Drogheda United 0 - 1 Cork City

• P.J. Murray
• Sat, Aug 22 2009


Cork City claimed a valuable three points at United Park as a 78th minute own goal by Eric McGill undid all the hard work Drogheda had put in. In truth neither side deserved to lose this keenly fought clash which was marred somewhat at the end by the dismissal of Drogheda’s Paul Shiels.

A rare mistake by James Chambers allowed Billy Dennehy to steal in behind the defender and cut inside the box and his low cross in front of the goal was deflected past Steve Williams by the retreating McGill.

Both sides started off tentatively, long balls and misplaced passes where the order of the day as neither team could get a foothold on the game. Cork had the first chance right on 60 seconds as Dennehy was put through and his snap shot was parried wide by Steve Williams. It wasn’t until the 17th minute before there was another chance on goal which fell to the visitors.

Once again Dennehy was involved as he took their fourth corner of the game and sent in a dangerous ball that was met right on by Kevin Long but his header rebounded cruelly off the cross bar and in the ensuing scramble referee Richie Winter awarded a free out which relieved the danger.

As was the case with this game Drogheda retaliated almost immediately and Ross Gaynor slid Jamie Duffy through but the strikers shot hit the wrong side of the net as he had Mark McNulty beaten in the Cork goal.

Drogheda then spurned another chance two minutes later as McNulty was exposed by a high ball which he allowed bounce over him and only for Duffy had turned his back on the play the striker would have had an easy tap in, as it was McNulty managed to recover.

Drogheda’s best chance of the game fell to Ian Ryan on 27 minutes, a corner needlessly conceded by Danny Murphy resulted in Brendan McGill sending in the set piece and Ian Ryan drifted across the box to meet the ball and direct it on goal, but for Gareth Cambridge on the goal line Drogheda would have taken the lead.

Cork finished the half the stronger as Danny Murphy broke down the right wing and sent a swirling ball to the back post where no one picked up the run of Cambridge and the Cork player just failed to control the ball at the back post and it trickled harmlessly wide.

Both sides reverted to their tentative form in the second half. It was the home side who made the first chance after eight minutes of the restart when Chambers lobbed a ball through to Duffy who spotted McNulty off his line but his attempted lob failed to beat the keeper.

It was then the turn of the Leesiders to spurn a great chance as Cambridge picked up a ricochet and found himself ahead of the Drogheda defence, but after seeing his name in lights he blazed over.

After the goal Drogheda created a series of chances, but such was the game they failed to convert and once again the lack of firepower in the squad is glaringly obvious as Doolin keeps up his push for a European spot.

Extratime MOTM – Billy Dennehy – The Cork midfielder was the only real bright spark in the game as he was the crux for many of their attacks

Drogheda United – S Williams, J Chambers, R Clarke, C Kenna, I Ryan, E McGill (R Martin 83), B McGill, P Shiels, J Duffy, G Bates, R Gaynor – Subs Not Used: P Skinner, S Gibb, B King, R Farrell

Cork City – M MCNulty, D Murphy, G O’Halloran, D Murray, J Gamble, F Kuzudovic, B Dennehy, C Lordan, D O’Neill, K Long, G Cambridge