Drogheda earn draw with Leeds in Kelly benefit match

A CROWD of 3,500 packed sun- drenched United Park to see Drogheda native Gary Kelly and his Leeds United side draw 1-1 with the local eircom League First Division side in a friendly yesterday.

The Championship side deservedly went ahead on 35 minutes when Kelly picked out the Julian Joachim, who shrugged off his marker and finished in style from just outside the box.

However, the home side were far from overawed, and they got their reward a minute into the second half. Drogheda won a penalty which Alan Reilly converted for a share of the spoils. Half of the proceeds from the match are to be donated to the Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre in Drogheda, set up following the death of Gary’s sister Mandy in 1998.

In the Eircom League First Division, Cobh Ramblers pipped Limerick FC 3-2 at St Colman’s Park on Saturday night.

The home side led by two at the break after goals from Kieran O’Reilly and Davin O’Neill, but Limerick were level four minutes after the break, when first Brian Donnellan and then Robbie Kelleher goaled.

Cobh took the points with a fine 84th-minute winner, 19-year-old centre back Ken Kiely coming up from the back to power a free-kick home.

Also on Saturday night Dublin City snatched a draw on their visit to Kilkenny City thanks to two second- half goals from winter signing Michael Holt. His goals came in the 59th and 77th minutes as Keely’s men recovered to take an unlikely point.

Kilkenny were under the management of Pat Scully in a competitive game for the first time and the players were obviously keen to impress the new boss. They had their own two-goal hero in Dave Maher; he netted 10 minutes before the break, and the same player made it 2-0 early in the second half, but Dublin recovered well for the draw.

Sligo can thank two goals in six first half minutes from captain Michael McNamara for their home win against Kildare County over the weekend. Former Sligo GAA player McNamara was appointed club skipper in the close-season, and he certainly led by example on Saturday night against Kildare.

The visitors had taken the lead through a first-minute penalty from Andrew Cousins, but central defender McNamara levelled shortly before the half-hour mark from Jason McCartney’s well-flighted free kick.

Six minutes later, another McCartney dead ball caused chaos in the

Kildare defence, and it was that man McNamara again who turned the ball to see Sligo on their way.

In the only game played yesterday, Monaghan United had reason to rue their generosity to visitors Galway, who took the points with a comprehensive 3-1 victory.

The sweeping changes in the Ulster club in recent months obviously did little for stability and Galway punished their hosts’ mistakes made to the full.

Barry Moran struck twice for Galway, his first coming in the 56th minute.

He added his second in the 76th minutes and when Kevin Williamson added the third a minute later the game was as good as dead. Quinn’s late strike for Monaghan was nothing more than consolation.