Drogheda United FC -v- Shamrock Rovers FC

• P.J. Murray
• Thu, Apr 02 2009


Drogheda United go in search of their first goal of the season when they entertain Shamrock Rovers, currently on a two-game losing streak, at United Park on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm). The Boynesiders prop up the table after four games but will go level with joint fifth-placed Rovers with a win.

Battling display
Drogheda defended valiantly in a 1-0 defeat by champions Bohemians last weekend, forcing the visitors off the ball at every opportunity and forbidding the Dublin team from playing their usual brand of passing football that has torn so many teams apart over the past 12 months. Also, going forward, Alan Mathews' men were fearless and spread the ball quickly, using their width to attack the corners and force their opponents into mistakes. But it is the lack of a goalscorer that may hold Drogheda back as they go in search of a priceless three points.

Robbo return
Rovers, on the other hand, managed to throw away three points at home to ten-man Derry City last Friday. The Tallaght outfit seemed to lack the cutting edge to make their chances count, and, despite Dessie Baker's second-half opener, a failure to find an insurance goal was punished late on by Derry, who are quickly gaining a reputation for come-from-behind victories. This game also sees the return of former Drogheda talisman and current Rovers captain Shane Robinson to United Park. The midfielder was inspirational in Drogheda's league winning season of 2007 and was widely regarded as one of Paul Doolin's best acquisitions in his time on Boyneside.

High morale
In his assessment of Drogheda’s loss to Bohs, Mathews took a very pragmatic approach. “I don’t dwell too much on a performance if we haven’t achieved the right result," he said. "As a manager, I don’t do moral victories. We gave away a soft goal against Bohemians and didn’t take opportunities that fell our way. Some aspects of our play was good, and the attitude and work rate of the players has been excellent since we got together. I felt we were on the front foot in the second half and responded well to going the goal down. I saw Bohemians play at United Park last season and they won the game much easier than they beat us last Friday night. We maximised the possession and worked hard." Mathews also spoke in midweek about the high morale that is in the Drogheda camp despite the position they find themselves in.

'Bitterly disappointed'
Opposite number Michael O'Neill, meanwhile, was stunned by his side's late defeat by Derry, as the northerners came from a goal down with 17 minutes remaining to win 2-1. “The manner in which we lost to Derry City means that we’re still feeling the pain," he said. "We were bitterly disappointed to lose a game that we really should have had wrapped up. The key for us is to learn from the mistakes we made against Derry and bring that learning process with us so we can develop, both as individuals and as a group. We’re looking to win [against Drogheda]. They may be at the wrong end of the table but the key for us is that we’re in the right frame of mind to go out and earn the three points. We have a busy couple of weeks with four games in 11 days so we’ll find out a lot about ourselves between now and Easter Monday. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Healthy Hoops
Rovers go into this game having only earned a single point away from Tallaght Stadium - that coming in week two with a scoreless draw at Bray Wanderers, incidentally the only team that Drogheda have taken a point from this term. However, for this outing, O’Neill has the luxury of having a fully-fit squad to choose from. “It’s a great complaint to have everyone fit and available to play,” he said. “And we have no suspensions either, which is also a very good sign. We’re obviously lucky to be in this position as it also means that we’ve been extremely competitive in training all week. Everyone’s fighting for a place in the starting eleven.”

Martin blow
For Drogheda, their striking options have been further limited by Robbie Martin's absence, as the 26-year-old retired in the first half of last week's loss due to a hamstring injury. He is likely to be replaced in attack by former Dundalk team-mate Robbie Farrell, who was the Lilywhites' top scorer last year with 11 goals as they won the First Division title. Farrell entered for Martin just past the half hour against Bohs and impressed as he competed well with the Gypsies backline. Indeed, if he performs to that standard again, he may finally break Drogheda's fruitless return in front of goal.

extratime.ie prediction: Drogheda to snatch it. 1-0.