Shelbourne fight back at Drogheda to claim first league win of the season
Harry Wood scored the winner from the penalty spot for Shelbourne against Drogheda. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
There was no light at the end of the tunnel for Drogheda United after a rough 10 days ended with defeat as Shelbourne came from behind to earn a first victory of the season at Sullivan & Lambe Park.
There were more eyes on this game than normal given the events of the last week and pre-match did not exactly pass without incident. Just prior to kick-off, with the players on the pitch and in the middle of their handshake formalities, a flare was set off in the away section.
Red smoke billowed into the roof of the stand in the corner of the old ground. A new Zero Tolerance Policy at the club and an increased garda presence couldn’t catch that one.
The stand is where the flare stayed and the incident passed quietly enough but there will surely be repercussions given the strong statements made this week by hosts Drogheda and the League of Ireland on the issue of pyrotechnics.
It took United just five minutes to take the lead. Brandon Kavanagh scored the goal, his first in Drogs’ claret and blue. Their breakaway, from a Shels corner, was lightning quick. Andrew Quinn raced upfield, leaving Sam Bone in his wake. His low centre was dummied by Thomas Oluwa and met by Kavanagh, scoring down to Wessel Speel’s right.
Kavanagh forced Speel into a save soon after. His shot was straight at the Dutch goalkeeper but hit hard enough that the goalkeeper could only gather at the second attempt.
Shelbourne, however, did at least take the game to United from that point onwards without ever creating a chance of note. When they did find space between midfield and defence, the home side had enough bodies in situ to defend their penalty area.
OnLy when Harry Wood engineered space for himself on the edge of the area and struck at goal was Luke Dennison concerned. Wood’s effort was off target.
Joey O’Brien’s team were a different proposition after the interval. An equaliser looked inevitable from the restart, and it arrived less than two minutes later. At the second attempt from Ali Coote’s free-kick delivery – after his first hit the post – Sam Bone steered the ball into the bottom corner.
The away side looked more likely to score next too and duly did, but only after referee Rob Harvey’s intervention. When Dennison and Sean Boyd contested an aerial ball, the official adjudged Dennison to have taken more Boyd than ball.
Kevin Doherty was sent off for his protests – more disciplinary woe for United – before Harry Wood sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with his penalty kick.
Dennison; Bolger, Keeley, Quinn; Agbaje (Bucknor, 80), O’Brien (Brennan, 69), Farrell (Godden, 69), Kane (Cruise, 80); Kavanagh; Oluwa (Kareem, 63), Doyle.
Speel; Mbeng (Gannon, 36), Bone, Ledwidge, Norris (Freitas, 46); Caffrey (Kelly, 46), McInroy; Coote (Lunney, 56), Wood, Jarvis (Roche, 74); Boyd.
Robert Harvey
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