14th March 2010

Dundalk v Drogheda United

Match Report

After last week’s insipid performance against UCD, this was just what the doctor ordered as far as the Drogs were concerned. With Paul Crowley and Eric McGill suspended, the Drogs lined out with Garreth O’Connor partnering Mick Daly in central midfield and Brendan McGill and Brian King on the flanks with Glen Fitz and John Flood up front.

We had a point to prove and looked good from the kick off, but after only four minutes a sickening collision between Mick Daly and Corey Tracey saw Treacey being stretchered off after five minutes of treatment on the pitch. Jamie Duffy came on on the right and Brian King dropped back to right full.

This injury seemed to spur us on and with Daly and O’Connor prominent in midfield, our patched-up back four gained in confidence as the game progressed, and Jamie’s introduction on the right seemed to give us an extra dimension. Gone was the hesitancy of the UCD match to be replaced by an eagerness to get on the ball and in the 9th minute we took a deserved lead when Jamie Duffy got possession on the right and he laid it off to McGill, whose whipped cross was propelled goalwards by John Flood only for his shot to be parried…. and there was Glen Fitz to knock in the rebound for our first league goal of the season, and it was a well-deserved lead. Two minutes later John Flood shot over from a good position, and we continued to press well and pinned the home side back and when they did attack, Brian King in particular kept Gaynor well tethered.

We continued to press and on 20 a cross by Duffy was handled by Gaynor and Joe Kendrick dispatched the penalty to leave us two nil up with only twenty minutes gone! Referee Hancock flashed a number of cards for kicking the ball away, one to Mick Daly on 30 minutes and Brendan McGill shortly afterwards. Dundalk attacked infrequently and Paul Skinner got down well to save from Fenn shortly before half time, and we dealt with their set pieces well with McNally and Harris showing the form that we know they were capable of. So, in at half-time two up and the second half to look forward to.

But the second half didn’t work out as planned – and Hancock’s yellow card flourishing should have warned us to be very careful, and in a way a lack of discipline was our downfall. The second half started even with Skinner saving well from Faz and a great Flood header saved, but in a crucial five minutes the game was turned on its head. Firstly on 63 Mick Daly kicked the ball away after Dundalk were awarded a free and got his second yellow and five minutes later the home side were awarded a doubtful penalty which had all the looks of an evener-upper. Fenn made it 2-1 and it was game on. Daly’s loss was a big one in the middle and Garreth O’Connor really stepped up to the mark, and with John Flood dropping back well, it looked like we might hold out for the win with the home side looking like they were running out of ideas, but a Fenn/Faz move saw them equalise with eight minutes to go.

But despite the urging of the home support, this was as much as Dundalk were going to get out of this match as we more than capably dealt with anything they threw at us. Joe Kendrick had an excellent game on the left and Kinger had all the moves on the right. Garreth O’Connor showed great strength and commitment in the middle. We continued to out-fight Dundalk in the middle and our overall display showed no resemblance to our first match. Ryan Brennan replaced the hard-working Glen Fitz with five minutes to go and played a few well-place passes.

And even with three extra minutes, we held out well went off up the Ardee Road with a mixture of disappointment in losing the two-goal lead and the satisfaction of taking a point out of Oriel, and the internal monologue (and dialogue) continues...

Team: Skinner, Treacey (Duffy 10), Harris, McNally, Kendrick, O’Connor, Daly (sent off 63), B. McGill, King, Fitzpatrick (Brennan 85), Flood.

Subs not used: Damien Brennan, Osbourne, Murphy.