AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION Shamrock Rovers 3 Drogheda Utd 0:FOR A match between two teams expected to make history for very different reasons, this was far from an historic match. Rovers eventually cruised to a 3-0 win with a marked difference in quality between their first-half performance and their second.
To a degree, that was to be expected of course. It’s been an emotional week at the club, first experiencing the joy of last Saturday’s Setanta Cup win and then the sadness of long-time supporter and broadcaster Philip Greene’s funeral. Given such extremes, a certain flatness to their performance was to be expected.
And, once they failed to open the scoring with an initial onslaught, a worrying anxiety afflicted their play. Clearances were miscued, passes were misplaced. Billy Dennehy was unlucky with a curling shot and Gary O’Neill equally so with a volley. But they still allowed Drogheda to attack them at home to a worrying degree.
Given their resources, however, many expect Michael O’Neill’s developing side to dominate Irish football for years. Eventually, their nerves calmed enough to show why.
Just a minute after half-time, a perfect Conor McCormack free-kick picked out Craig Sives who headed home the opening goal.
From there, normal service was resumed. In every sense. Two divine passes – one from O’Neill, the second from Gary McCabe – fell to Gary Twigg who scored on his first start since getting injured against Bray a month ago.
And, within minutes of that, Billy Dennehy played a through-ball of equal quality. Onrushing keeper Steven Trimble was caught out, allowing Twigg an even easier finish. Rovers closed the game out with ease and showed some flashes of excellence. Both Dennehy and Ronan Finn also might have added to their team’s tally.
Given their difficulties, meanwhile, Drogheda are expected to potentially produce one of the most disheartening Premier Division seasons of all time. It would of course be unfair to be too critical of the Louth side given the circumstances. And, here they showed admirable pluck, causing Rovers a lot of difficulties in the first half. Most notably Mark O’Brien.
Nevertheless they remain on two points after 14 games with no wins. That’s an average of 0.14 points a game. The worst in League of Ireland history is Bray Unknowns in 1936 with 0.09. They picked up a solitary win in 22 games.
Only three teams have gone an entire season without winning a game: Jacobs in 1930, Bohemians in 1960 and the Unknowns again in 1942. Drogheda did enough to suggest they will eventually end their own winless run. But Rovers just had too much about them to let it happen last night.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; McCormack, Stevens, Sives, Murray; Turner (Rice, 60 mins), Finn, Dennehy, McCabe; Twigg (Kilduff 70), ONeill (Sheppard 65 mins).
DROGHEDA UNITED: Trimble; OBrien, Hand, Gannon, Ekanem; Quigley, McCrosson, OBrien, McNamara (Murray, 65 mins; Gaul 70 mins); Freeman (Campbell 80 mins), Corcoran.
Referee: P Sutton(Clare).
