- David Wilson
- Mon, Oct 25 2021
David Wilson reports from Head in the Game Park
Nothing comes easy for travelling sides to Head in the Game Park and today was no different as an excellent battling performance from Drogheda United secured a great three points thanks to a Killian Phillips header.
Derry City had the opportunity to leapfrog Sligo Rovers into third place with three points today, after the Bit O’Red dropped two points away to Finn Harps last night but they will rue their missed opportunity.
Drogheda United increased the current four-point gap to seven between themselves and Waterford in ninth place.
The opening half was largely a dull affair with neither side creating too many clear goalscoring opportunities.
Derry had looked the more likely of the two sides to score, their rotating front three pf Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, Jamie McGonigle and James Akintunde causing problems for the home side.
The first chance of note came the way of the Candystripes in the 26th minute. Joe Thomson swivelled and found Ciaran Coll. Coll played a great ball into McGonigle's feet, but he couldn't control under pressure from Joe Redmond.
Wing-back Evan McLaughlin, however, continued his surging run and got in behind the Drogheda defence, shooting wide across the face of goal.
Just ten minutes later, the Drogheda defence was at sixes and sevens. A diagonal into the box from Eoin Toal in between the Drogs back three and the goalkeeper caused consternation as David Odumosu collided with his own defender Daniel O’Reilly, but the ball did not land at the feet of a Derry attacker to slide home to an empty net.
With just over five minutes until the whistle, Drogheda took the lead totally against the run of play. A corner from the right was not cleared by the Derry defence and midfielder Phillips was on hand to nod past Nathan Gartside from six yards out to send the home fans into raptures.
The Drogs were now in the ascendency as the bright Darragh Markey headed over a Conor Kane cross.
Derry went close themselves before the halftime break, as Thomson thundered a free kick just wide of Odumosu’s post.
The second half began with Drogheda tearing out of the blocks. Mark Doyle got on the end of a James Brown cross but was blocked by Cameron McJannett. Just seconds later, Redmond crossed to the back stick to Markey, he controlled well before volleying from a tight angle, but Gartside got down well to parry.
Ruaidhri Higgins rung the changes, Bastien Hery, Will Fitzgerald and Jack Malone were all introduced before the 55th minute as the Red and White pushed for an equaliser.
It nearly had the desired effect as McGonigle sprung the offside trap but couldn’t power his effort beyond Odumosu.
Thomson continued to be Derry’s most creative player; the midfielder dribbled inside from right to left before finding Akintunde who in turn found Junior, but the Englishman bent his effort wide of the far post.
Derry reverted to a 4-3-3 with the introduction of the substitutes but still found it difficult to create clear cut opportunities against a well drilled Drogheda defence.
Drogheda defended a number of set pieces exceptionally well and it wasn’t until the 82nd minute when Derry could have found themselves level.
Coll whipped a great ball into the corridor between defence and goalkeeper but somehow Junior could not direct his effort on target when just a touch was required.
Jordan Adeyemo had a glorious chance to wrap up the points for Tim Clancy’s side after a great run from the skipper James Brown but struck his effort straight at Gartside with the goal at his mercy.
The Claret and Blue held out for a great and much needed 1-0 ahead of a tough run-in.
Derry stay fourth while Drogheda go level with Bohs on points but remain behind on goal difference.
Next for Drogheda are three away trips to Sligo, Finn Harps and Bohemians. Derry are at home to Bohs next before travelling to Waterford on the Monday after.
Drogheda United: David Odumosu (GK); James Brown (C), Joe Redmond, Dan O’Reilly, Dane Massey, Conor Kane (Kaleem Simon 68, concussion sub); Killian Phillips, Gary Deegan; Darragh Markey (Luke Heeney 63), Mark Doyle; Chris Lyons (Jordan Adeyemo 58)
Subs not used Colin McCabe (GK), Dinny Corcoran, Jake Hyland, James Clarke, Ahu Obhakhan, Ronan Murray
Booked: Gary Deegan (23), Tim Clancy (90+4)
Derry City: Nathan Gartside (GK); Ronan Boyce (Jack Malone h/t), Evan McLaughlin (Will Fitzgerald 54), Eoin Toal, Cameron McJannett, Ciaran Coll; Ciaron Harkin (Bastien Hery 54), Joe Thomson; James Akintunde (Marc Walsh 85), Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe; Jamie McGonigle
Subs not used: Jack Lemoignan (GK), Mark McChrystal, Gerard Storey, Darren Cole, Orrin McLaughlin
Booked: Ciaron Harkin (17), Ronan Boyce (37), Ruaidhri Higgins (90+4)
Referee: Paul McLaughlin.
Extratime.com player of the match: Daniel O’Reilly (Drogheda United).
