Anthony McIntyre ⚽ Athlone Town AFC might have been spared from a hung and drawn experience but the quartering that befell them was ruthlessly executed.
The travelling Drogs put four past Athlone on their home turf, securing victory by the time the opposition scored with a late penalty.
The journey to Athlone Town Stadium was a long one: two hours it took myself, Paddy and J to complete and roughly the same to get home again, stumbling across the portal just short of midnight to hungrily poke around the leftovers from my wife's order-in which luckily Ronan did not get to before me despite coming in from his second shift of the day just ahead of me. We all agreed that the Drogs should win and reach their first semi-final in 11 years. Then, they made it to the Aviva only to cruelly see defeat snatched from the jaws of victory in the dying minutes of the final.
Athlone Town Stadium is in better nick that Weavers Park. Then, all the grounds I have visited to watch the Drogs could boast that. A new stadium with a modern layout would be a huge shot to the arm of soccer in the town, so speed the day. One quaint feature of the stadium last night was that it has only one side, where both sets of supporters congregate. There is something of a visual oddity to it, given that we are accustomed to gazing across at the opposition.
If there were many Athlone fans in attendance last night, sitting to the far right (not the horrible hateful kind) of the stadium, we didn't hear them. Our Ultras took centre stage, large and loud. There was quite a sizeable turn out of support for Drogheda, which should say something about the passion for the team in this town. My neighbour and his son joined us for the second half, they too having made the same trek, and probably now wanting to hear themselves talk suitably distanced from the din of the beloved Ultras.
Just after taking my seat, as sometimes pleasingly happens, I was approached by a fan who shook hands and told me he enjoyed the pieces I craft after each of the games I watch. I commented to Paddy that it is always a nice gesture when that happens.
Once settled, Paddy drew my attention to the pitch - AstroTurf. The daunting thought made its presence felt: this might be an advantage to the home side. It being a cup game, where the underdog can put manners on the favourites, I was no longer so sure. 
As dusk started to descend I wondered if my decision to wear only a cardigan as an outer garment was a prudent call. Fortunately, I was not attacked by the chill. Nevertheless, no more braving it out from here on in. I will use the dedicated winter jacket I bought for matches.
Within three minutes my fears about an upset were allayed as Athlone opted to push their weight around, taking a yellow card in the process. If the game plan was to bully from the get go, as it seemed, my confidence grew that the brain of Kevin Doherty and his players would prove too powerful for the brawn being thrust out from Athlone. A second yellow was to follow in the ninth minute, which reassured me even more: when the decisive moment came there would be a hesitancy from the booked players to commit. The safety barrier between those yellow carded and an early bath had been whipped away by their own overzealousness in the tackle.
Two minutes later the Drogs were a goal ahead courtesy of a terrible mix up in the Athlone defence. Harried by Frantz Pierrot, confusion reigned allowing the ever ready Douglas James-Taylor to poke the ball into the onion bag.
On the twenty minute mark Pierrot, whose overall performance was good, squandered a great opportunity to put the Drogs two up, cutting inside when he should have taken the shot. In the 26th minute his rasping effort came off the woodwork.
Two minutes later the Drogs were a goal ahead courtesy of a terrible mix up in the Athlone defence. Harried by Frantz Pierrot, confusion reigned allowing the ever ready Douglas James-Taylor to poke the ball into the onion bag.
On the twenty minute mark Pierrot, whose overall performance was good, squandered a great opportunity to put the Drogs two up, cutting inside when he should have taken the shot. In the 26th minute his rasping effort came off the woodwork.
At this point the old nagging doubt began to burrow its way in: the Drogs were not turning their dominance into goals, and a sucker punch might be waiting. As the sides went in, with one goal separating them, we were not over confident.
Relaxation came minutes after the restart which saw the Drogs go two up with a headed rebound, again from DJT. Go for the hattrick, was the noise being manufactured in the vocal chords of the fans close to me.
Relaxation came minutes after the restart which saw the Drogs go two up with a headed rebound, again from DJT. Go for the hattrick, was the noise being manufactured in the vocal chords of the fans close to me.
Goal number three came from the sweet boot of Ryan Brennan. A survivor from the 2013 Aviva defeat, his glorious free kick alone made the long journey worthwhile. Delivered with the same panache as his goal line clearance against Shamrock Rovers, the semifinal tickets were being printed in my mind with Drogheda United emblazoned across them.
Adam Foley completed the quartering of Athlone Town with an individual effort that took him past defenders as if they were men of straw. It would have been goal of the match but for that Brennan strike.
Close to the finish, when on paper it didn't much matter, Jack Keaney walked the red plank after fouling a goal-bound opponent. The worrying thing about that is that it is the second red card in two games, suggesting that Kevin Doherty needs to curb that sense of abandonment which is creeping in at points in the game where all caution to the wind is not justified.
As we piled out of the stadium to an Athlone chill we soon warmed up on hearing that Dundalk had lost to Waterford in the league, making their tenure in the Premier Division even more precarious and the Drogs a little more assured. A good night had suddenly become a great one.
 |
| ⏩Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre. |
No comments