the ploy came up trumps in the 88th minute.
Rooney, who scored the Shelbourne goal when these teams last met, fouled Hyland just outside the box and Brennan - the best free-taker in the First Division and quite possibly the Premier as well - did the rest to register his eighth goal of the season.
It was no less than Drogheda deserved and a much-needed boost after Finn Harps stunned them with a late winner the week before.
The push for promotion is firmly back on course!