Hayden gets the job ‘Dun
HAYDEN CANN was the Drogheda United matchwinner as Kevin Doherty’s team edged a breathless Louth derby despite going down to 10 men in the second half.
Jethren Barr’s 74th minute red threatened to derail United’s hopes of picking up a third win of the season — and putting them five clear of their neighbours at the bottom.
Frantz Pierrot had given the Drogs the lead in the second half but Jamie Gullan’s freekick levelled the game after the South African goalkeeper was dismissed for hacking down Cameron Elliott.
That left Dundalk sensing the game was theirs for the taking.
Fired
Instead, on-loan Lincoln City defender Cann fired in after the Lilywhites failed to clear Evan Weir’s 94th-minute freekick delivery.
Referee Rob Harvey had added 10 minutes on at the end of a frantic second 45 minutes but Dundalk couldn’t find another equaliser.
Drogheda twice had Luke Heeney to thank for crucial goal line clearances, one in each half.
Robbie Benson and Gullan were the players denied.
Pierrot’s goal came after Gary Deegan stole the ball from Paul Doyle on the edge of the area.
After Barr cleaned Elliott out, Andy Wogan came into the game.
Gullan’s set-piece strike beat him straight away.
But Cann scored his first League of Ireland goal to send most of the 2,339 supporters in United Park wild.
His fellow Lincoln loanee Oisin Gallagher won a freekick and the ball fell kindly for Cann, who smashed a shot past George Shelvey, who himself was shown red after full-time.
DROGHEDA UNITED: Barr 5; Heeney 8, Quinn 7, Cann 7, Weir 7; Deegan 7, Brennan 6; Foley 6, Markey 6 (Gallagher, 83), Davis 7 (McNally, 66); Pierrot 7 (Wogan, 77 5).
DUNDALK: Shelvey 6; Davies 7, Johnson 6, Boyle 7, Muller 6 (O’Kane, 89); High 7, Doyle 5 (Oostenbrink, 60 5); Mountney 5 (Elliott, 73 7), Benson 7, Horgan 6; Gullan 7.
REFEREE: Robert Harvey 7 Attendance: 2,339