Stalemate suits Sligo

Drogheda United 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 0

Newly crowned EA Sports Cup winners Drogheda survived a pummelling in the final 15 minutes and frustrated a Pat’s side who created the bulk of the scoring chances.

There was great anticipation about this, the third meeting in two weeks between them, so it was surprising to witness such a flat opening quarter, with neither keeper tested.

The visitors perhaps shaded it at that point thanks to a header from Jake Kelly which rose high over the bar, and the game had ticked into the 23rd minute when Pat’s keeper Brendan Clarke finally got a meaningful touch, comfortably holding a driven Gavin Brennan cross.

A sliced clearance by Gavin’s brother Sean presented Kelly with a great chance but the winger blasted high and wide. Drogheda almost made Pat’s play when the ball broke to Gavin Brennan from a corner and his fierce drive was blocked by a defender.

Christy Fagan then beat the offside trap and got in on goal, but Drogs keeper Gabriel Sava read the danger and advanced outside his area to hack clear.

Fagan then escaped from his marker and was picked out by the cross of Kelly, only to volley wide, with Sava beaten on that occasion.

The Boynesiders had a good spell coming up to half time and Gavin Brennan sent a diving header wide from a Philip Hand cross, before Hand himself grazed the bar with a curling free kick.

In the final seconds of the half the visitors passed up another good opportunity, the unmarked Pat Flynn nodding wide from an O’Connor corner kick.

Drogheda’s exertions in winning the EA Sports Cup seemed to take their toll in the second half as the visitors took a firm grip on the game, and Sava had to save a stinging shot from O’Connor before Greg Bolger fired wide with the goal gaping.

On 69 minutes Bolger was through again and this time Sava had to react smartly to parry the midfielder’s shot, before the No 6 had a snap-shot blocked by the keeper at point-blank range.

Liam Buckley had all three subs on at this stage as the visitors desperately chased a late winner, and there were two opportunities in the final moments, but Sava stood firm to save from Forrester and then from Ian Bermingham.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Sava; Gannon, McNally, Prendergast, Hand; S Brennan (Brady 71), R Brennan, Crowley, Foley, G Brennan; Hynes.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Murphy; O’Brien, Kenna (Browne 46), Flynn, Bermingham; O’Connor, Bolger, Chambers, Carroll, Kelly (Forrester 61), Fagan (Faherty 81).

Referee: Padraigh Sutton (Clare).