- Rónán MacNamara
- Fri, Mar 10 2023
Ronan MacNamara reporting from the Belfield Bowl
Drogheda United moved up to fourth place in the League of Ireland Premier Division as a clinical Emmanuel Adegboyega header gave the visitors a well-earned three points at the UCD Bowl.
The 19-year-old former Dundalk centre back rose highest to guide home a beautiful glancing header into the top corner as he met Dayle Rooney’s curling free kick seventeen minutes from time.
The result leaves UCD rooted to the foot of the league following four successive defeats and they have picked up just one point from their opening five games.
This game finally got the go ahead following two pitch inspections with the latest coming at 5pm.
Drogheda arrived in Dublin 4 looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the campaign away to Bohemians on Monday night while the students were smarting from successive 4-0 defeats to Cork City and Derry City.
Drogheda knew a second win of the season could lift them as high as third place in the Premier Division depending on other results and they began brightly and could have hit the front after just three minutes but Darragh Markey couldn’t keep his half volley down from inside the area.
Adam Foley pulled up in the warmup and was replaced at the eleventh hour by Dylan Grimes as Kevin Doherty altered his side from a 5-3-2 to a 5-4-1, and Grimes almost made an early impact with a sweeping corner but Conor Keeley could only head straight at Kian Moore.
UCD held their own for the first half and had moments where they ought to have shown more in front of goal but were guilty of overplaying in the final third.
Rooney looked a class above and he almost provided two assists for Markey and Elicha Ahui but Harvey O’Brien and Jack Keaney did well to divert the balls away for corners.
Keaney produced a herculean block moments later to deny Markey who was bursting through on goal following an O’Brien slip.
Andy Myler’s charges – who were on a run of three straight defeats following an opening night point at Dundalk – emerged from the changing rooms sprightly and had two quickfire efforts, Jack Dignam should have done better with the second.
19-year-old Freddie Draper was inches away from breaking the deadlock on the hour but Markey’s clip to the back post was a fraction too far ahead of him, with the goal gaping. The Lincoln loanee almost benefited from some hospital football from the UCD backline in their own six yard area.
Dignam was then on hand to deny Markey after Ahui’s galloping run and cross.
Drogs were enjoying their best spell of the game and they created the best opportunity of the game as Draper slipped Grimes through and he failed to find the target from inside the area.
Tight games are often decided by set pieces and that’s how the Boynesiders got their winner, as Adehboyeda glanced home Rooney’s free kick for his first goal for the club.
The college rang the changes in the second half and had a brief spurt of pressure as the game ticked towards the 90. Substitute Divine Izikor pulled the ball back and it agonizingly eluded Harvey O’Connor.
Draper bullied the UCD rearguard in the second half but did everything but score on the night. A fantastic swivel and shot produced an equally impressive fingertip save from Moore before the UCD stopper came out to smother him moments later.
UCD: Kian Moore; Ciaran Behan, Michael Gallagher (Daniel Norris 67), Harvey O'Brien, Evan Osam (Harry O'Connor 84), Adam Wells; Brendan Barr (Danu Kinsella Bishop 76), Mark Dignam (Donal Higgins 76), Dara Keane, Jack Keaney; Alex Nolan.
Subs not used: Lorcan Healy, Ryan Bowden, Sami Clarke, Jake Doyle, Divine Izekor.
Booked: None.
Sent off: None.
Drogheda United: Colin McCabe; Emmanuel Adegboyega, Elicha Ahiu, Conor Keeley, Evan Weir; Ryan Brennan, Gary Deegan, Adam Foley, Darragh Markey, Dayle Rooney; Freddie Draper.
Subs not used: Fiachra Pagel, Jarlath Jones, Dylan Grimes, Emre Topcu, Warren Davis, Sean Brennan, Michael Leddy, Luke Heeney.
Booked: Freddie Draper (28), Dylan Grimes (88).
Sent off: None.
Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan
Attendance: None
extratime.com Player of the Match: Dayle Rooney
