Derry C 2 Drogheda Utd 2:DERRY CITY will be relieved having netted a fortuitous equaliser at the Brandywell against Drogheda last night. They required an own goal four minutes from the end to save a point, and although their unbeaten record now stretches to 15 games, the initiative may have passed to their challengers.

Drogheda silenced the home crowd within three minutes of the kick-off when breaking the deadlock from a corner. Lee Lynch floated the ball in towards the back post and the unmarked Brian Gannon headed the ball into the net off the Derry crossbar.

Derry dominated the possession afterwards, but they were hit again before the break when the visitors doubled their lead, again from another corner in the 37th minute. Lynch again floated in the ball and as the home defence failed to clear the danger, the ball broke to Gavin Brennan and his effort appeared to take a deflection off a defender before finding the net.

Drogheda defended in numbers and hit on the break as Derry huffed and puffed but failed miserably in front of goal. In the 68th minute Stewart Greacen got onto the end of a Barry Molly cross but the Scot directed his header straight at goalkeeper Robert Duggan.

However, Gareth McGlynn gave Derry City hope in the 73rd minute when he headed the ball home to make it 2-1 after Ruaidhri Higgins’ shot had been blocked by a defender. In the 86th minute, Derry levelled matters thanks to an own goal, when Duggan appeared to parry a corner off the body of defender Dave Rogers.

DERRY CITY: Doherty; Molloy, S McEleney (McBride, 79), Greacen, Lafferty; McGlynn, Deery, Higgins, McLaughlin; P McEleney (McDaid, 60), Zayed6.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Duggan; Gaul, McNally, Rogers, Clarke; Brennan, McMahon, Gannon, Lynch, Hand (O’Brien, 78); White.

Referee: R Winter (Dublin).