Drogs ⚽ Students ⚽ Scintillating

Anthony McIntyre ⚽ Six goals in a brace of back to back home games, for only one conceded, the Drogs have given their fanbase quite a bit to cheer about.

The victories the goals guaranteed, although secured against teams beneath them in the top flight, are nevertheless those that have to be ground out if a team wants to be playing Premier Division soccer next season.

Last night’s victory over bottom of the table UCD was to be expected even in the absence of Darragh Markey and Dayle Rooney. Yet it took about twenty minutes for Drogheda to get their act together and settle on the ball before some fine distribution moved them from complacency to control.

UCD haven’t won away from home in fifteen attempts. Two draws is about as much as the students have managed, but with nothing to lose and their pride to salvage, outcomes can be less predictable on the pitch than they are on paper.

With the talented Emmanuel Adegboyega having signed for Norwich City, any worries that the back line might look a bit thin have been allayed by the commanding performances of Conor Keeley. For how long he can hold the line is another matter as the English club Notts County has been persistent in its pursuit of him.

Back to my usual perch from which I temporarily vacated for last week’s encounter with Cork City, on this occasion I was once again in the company of my match night companion, Paddy, and his son.

His nephew tagged along as well. The four of us got quality seats, and not just in Paddy's car – those right on the halfway line with a gap behind them which, as Paddy is eager to point out to me, ensures kids to the rear will not be tapping out a drumroll on the back of the seats with their feet. That kills concentration.

Something else that has a tendency to dilute the focus is when kids at the wall surrounding the pitch start waving flags. Normally it doesn't happen unless a goal is scored, but last night for some reason the trait persisted for much of the second half. It blocks the view. Some might suspect that my view is already dodgy, courtesy of a hip flask of neat rum. I love to see the children at the games, their enthusiasm is genuinely infectious. But it is also nice to see what is happening on the pitch. At the same time, we don’t want to complain too much because it is a game for all. And waving flags for some children is how they maximise their enjoyment.

Our enjoyment was maximized, and seriously so, by the second goal. A volley from the gifted boot of Kyle Robinson from close to fifty yards out, after he had pounced on a loose headed ball, is a feat I would have paid EPL prices to see. A scintillating strike, if it is not goal of the season then a grave injustice has been done or something even more spectacular awaits us.

What does await us in a fortnight's time is a cup clash at the Weavers with Bohemians. The way the Drogs are playing just now, don't bet against them moving through to the next round.

⏩Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.