SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
Drogheda United 1 Derry City 1
DERRY City moved into second spot in the standings behind runaway leaders Shamrock Rovers with a hard-fought point at Drogheda United.Tiernan Lynch’s side again showed great battling spirit to come from behind to secure a share of the spoils at Sullivan and Lambe Park.Trailing to Fuhad Kareem’s goal, scored just before the break, Danny Mullen bundled home his seventh goal of the season just before the hour mark and with a bit more luck the Brandywell men could have claimed all three points.The draw, combined with Rovers’ 2-1 win over Bohemians, means Derry move above Alan Reynolds’ Gypsies, while the Hoops have all but wrapped up their fifth league success in six years.City made four changes to the team which drew with Shelbourne last week, with Ronan Boyce, Hayden Cann, Mark Connolly and Mullen coming in for injured trio Sam Todd, Alex Bannon and Dipo Akinyemi, while Robbie Benson dropped to the bench.United should have been given a penalty on three minutes when striker Kareem looked to be brought down inside the box by Mark Connolly, but referee Rob Harvey waved play on.
Free-scoring Adam O’Reilly had a good opportunity on nine minutes to give the visitors the lead but the midfielder, who has netted four goals in as many games, fired wide from 20 yards after Sadou Diallo had created the opportunity.
Minutes later, Kareem caused more problems for City when his knock-down found Joshua Thomas, but after getting in behind Connolly, his right-footed strike from the angle was kept out by a diving Brian Maher.
Drogs took the lead on 38 minutes when Shane Farrell’s long ball into the City penalty box found Conor Keeley. He chested the ball straight into Kareem’s path and the big striker made no mistake from just inside the box, drilling the ball low into Maher’s bottom right-hand corner.With their tails up, the home side went close to doubling their advantage soon but after a quick counter-attack, Thomas’ low drive from the right side of the box, which had Maher worried, flashed just wide.Drogheda should have scored a second on 48 minutes as Jamie Stott’s terrible clearance only found Thomas, but as the striker was waiting for the ball to come down, Connolly got back to block the Welshman’s close-range shot and Maher gratefully gathered the loose ball.Thomas should have done better moments later as Farrell’s teasing right-wing cross found the frontman inside the six-yard box, but his sliding effort was straight at Maher.Derry levelled things against the run of play on 54 minutes when Michael Duffy played in Brandon Fleming down the left. The wing-back cut on to his right foot and saw his effort parried away by Luke Dennison, only for the alert Mullen to turn home the loose ball.Soon after, Farrell’s right-wing corner found Keeley, but the big centre-back’s clever goal-bound flick from six yards was booted away by the alert Fleming.Just after the hour mark, Duffy’s right-wing corner found Cann at the back post, but his looping header had to be tipped over by Dennison.
The American net-minder had to make a brave stop soon after as another Cann header this time found Mullen, but his close-range effort was saved by the Drogheda number one.Thomas missed a glorious chance on 66 minutes when he broke the offside trap, but Maher raced off his line and did well to parry away the frontman’s attempted chip and Stott diverted the striker’s follow-up shot.A remarkable piece of defending by Connolly on 70 minutes kept the sides level. United substitute Warren Davis got in behind the City defence before he toe-poked an effort past the out-rushing Maher, but the City skipper got back to somehow keep the ball out of the net.Mullen missed a great chance to give the Foylesiders the lead on 83 minutes when a slick counter-attack ended with O’Reilly’s clever pass finding the Scottish striker, but his shot, which had Dennison beaten, came back off the post.In the closing stages, Duffy went close, but his well-hit drive from 10 yards, which would have troubled Dennison, was bravely blocked by United substitute Luke Heeney.Maher was called into action in stoppage-time when he did well to turn over Andrew Quinn’s shot and Keeley had a close-range shot cleared off the line after Ryan Brennan’s resulting corner had picked out the ex-Ballymena United man.
Drogheda United Dennison, Kane, Quinn, Markey, Thomas (Stretton 87), Farrell (Heeney 65), Bolger, Brennan, Keeley, Lambe, Kareem (Davis 69).
Derry City Maher, Boyce, Cann, Connolly (Dummigan 78), Stott, Fleming; Winchester, Diallo, O’Reilly, Duffy; Mullen (Whyte 87).
Referee Rob Harvey (Dublin).
