Pre-Season Friendly Report: Drogheda United 1 - 2 Sligo Rovers

Gerard Grimes reports from United Park

A late header from captain Kyle Callan-McFadden saw Sligo claim a 2-1 win over Drogheda United at a fog covered United Park on Thursday night.

It took twenty minutes for the first chance of note as Sligo’s Darragh Noone saw his free kick take a deflection before pinballing around the six yard box until Drogheda keeper Odumosu saved.

The home side went closest to breaking the deadlock twice in as two minutes as first, Chris Lyons low free kick was brilliantly saved by McNicholas low to his right.

A minute later, Doyle was played in, rounded the keeper, but his touch took the ball wide.  The winger still got the ball goalwards but Sligo captain Callan-McFadden was there to stop it on the line.

He only half cleared the ball though to Luke Heeney but the Drogheda midfielder saw his effort rise over the bar as he looked for the top corner.

Sligo were growing more into the game and began to dominate, particularly in the last fifteen minutes of the half, with Devers breaking down the right forcing teenage keeper Odumosu into another save.

The keeper was again called into action a minute later as Coughlan found his way into the box, only to be denied by a superb save from Odumosu.

Sligo took the lead two minutes later as the ball fell to the feet of Darragh Noone in the box, with the midfielder making no mistake finishing from eight yards.

Drogheda had the last chance of the half as Heeney’s ball delivered towards Douglas at the back post ended up bouncing off the post before McNicholas and the Sligo defence cleared.

Garry Buckley from distance and Sean Brennan from a free had the first chances for either side in the second half but it was Adam Wixted who went closest to scoring.

Conor Kane was found on the left wing by Jack Tuite and the former drilled the ball low towards the penalty spot but Wixted fired his effort wide of Ed McGinty’s far post.

McGinty was called into action with twenty minutes to play as Wixted played a ball towards the near post, it was met by substitute Adeyemo but the Sligo keeper was equal to it.

Sligo almost doubled their lead two minutes later as Coughlan found himself in acres of space 25 yards out and his low effort bounced back off the far post.

Drogheda found an equaliser three minutes later as Ryan O’Shea and Brandon Bermingham linked up. O’Shea, captain in the second half, cut the ball back for Adeyemo who fired in from twelve yards.

Heeney again went close for Drogheda, and Adeyemo forced McGinty into another save while Devers flashed a strike just wide of the far post for Sligo as both sides looked for a winning goal.

Sligo found a late winner as David Cawley delivered a free from the right wing and Callan-McFadden headed home unmarked in the box.

Drogheda United: David Odumosu (Jack McCarthy 81’); James Brown, Hugh Douglas, Jack Tuite, Conor Kane (C) (Ryan O’Shea 63’); Mark Hughes, Luke Heeney, Richie O’Farrell (Sean Brennan 52’); Stephen Meaney (Adam Wixted 45’), Mark Doyle (Brandon Bermingham 63’), Chris Lyons (Jordan Adeyemo 67’).

Unused Subs: Frank Cabraley, Kevin Mohammad, James Clarke.

Sligo Rovers: Luke McNicholas (Ed McGinty 45’); Kyle Callan-McFadden (C), John Mahon, Teemu Penningkangas; Garry Buckley (Ronan Murray 78’), John Russell (Will Seymore 45’), Niall Morahan (David Cawley 45’), Darragh Noone (Scott Lynch 45’), Regan Donelan; Jesse Devers, Ronan Coughlan (Mark Byrne 78’).

Unused Sub: Johnny Dunleavy.