Hoops face music as Drogs call the tunes
STEPHEN Bradley’s Shamrock Rovers got a ‘fáilte go Droichead Átha’ they will want to forget on Friday evening thanks to a top-class Drogheda United performance against all the odds.
The Boynesiders’ patchy league form in recent times has contrasted with a run of five wins in six for the Hoops, and with talisman Sean Brennan absent through suspension it was no surprise to see United priced at 9/1 to overcome their full-time opponents.
Given the importance of their upcoming league games and the possibility of a lengthy and gruelling play-off series to follow, there was even an argument that a cup run could be counter-productive, given Drogheda’s limited playing resources.
In short, everything pointed towards a Shamrock Rovers win - and perhaps that was the mindset of the visitors who were duly sent back to Tallaght with their tails firmly between their legs.
A display laced with guts, determination and no little skill proved too much for Rovers whose 31year wait for FAI Cup glory will now extend for at least another season.
Yes, the Hoops played with only 10 men for more than an hour of this contest, but the sending-off came as a direct result of the visitors being unable to handle Drogheda’s purposeful attacking play and even with their full complement early in the game Brad- ley’s men had been out-fought.
The Rovers boss, an FAI Cup winner with Drogheda in 2005, had said he knew how his old team would play, but perhaps he was out-witted in that regard also. Counterpart Tim Clancy opted for a 3-5-2 formation, something he has rarely favoured in his debut season as a manager.
Recent signing Dylan Watts did test Paul Skinner from long range in the fifth minute, but otherwise Rovers were toothless going forward, while Drogheda’s attempts to mount attacks were continuously frustrated by repeated fouling of Chris Lyons.
They did threaten on one occasion when Watts was dispossessed by 17-year-old William Hondermarck who surged forward before scooping his shot well wide from 18 yards.
Roberto Lopes’ illegal challenge on Lyons - the sixth time in the first quarter that the livewire striker had won a free - eventually led to another scoring opportunity in the 23rd minute, but in Brennan’s absence Richie Purdy took the kick and sent it well over the bar.
Undeterred, the Drogs kept their foot on the accelerator and when Hondermarck played a one-two with Lyons and drove into the box he was dragged back by Lee Grace.
In a double whammy for Rovers referee Paul McLaughlin duly awarded a penalty kick and sent off the offender on a straight red card.
That set up a duel between Lyons and veteran Rovers netminder Alan Mannus, the latter selected ahead of teenage sensation Gavin Bazunu who was rested amid intense speculation he could be heading for English Premier League champions Manchester City, Man United, Liverpool or Spurs after completing his Leaving Cert.
Mannus suffered penalty shootout heartbreak against Drogheda back in the 2007 Setanta Sports Cup Final during his time at Linfield, and he was about to be beaten from the spot again as Lyons’ stuttering run-up was followed by an emphatic finish which gave the keeper no chance.
At that stage the Drogs hadn’t even conceded a free kick in the match, and when Mr McLaughlin did penalise Jake Hyland coming up to the half-hour mark, the defensive wall stayed watertight and blocked Watts’ goal attempt from 20 yards.
On 31 minutes Rovers fashioned what would turn out to be their best goal attempt of the game as the otherwise anonymous Ronan Finn steered a cross towards Brandon Kavanagh whose header was brilliantly clawed away by Skinner at full stretch.
Watts was Rovers’ key signing in the transfer window, but he was outmanoeuvred again by young Hondermarck on 34 minutes as the France native stepped away from his challenge, only to loft a disappointing 30-yarder over the crossbar when he had room to carry the ball further forward.
The first half ended with Drogheda on the front foot as wing-backs Conor Kane and Colm Deasy combined to help Hondermarck win a corner kick.
The anticipated fightback from Rovers did materalise in the early stages of the second period as they managed five goal attempts in as many minutes straight after the restart. Sam Bone had one attempt blocked by his own man in the crowded box, while Finn was badly off target from 18 yards after cleverly engineering the chance
Everything pointed to a Rovers win. Perhaps that was the mindset of the visitors as they were sent back to Tallaght with their tails firmly between their legs.
for himself.
Drogheda survived that initial flurry and created a good opportunity themselves on the hour mark as Kane beat two men before delivering a brilliant cross from close to the corner flag, only for Deasy to volley over the bar beyond the far post.
The Boynesiders had an anxious moment immediately after as Rovers sub Aaron Greene drifted menacingly into the box, but he fired into the side netting and another well-struck Bone effort flew over the bar.
For the next 20 minutes it was all Drogheda, though, as Rovers struggled to contain the impact of being a man down.
A dangerous-looking ball across the box by Deasy was missed by everybody before being superbly retrieved by Kane who drifted along the endline before nearly beating Mannus at his near post with a cheeky effort.
Kealan Dillon and Rob Manley had come on to replace the tiring Purdy and Mark Doyle at this stage and it was from a Dillon corner that Hyland volleyed over the bar.
Moments later Hyland teed up Dillon and his superb shot bounced off the butt of Mannus’ right-hand post before the keeper scrambled Lyons’ follow-up effort away from danger and a further Hyland effort went wide.
Hondermarck then provided one of the night’s most memorable moments when he left his marker for dead with an outrageous drag-flick and beat another man before firing just over the bar from 25 yards.
A goal for the youngster would have been the icing on the cake and on 85 minutes he nearly got it. An excellent tackle in defence by Ciaran Kelly set in motion a lightning counter-attack and Lyons fed Manley whose low cross was begging to be flicked home by Hondermarck, but he didn’t get quite enough on the ball and it drifted agonisingly wide.
Sinclair Armstrong flashed a header well wide and fellow sub Brandon Miele had two attempts with time almost up as Rovers tried in vain to force extra time, but Skinner remained untested and the Drogs survived comfortably despite playing a couple of minutes with 10 men themselves as Kane was treated on the sideline for a bloody nose!
Will a cup run prove counter-productive? It doesn’t look that way at the moment. Quite the reverse, in fact.
This result should re-energise Drogheda and give them fresh impetus for the remaining weeks of the season, starting with the trip to Cabinteely this Friday night.
If their attitude and application is right on the button, then the Drogs should return home with a precious three points to take a big step towards the play-offs. And who knows what still lies in store in the FAI Cup!