
Bad night all round for Drogheda Utd
SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division – Drogheda Utd 1 Shamrock Rovers 2
There have been some dark days in the history of Drogheda United and Monday will certainly be up there.
Kevin Doherty cut a lonely figure on the pitch around 6pm on Monday evening as he was clearly contemplating the ramifications of the decision which had been handed out by CAS 90 minutes previous.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Early goal gets Drogs victory over Sligo
SSE Airtricity Premier Division: Drogheda United 1 Sligo Rovers 0 If there were question marks about how Drogheda United's exit from European competition might affect Kevin Doherty's players, those have emphatically been answered. A good showing against Shamrock Rovers last Monday did not result in points. Four days on and despite constant Sligo Rovers pressure throughout, they did the job. Douglas-James Taylor scored the winner. As expected, Drogheda owner and co-chairman Ben Boycott was present at the game. He addressed Kevin Doherty and his players in light of their UEFA Conference League expulsion. The Trivela Group CEO was also seen speaking to supporters prior to kick-off, likely offering apologies and assurances in equal measure. Drogheda had won all three of Sligo's most trips to Boyneside, by an aggregate score of 13-1. It took them only three minutes to extend their eye-catching statistic further, with James-Taylor hitting the net. Warren Davis robbed Jad Hakiki of the ball in the centre circle and he raced towards goal before feeding strike-partner James-Taylor. The Walsall loanee – in what may have been his last home game as a Drogs player – blasted a shot past Sam Sargeant. There are usually plenty of goals when these sides meet and while that goal was not added to in the first half, it was not for a lack of effort on either side. Conor Kane smashed a shot against the corner of bar and upright and before that Andy Quinn and Warren Davis shot over the bar. The latter, certainly, should have done better. Luke Dennison was called into action multiple times to deny an impressive Sligo an equaliser that they warranted in truth. He saved at his near post from Wilson Waweru and then Owen Elding before he scooped Will Fitzgerald's shot over the bar after the restart. It was a confident performance from John Russell's team, in an attacking sense, but there were familiar failings at the back. Only misfortune and misfires kept the deficit at one goal. The Bit O'Red were culpable at the other end too especially when Jad Hakiki shot wide with the goal at his mercy in the 64th minute and then substitute Cian Kavanagh headed wide soon after. DROGHEDA UNITED: Dennison; Cooper, Keeley, Quinn; Cruise (Markey, 46), Heeney, Farrell, Kane; Brennan; James-Taylor, Davis (Oluwa, 79). SLIGO ROVERS: Sargeant; Reynolds, McElroy (McDonagh, 35), Mahon, Hutchinson; Doyle-Hayes, Mallon (Van Hattum, 69); Elding, Hakiki (Lomboto, 83), Fitzgerald; Waweru (Kavanagh, 69).


Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Galway humble St Pats with first half blitz
SSE Airtricity Premier Division: Galway United 3 St. Patrick's Athletic 1 St. Patrick's Athletic's disappointing season reached a nadir in Galway, when they were humbled by a less celebrated but more effective side on the night. Two unforced errors in the first eleven minutes sealed their fate. However, all metrics would have favoured the home team who were in charge physically and territorially in a bruising opening 30 minutes for the visitors. Pat's were caught cold with the first. Evan Watts was able to lash a kickout 80 yards that Ed McCarthy picked up on the edge of the box, turned, shot and scored before Joe Redmond or Tom Grivosti could recover. There was further dysfunction for the second. Joseph Anang was a long way from home when he tried to deliver long. Instead, he smashed it straight off David Hurley who picked it up in his own half on the right and curled beautifully into an empty net. United kept their foot down and would have hoped for more joy, except for some good scrambling from Anang and errant finishing. There were some flashes of the underlying excellence of the away team. Mason Melia brought the best from Watts before Simon Power beat him in the corner. When Rob Slevin extended the lead again to 3-1 shortly after, it was no less than his side deserved. Pat's improved after the break. Power was prominent on the right. Sean Hoare and Jamie Lennon reasserted some control. The latter even came close from the edge of the area. The Pat's bench were up in arms, thinking the impressive Melia was wrongly denied a penalty at a time that could really mattered. Hoare, Chris Forrester and Brandon Kavanagh all came off the bench in a bid to salvage something. There was plenty of possession, some neat interplay but few chances. Kavanagh, who has broken Galway hearts before with a free-kick when with Bray, lined up a few dangerous free-kicks from the edge of the box. The second drew a second incredible save from the Welsh youngster who then pulled off another cracking stop from Hoare. The heroics gave Stephen Kenny an out to point out the heroics of the 'keeper. However, he is seasoned enough to know that the problems run deeper with his side and he has a job on to turn it around in time for Derry on Monday. GALWAY UNITED: Watts; Esua, Buckley, Slevin, Cunningham (Burns 81); Hurley (McCormack 90), Borden (Walsh 90), Byrne, Hickey, McCarthy (Brouder 90); Dyer (Shaw 70) ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Anang; Sjoberg (Kavanagh 70), Redmond, Grivosti (Hoare 45), McLelland; Elbouzedi, Lennon, Baggley (Carty 82), Power; Melia, Keena (Forrester 70) Ref: R Harvey


Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Runaway leaders Shamrock Rovers inflict more damage on Cork City
SHAMROCK ROVERS 4 (Michael Noonan 6, 29, Pico Lopes 26, Rory Gaffney 49) CORK CITY 1 (Alex Nolan 69) Orange was the appropriate colour donned by Cork City as despite the sunniest day of the year they felt a relegation gale warning. Their survival prospects won't be defined by another humbling from runaway leaders but the manner of this meek surrender, a week after Bohemians schooled them at home, will cause alarm. A bright start for the visitors was soon punctuated by 16-year-old Michael Noonan being allowed to slalom into the box and fire the opener for Shamrock Rovers beneath Tein Troost. Another pair of goals were conceded to Pico Lopes and Noonan merely over two minutes apart, leaving the game effectively over as a contest by the half hour mark. Rory Gaffney completed the rout four minutes after the restart before City substitute Alex Nolan bundled home a consolation. If that coming with 21 minutes remaining might have signalled a comeback, then the respective positions at the summit and foot of the table injected reality into the assumption. Rovers, resting several mainstays including Jack Byrne, Graham Burke and Matt Healy for Monday's derby against Bohemians, were always in cruise control. There was never any inkling of the 4-4 draw at Tallaght from City's last Premier Division campaign. City sit where they never were during that relegation season of two years ago, rock bottom, and the new management of Ger Nash and David Meyler will circle back-to-back home games against Drogheda United on Monday and St Patrick's Athletic four days later as pivotal. Eight-placed Waterford extending their buffer to 13 points reduces further the hopes of avoiding the relegation playoff but the pressing challenge as the games remaining dissolve is avoiding the automatic drop. City have lost over half their 20 matches with all Nash having to show from his four games to date a draw at home to Shelbourne. Holding the champions raised talk of a revival yet it can be perceived as a false dawn, for the traditional managerial bounce hasn't materialised. His decision to cull captain Charlie Lyons from the starting line-up spoke of decisiveness from his early takeaways but the central defensive duo in his place were given the runaround by rampant Rovers. Lyons was introduced at the break, along with another experienced campaigner, Seán Murray, in a bid to stem the bleeding. Those calls followed an impromptu discussion between Nash and his recently appointed assistant after being subjected to another sobering 45 minutes. Djanairo Daniels looked to have set the tone with a shove on Danny Mandroiu within moments of kick-off followed by a shot wide but the rest of the half would be spent predominantly inside City's half. Their livewire Cathal O'Sullivan was impeded from playing out of it in the passage of play leading up the opener. Once his pass inside was nicked off the toe of Kitt Nelson, two passes later and O'Sullivan was raiding into the box. He chopped beyond both City's centre-backs, Darragh Crowley and Freddie Anderson, before tucking a soft shot beneath an unusually poor Troost. Malik Dijksteel did test Ed McGinty and Evan McLaughlin fired over but two quickfire goals made it 3-0. O'Sullivan's clumsy 26th minute tackle on Trevor Clarke incurred a booking and free-kick, which Dylan Watts curled in for Lopes to elude Crowley and power home with a thumping header. City were dissected again from the next attack, Noonan slipping in between the two defenders to stroke home his second. Further slack defending on the turnover cost the Rebels when Mandroiu sent Gaffney clear past the lost Josh Fitzpatrick. All the veteran striker had to do was roll the ball into the net. It was keep-ball for Rovers thereafter with a spate of subs from both sides. Whereas Milan Mbeng hooked a clear sight on goal wide, Nolan didn't miss with his, despite defender John O'Sullivan attempting to prevent it crossing the line. SHAMROCK ROVERS: E McGinty; D Cleary, R Lopes, C O'Sullivan; D Grant (A McEneff 73), D Watts (C Barrett 52), J O'Sullivan, T Clarke (M Kovalevskis 46); R Gaffney, D Mandroiu (G O'Neill 52); M Noonan. CORK CITY: T Tein; M Mbeng (H Nevin 61), F Anderson, D Crowley, J Fitzpatrick; E McLaughlin, G Bolger; C O'Sullivan (A Nolan 66), K Nelson (S Murray 46), M Dijksteel (C Lyons 46); D Daniels (S Maguire 61). Referee: A O'Dowd (Dublin). Attendance: 4,355.