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Hard fought win moves Drogs top

Friday 20th April 2007, 10:08 pm

Shane Robinson, Drogheda United.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Drogheda United took advantage of the fact that Saint Patrick's Athletic don't play until Saturday night, by climbing top of the eircom League for the first time this season tonight. A hard fought 2-1 win over Shamrock Rovers was in some doubt in the dying minutes after a brave fightback from the Hoops.

Making the headlines for the Drogs were two former Rovers players. Shane Robinson scored both Drogheda goals but Glen Fitzpatrick was later sent off before David Cassidy grabbed a goal back for the home side in the closing ten minutes but Rovers just couldn't turn late pressure into an equalising goal.

Robinson had fired Drogheda in front on 55 minutes after good work down the right from Eamon Zayed created the chance. Robinson made it 2-0 just four minutes later as he fired home after Stephen Bradley's free kick into the box.

Both sides were struggling with an awful Tolka Park pitch but seemingly coasting to a win, Drogheda were hit with a blow when Fitzpatrick was sent off after an altercation in the box.

Fighting back into the game, substitute Cassidy grabbed back an 82nd minute goal in bizarre fashion as his shot took a wicked bounce off the turf and beat the desperate dive of Mikko Vilmunen.

Rovers though couldn't get the second goal required as they slipped to their second defeat of the season.

Shamrock Rovers : Murphy, G O'Brien, Ferguson, Ryan, Clarke, Pender, Barrett, Danny O'Connor (Cassidy 53), D McGill (Myler 60), Purcell, Rowe (Duffy 73).
Drogheda United : Vilmunnen, Byrne, Shelley, Gray, Webb, Robinson, Bradley, Keegan, Cahill, Fitzpatrick, Zayed