SHAMROCK ROVERS CONDEMNED Drogheda United to defeat for the first time this term and ignited their own season by securing a big win in ever so dramatic fashion. Ed McGinty’s 96th minute penalty save from Shane Farrell’s spot kick broke Drogheda hearts. Their chance to rescue a point and preserve their unbeaten start was wasted.
It had looked so promising for the division’s in-form side when Conor Keeley struck shortly after the half hour mark. But goals from Aaron Greene and Graham Burke – one in each half – arrived to put Stephen Bradley’s team in control. Following on from their victory over St Patrick’s Athletic a week earlier, Rovers look to be up-and-running in a very real sense now.
In light of their blistering start to the campaign, Drogheda knew that a point would guarantee them top spot over the international break. That meant United fans would be able to revel in their place at the summit for two whole weeks before the league resumes. Results elsewhere means that, despite a loss, the Drogs still lead the way.
That is ever so sweet for a side who few, if any, envisaged starting the season as well as they have. Both managers named unchanged teams following their 1-0 victories over Shelbourne and St Patrick’s Athletic seven days earlier. As has been the pattern in every Drogheda match this season, they spent huge swathes of the match without the ball.
As results have suggested though, that particular statistic only tells part of the story. Keeley became.
