Drogheda 1 - 3 Shelbourne
No amount of tape would stop
Hearys wonder goal
Shelbourne continue their impressive unbeaten run -
Shelbourne pick up all three points from United Park, with goals from Stuart Byrne, Ollie Cahill and a wonder strike by Owen Heary.
Unfortunately no match highlighst will be available due to Drogheda United's refusal to let us film the game, but we did manage to secure interviews with Pat Fenlon, Paul Doolin and Ollie Cahill.
Match Report
Shelbourne went into the game tonight knowing that a win would give them eight wins from eight league games, but more importantly, would put them 6 points ahead of one of their main rivals for the League Title this year – tonight’s opponents, Drogheda United.
While Shels had been winning well over the last number of weeks and scoring freely in these games (14 goals in the last three games), tonight’s game was different in that it was being played away from home, whereas the last few had been at home and while the last number of games were played against the so-called lower teams, this was against one of the main contenders for the League Title.
Pat Fenlon was able to put out the same starting line-up for the fifth time on the trot and we hoped that the understanding they had built up between them would see us through this test.
Drogheda came at the Shels from the off and never let the Reds players settle. With Eamon Zayed leading the attack and with Shane Robinson and Tony Grant on the right and left respectively, the Drogs had Shelbourne pinned back for long periods of time in the first half-hour. Main incidents of note from Drogheda in that period were a free kick just after 10 minutes taken by Paul Keegan, which ‘Deano’ Delaney did well to tip over and a shot at goal from Zayed on 14 minutes, after he weaved through a number of Reds’ players, for which the final result of ‘just inches over the bar’ did not seem to be a just result for the skill shown.
Overall however, the Shelbourne defence held tight and Delaney, Heary, Hawkins, Dillon and Rogers showed that they were up to anything that the Drogs could throw at them. The Reds did have some moments of their own in the first half, with Joseph Ndo prodding and teasing the Drogheda midfield, but all their attacks either dwindled out in the final third or shots went weakly wide. That was until the 35th minute. Ndo took a corner into the box and it seemed to be cleared by the Drogs defence. Some of the Shels players had a shout for handball but continued to play. The referee’s assistant on the Gaelic Grounds side of the ground was flagging vigorously however, indicating to referee Alan Kelly that there should be a penalty for handball against Simon Webb. Stuart Byrne stepped up and gave Dan Connor in the United goal no chance with the spot kick.
The period between the peno and the half-time whistle saw Drogheda again pile the pressure on, but with the assistance of Jason Byrne and Bobby Ryan, the Shels defence kept the goal intact. Shels went in at half-time rather fortunate to be ahead.
For the first 10 minutes of the second half, Drogheda seemed to have taken up where they had left off at half-time. Shels did however look to be coming more into the game and on 58 minutes Ollie Cahill doubled the score. Some great work by Glen Crowe down the right, following a pass from Owen Heary, saw him outwit Jason Gavin and head for the penalty area. When we awaited Glen’s shot at goal, he had noticed Ollie take up a great position inside the box on the left, he passed the ball to Ollie and once Ollie could get a good contact on the ball, it had to be 2 – 0. Ollie didn’t fail us and this gave a bit of breathing space to the Reds.
Shels continued to apply pressure and from a like position a few minutes later, with Cahill again as support, Crowe has a shot himself, but his shot curls up and over the bar. It was mainly Shelbourne at this stage with the Reds defence mopping up any thing that Drogheda could throw at them.
With 15 minutes remaining, captain Owen Heary advanced down the right and from about thirty yards launched a thunderbolt of a shot, which curled all the way, over ‘keeper Connor and in to the net at the angle of upright and crossbar. 3 – 0 to the Reds and the points were safe.
On 90 minutes, Drogheda were awarded a penalty, when Ryan was seen, by the ref, grabbing the shirt of and attacker, inside the penalty area. Stephen Bradley dispatched the penalty-kick to the back of the net, but it was merely a consolation goal. Shels finish the night two points ahead of Derry, six ahead of Drogheda and nine ahead of Cork, who have a game against Waterford tomorrow (Sat).
Incidentally, it was good to see Gary O’Neill return, as a sub, following his long lay-off through injury.
DROGHEDA UNITED - Connor, Shelley, Webb, Gavin, Gartland, Lynch (Bradley 71), Keegan, Robinson (Gray 80), Whelan, Zayed (Barrett 65), Grant.
SHELBOURNE - Delaney (Williams 46), Heary, Rogers, Dillon (Harris 87), Hawkins, S Byrne, Ndo, Ryan, Cahill, J Byrne (O'Neill 81), Crowe.
