- Bar OSullivan
- Sat, Mar 15 2008
Sligo's first home game of the season on Saturday night saw them take on reigning Champions Drogheda. Despite and wind and rain a good sized crowd ventured to the Showgrounds - they didnt get to see any goals but nonetheless the entertainment value was high.
Drogheda started the game the brighter but Sligo were first to threaten. Fahrudin Kudozovic found himself in a good position inside the box however his effort flashed wide of the upright. Eamon Zayed and Guy Bates started upfront for the visitors and the long balls Drogheda were playing up to them were unsettling the Sligo defence. With a little over twenty minutes on the clock the pair combined but Bates shot wide after Zayed had created the opening for him. Sligo were sitting back and inviting Drogheda on to them - when they did break Kudozovic was upfront on his own and before he was able to bring others into the game he was surrounded by opposition players.
Sligo were prone to giving away a lot of free kicks and nearly paid the ultimate price when Shane Robinson went close. Richard Brush had been expecting a cross and had already moved a couple of steps off his line away from the ball but Robinson had decided to try his luck. Aided by the strong wind the free kick looked like it was going to beat Brush, however he somehow managed to shuffle back across his line and get a strong hand behind the ball.
Before the end of the first forty five Kudozovic again went close but Vilmunen in the Drogheda goal was at hand to make things look easy. Defender Mauro Almeida also threatened after he had advanced from the back for a dead ball situation. Sligo were very much on top for the final fifteen minutes of the first half and put together some neat passages of play.
The second half brought more of the same. Both sides found the pitch a major obstacle to getting the ball down and playing it around. Credit to Sligo though, they preserved and kept the ball on the ground most of the time. They mixed it up when necessary. Drogheda on the other chose to bypass the midfield whenever it was possible. Robinson stayed wide of the left for the entire game - whereas he would normally spend a portion of the game in a central role. With Adam Hughes and Stuart Byrne in the centre Drogheda were not set up to carve Sligo open. The pair worked hard and provided good cover for the back four however when it came to getting on the ball or trying to create something both were found severely lacking.
Sligo were still looking venerable at the back when midway through the second half another long ball caused them problems. This time Zayed chased it down but Brush was quick off his line and got his angles right. Captain Gavin Peers, who was a doubt for the game, went off and was replaced by Jamie McKenzie. This seemed to have the effort of unsettling the Sligo back line even more and as Drogheda piled on the pressure it was beginning to look like it was only a matter of time before they opened the scoring.
With about twenty minutes to go Sligo found their second wind and from that point on finished the game very strongly. On a couple of occasions they went close from corners and on one occasion the ball needed to be cleared off the Drogheda line by Byrne. Judge tried his best to make an impression when he was introduced but found the going tough against the Drogheda centre back pairing of Graham Gartland and John Tambouras.
Both sides will be content with a point - they both had ample opportunities to win the game however having said that neither deserved to loose it. Sligos defence certainly looked shaky when they had two attackers to mark and deal with, and their insistence to hold a relatively high line could have cost them dear due to the strong winds and the pace of Zayed. Right back Seamus Coleman was once again impressive - in both defence and attack. Anto Murphy struggled to get into the game and didnt see near enough of the ball. Rafa Cretaro was his usual busy and industrious self however his chances to get forward were hampered by the fact that he was always afraid of leaving Robinson with two much space and time on the ball
After defeat to Shamrock Rovers last week Drogheda could have done with a win to carry them up the table. They were far too reliant on playing a very direct game - both wingers, Ollie Cahill and Robinson rarely got forward enough quick enough. Cahill seems a shadow on the player he once was. Providing cover for the full back behind him and getting behind the ball whenever possible certainly helped make Drogheda harder to break down but when it came to going forward he had nothing to offer. Unless his performances improve somewhat in the coming weeks manager Doolin shall find it hard to keep starting with him. Centre back Tambouras was once again strong and reliable and it will be interesting to see if Jason Gavin walks straight back into the side and replaces him like he did last season.
Drogheda have yet to register a league goal this season and face an important week. On Tuesday they make the trip south to face Cork in the Setanta Cup and they then host Cobh on Friday night in a game they will be expected to win with ease. Sligo have no such Setanta Cup distractions and their weekend game against Bohemians has been brought forward a day to Friday night at 19.45.
Sligo Rovers: Richard Brush; Chris Butler, Gavin Peers (Jamie McKenzie 68), Mauro Almeida, Seamus Coleman; Romauld Boco (Matthew Judge 74), Danny Ventre, Conor O'Grady, Anto Murphy (Brian Cash 63); Raffaele Cretaro, Fahrudin Kuduzovic.
Subs not used: Pat Jennings, Sean Doherty.
Booked: None.
Drogheda United: Mikko Vilmunen; John Tambouras (Richie Baker 87), Brian Shelley, Graham Gartland, Joe Kendrick; Adam Hughes, Stuart Byrne, Shane Robinson, Ollie Cahill; Guy Bates (Ibrahim Thiam 76), Eamon Zayed.
Subs not used: Jamie Ewing, Paul Keegan, Aidan O'Keefe.
Booked: Shelley, Kendrick, Hughes, Cahill, Bates.
Referee: Richie Winter.
Attendance: 2,500 (estimate)
