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Drogs inflict another defeat as Derry exit

Tuesday 17th April 2007, 10:08 pm

Tony Grant levelled for Drogheda.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Derry City summed up their season to date in the second half of their game at United Park tonight in the Setanta Sports Cup. Leading 1-0 thanks to Kevin Deery's strike just before half-time, Derry needed to win by two clear goals but another goalkeeping mistake and ultimately a defensive howler saw Drogheda United come back to win 2-1 and claim their semi-final place.

Having seen Drogheda's Declan O'Brien injured in the warm-up, both sides lost two players each to injury before half-time and indeed three of the starting twenty-two had gone off injured before the fifteenth minute.

Chasing the early goal which would ease their task, Derry's Ruaidhri Higgins saw his third minute shot spilled by Mikko Vilmunen before the inrushing Greg O'Halloran failed to find the target.

Early pressure from the visitors also saw Peter Hutton glance a header just wide from Killian Brennan's free kick into the box but it was to be a mostly frustrating night in front of goal for the Candystripes.

Damien Lynch succumbed to an early ankle injury to depart on 11 minutes and O'Halloran went off too after an awkward landing. A twelfth minute Drogheda through ball produced two more injuries. Ken Oman chased back and as he attempted to head back only managed to land on the ball. Although Pat Jennings' goal survived under pressure from Aidan O'Keefe, the Drogs man went off with an injury picked up in the tangle and Oman went off before half-time with blurred vision picked up in the same incident.

Eamon Zayed flicked a header narrowly the wrong side of Jennings' post as Drogheda created their best chance of the first half on 25 minutes.

Mark Farren almost pulled off a moment of magic as half-time approached but his deft little flick just skipped past the Drogheda goal. The same Derry player couldn't connect with a dangerous Brennan cross into the box in the last minute of the first half but the resulting corner kick produced the opening goal.

Ollie Cahill struggled to clear Higgins' corner kick and although Deery's low shot wasn't struck perfectly, a tangle of legs made it difficult for Vilmunen with the ball ending in the back of the net.

As the second half wore on Zayed and Farren fired shots not far over at either end. Drogheda levelled on the night after 68 minutes though. Gavin Whelan's cross into the area was spilled by Jennings and the alert Tony Grant got his foot in to make it 1-1.

A couple of minutes later Higgins drifted a set-piece just over but needing two goals again to advance, Derry faded for a spell. Paul Keegan played in Grant, but one on one Jennings saved with his legs from the striker.

Deery saw his free kick tipped over before Farren slid a header wide and Higgins saw his low drive saved by Vilmunen in the closing couple of minutes.

Then, four minutes into stoppage time at the end, Dave Rogers played back a ridiculous back pass in the air to Jennings. The stranded keeper attempted to redeem the situation with a header outside the box but got caught under it before Zayed nipped in to slip the ball home and confirm the group's final standings.

Drogheda now face Saint Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park next week in the first semi-final of the Setanta Sports Cup.

Drogheda United : Vilmunen, Lynch (Whelan 11), Webb, Gray, Shelley, Keegan, Byrne, Robinson, Cahill, O'Keefe (Grant 15), Zayed.
Derry City : Jennings, Rogers, Hargan, Hutton, Oman (McCallion 36) (Beckett 87), O'Halloran (Molloy 12), Brennan, Higgins, Deery, Farren, McHugh.