Dogged Drogheda keep Rebels at arm's length
Cork City 0
Drogheda Utd 0
Cork manager Damien Richardson speaks to fourth official Alan Kelly at yesterday?s match in Turner's Cross
Monday July 23 2007
Eircom League - Premier Division
A BATTLING defensive display saw Drogheda United secure the point they needed to keep Cork City at arm's length in the league title race.
The visitors were undoubtedly feeling the effects of their mid-week match in Europe and, though they rode their luck at times, Cork lacked the necessary penetration to find a winner.
The absence of Roy O'Donovan certainly damaged their cause after, having taken part in the warm-up, the striker was withdrawn because of an injured hamstring.
Cork re-grouped with Cillian Lordan slotting in on the right of midfield but it was not long before they were obliged to re-jig their team again when John O'Flynn was forced off 10 minutes from half time and replaced by Denis Behan.
Still, Cork had the better of the opening half and were close to jumping in front after 27 minutes. A dynamic bout of passing in central midfield saw O'Flynn, Colin Healy and Leon McSweeney play their way through the heart of the Drogheda defence.
Brilliantly
Healy's final pass was brilliantly angled through a group of players and gave McSweeney a clear sight of goal.
His first time effort to curl the ball from the right of goal into the far corner was narrowly over.
Aidan O'Keeffe momentarily sparkled for Drogheda but that was an isolated incident as Cork almost went in front just before the break.
Joe Gamble's free from midfield found Dan Murray stretching to make contact and his headed deflection was pushed over at the last moment by goalkeeper Dan Connor.
With five players across midfield and Eamon Zayed a lone attacker, the order of Drogheda's priorities was obvious but Cork still allowed chances to slip through their fingers.
Just after the hour, Healy again opened up the Drogheda defence with a pass through the middle that eventually fell to Behan but he could only fire narrowly wide.
Drogheda defended with real commitment and never was that more evident than in the 87th minute when Brian Shelley required treatment after putting his head in the way of a Behan piledriver.
Drogheda survived, their excellent organisation and capacity to work hard stood them well.
And they caused Cork hearts to flutter with a final minute sortie that saw Zayed set up the speeding Shelley for a shot from 25 yards that Devine turned outside with difficulty.
CORK CITY - Devine; Horgan, Kelly, Murray, Woods (Ryan 80); Lordan, Gamble, Farrelly (O'Brien 85), Healy; McSweeney, O'Flynn (Behan 35).
DROGHEDA U - Connor; Shelley, Tambouras (Gray 46), Gartland, Webb; O'Keeffe,
Robinson, Byrne, Keegan, Shelley; Zayed.
REF - P Whelan (Dublin)
