Credit:
Drogheda United -v- Sligo Rovers
- P.J. Murray
- Thu, Sep 03 2009
Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers face off in a crucial tie at United Park on Friday with a 7.45 kick off.
Recent Form
Both sides are entering the game on varying degrees of form. Drogheda are coming off the back of a somewhat demoralising 1-0 loss to St Pats at Richmond Park while Sligo are riding on a high after upsetting Bohs with a 1-0 win and blowing the Premier Division chase back open.
Drogheda have failed to score in their last two games while Sligo have netted at least once in their last three games and are unbeaten in those three games. A battling 2-2 draw with Bray and two 1-0 wins over Derry and Bohs the other results.
Recent Meetings
The two meetings between the sides so far this season have produced two stalemates with the first being a very heated 0-0 draw and the other a 4 goal thriller at the Showgrounds.
Managers Views
Drogheda manager Alan Mathews has been impressed with Sligo and the Dubliner remains focused on what his side need to do.
“Sligo have gone about their business well and fair play to them they got a good win at home to Bohs, now it is up to us to perform. The most important game is the next game and our next game is at home to Sligo.
“We have certainly been putting the work in all season and very much so recently, but we remain unable to score. That is the most worrying fact, we can have the majority of possession but fail to convert our dominance,” he said.
However the Drogheda manager feels that things haven’t being going his sides way recently, “We didn’t deserve to lose that game [St Pats], it was just typical of what has been happening to us lately. We can’t get any breaks recently. The little things are going against us and ultimately that is going to come back and haunt us. But the players performed and I can’t fault them on that.”
Team News
Both Eoghan Osborne (Ligament) and Paul Crowley (Calf) are still unavailable while Shane Barret also remains sidelined with a recurring knee injury. Paul Shiels and Jamie Duffy both return from suspension for the Boynesiders.
Sligo manager Paul Cook has a full squad apart from Romauld Boco who is away on international duty with Benin.
Extratime Prediction – A low scoring draw.
About P.J. Murray
P.J. generally covers Drogheda games at HD Park and can generally be found at any Dublin ground when of a loose end on a Friday night.