Bohs ⚽ Drogs ⚽ 360 Days

Anthony McIntyre ⚽ Another first was chalked up with Friday evening's visit to Dalymount Park.

I had not been to the stadium previously and Paddy was uncertain if he was brought there as a child by his father. Just Shels to visit on the 25th of October and that will be all the Premier League Dublin grounds covered.

On our way home another first. For the one and only occasion in my life I spotted a fox as it scuttled along the road, perhaps startled by our headlights. The symbolism was not lost on me as I considered the Drogs performance having been fox-like in its cunning.

On the way down I asked J to predict the score. He called it right. A single goal triumph for Drogheda. I never share his confidence, the away form of the Drogs being so poor, but he was on the money with this one. That leaves Drogheda four points clear of Dundalk at the bottom of the table with a match in hand.

Last week at an event I bumped into a guy and we spoke about the Drogs game, the previous evening. I told him about the great free kick scored by Ryan Brennan against opponents Athlone Town, adding that he was the only player to remain from the 2013 beaten cup final side, an Aviva match I had attended with Ronan. His response was 'that's me.' Now, that was a shock. I wished him well, and at Dalymount stood with baited breath as he lined up late in the game to take a free kick, hoping for a similar outcome. The wall deflected it but it allowed the Drogs to retain possession and run down the clock en route to a memorable victory.

As so often happens, just the three of us made the match: the old reliables. Ronan accompanied us on the journey into Phibsborough but once there headed into Dublin for a concert he had pre-booked tickets for. I guess at that age he feels spoiled for choice.

Arriving early, we sussed out the stadium, inquiring where the visiting fans entered, before heading off to the pub for a Guinness Zero. On our way from the bar a couple of young Bohs fans bantered with us, confident that we had wasted our time coming this far.

Once in the ground, as we moved to take our seats, I discovered that we didn't have any seats. It was standing only in the away fans section. That didn't really appeal to me as I am at the age where comfort trumps commitment. I didn't fancy a prolonged period of standing, fearful that it might put pressure on well-eroded back discs. With a crush barrier to lean on it didn't turn out so bad. I was also wearing contact lenses for the first time at a game, rather than my usual glasses, and wasn't sure if the varifocal effect would be as strong. But that too turned out fine.

As we waited on the match to start there seemed to be very few Drogs fans there. I commented to Paddy that there was a better turn out at the Sligo games I had attended and that is quite the distance. He told me to wait. Sure enough, what started out as a trickle quickly became a surge once the Ultras made their presence felt. The place was packed tight. Each time I put my hands behind my back they brushed off the fan behind me.

Just prior to the kick-off the flares came out but they were hand-held, and the fans holding them made sure that they were extinguished on the ground rather than making their way to the pitch. I'd still rather not see them as I always feel someone could sustain damage to an eye if one is mishandled.

Once the smoke dissipated, the first five minutes were a bit nervy as the Drogs seemed to go asleep in dead ball situations. By the time 15 minutes had elapsed the Claret and Blue were holding their own, allowing us to relax a bit. On the 20 minute mark Ryan Brennan made a decisive block, prompting Paddy to observe that he reads the game so well and comes equipped with a canny ability to arrive at the exact second his ability to plug the gap is required.

As the half progressed the Drogs asserted a dominance many had come to believe they did not have. Bohs failed to clear their lines from a Darragh Markey corner, resulting in Frantz Pierrot volleying in a headed pass. Either side of that goal saw the Drogs hit the woodwork.

The second half was a different affair, inviting the worn old cliche that it's a game of two halves. The Bohs never took their foot of the floor as they pressed to get back on level terms. We had been hoping to see plenty of Drogs activity at our end of the pitch but the match was played out at the other end in the Drogs' own half. Kevin Doherty's men had a lead to protect and they were determined to do it. When the Bohs' Alex Greive missed a virtual open goal we began to sense that this might be our night, despite refereeing decisions not going our way when they should have. At one point a fan in front of me was screaming at the ref, telling him to stick his whistle where the sun don't shine.

Bohs pressed the Drogs defence but huff and puff as they might, the goal in front of them was not blown down. Each save from Luke Dennison led to chants of USA, USA from the away support. As the minutes passed the tension increased, only to be exhaled on the final whistle.

Out of all the games I have attended this was the most atmospheric. Victory in the bag, the one downside was the number of yellow cards the Drogs picked up. Six in total does not augur well at the business end of the season when every player has to be available to play.

With three points secure, Kevin Doherty immediately approached the fans and delivered the Klopp uppercut. 360 days from his last league away win, the relief on his face was palpable. Everybody in our end of the ground knew just how important a result this was for the team. Darragh Markey in an interview had said that while it is great to be in the cup semi-final, the league remains the biggie. With that result, coupled with Dundalk's defeat in Sligo, the Drogs can now take their eye off who is beneath them in the table and look at who is just above. That happens to be Bohemians with a five point gap. Still, if they can be caught there will be no need to enter a play off to stay up. In any event the Drogs should easily avoid automatic relegation and if they do have to fight it out in the play offs, current form will ensure they stay up.

This week should prove decisive in the relegation battle. On Monday evening Drogheda entertain Galway and on Friday they face an arguably more difficult challenge from Derry. Both games are at Weavers and if the maximum six points can be taken, happy days.

As we left Dalymount Park, the fans' chants were ringing in our ears: Going down, are we fuck - We are gonna win the cup.

⏩Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.