Pat's ⚽ Drogs ⚽ Trees

By AM Tuesday, September 3, 2024

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Anthony McIntyre ⚽ My first trip to Richmond Park did not end as I would have wished.

The Drogs sailed into the game on the crest of a two-match-sixteen-goal blitz for none conceded. That balloon quickly lost its air and spiralled to the ground, fortunes reversed, as a rampant Pat's punched their way through the Drogheda defensive formation.

A 1-4 drubbing was the last thing needed by the claret and blue as they battle to avoid relegation. While not expecting the stroll that summed up the previous two fixtures against Wilton United and Sligo Rovers, we had hoped to come away with at least a point, incrementally putting more distance between Weavers Park and the abyss. The team had shown its mettle against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght when the pressure was on. At a tree lined Richmond there was to be no repeat performance.

The 1-4 scoreline flattered the home side. While they deserved to win, the margin did not do the Drogs justice. It was gifted to Pat's by a kamikaze defensive intervention by Luke Heeney which led to a red card. A man down, things were not looking up.

Taking one for the team is admirable but in this case wayward and ill-disciplined. Mario Kempes did it in the 1978 World Cup against Poland. The resulting penalty was missed, Argentina went on to win, and Kempes was lauded for his heroics. The big difference is that then, handling a ball to prevent a certain goal was not an automatic red card. The kiss of red is the sort of thing a player should only try in the dying minutes of a game. A sending off at that point leaves less time for the opposition to factor in their advantage and recalibrate accordingly. The chances are that the penalty will be scored but at the do-or-die point it makes little difference. In the ninetieth minute it is a risk worth taking, but not in the thirtieth.

The Drogs could have afforded to concede a goal rather than have a man sent off. With their grit and determination there was always the possibility they could turn things around. A man down from the first half onward made that highly unlikely.

It would be churlish to be overly critical of the defender. Instinct kicks in and there is no time to calculate the cost and benefits. As Robert Burns suggested, the best laid schemes of mice and men.

As it turned out the Drogs fell behind from the resulting spot kick. Amazingly they were on level terms just before the break, a penalty converted by the ever dependable Douglas James Taylor. But almost immediately Pat's were back in front. Our hopes raised only to be dashed. 

The second half had barely opened before the Drogs fell further behind, their left flank carved wide open. While they pressed and harried, the extra man always gave Pat's the edge and a pathway out of defence. It was only a matter of time before they broke, strolling through the Drogs defensive echelons to emerge 4-1 winners on the night. The Drogs simply had no way to cope with the talent of Zack Elbouzedi who was a menace throughout. 

Still, for large swathes of the second half the ten men pinned the eleven in their own half. With a full complement, the Drogs might have have won the game or salvage a point.

Myself, Paddy and J travelled to the clash. Ronan opted to stay at home to watch the Manchester United - Liverpool showdown. We had hoped to see that as well before rushing off to Richmond but the six o'clock kick off in Dublin didn't allow for it so we compensated by listening to the game on the phone. Paddy had placed it on the dashboard so that J in the back seat could follow the action. When we arrived in Inchicore we parked in the street beside a large green and watched much of the second half, making the five minute walk to the ground with Liverpool firmly in front at 0-3. We asked a Pat's fan for directions to the visitors' entrance and he walked with us. We chatted about his other passion, Leeds United. Formerly a Bohs supporter, his grandchild who he was accompanying to the game had caused him to switch allegiances. As good a reason as any for becoming a Saint.

Richmond Park is a compact stadium. Not as fluid in movement as I once was, trying to negotiate my way to the seats was a tricky matter which was made easier by the assistance of two Drogs supporters who helped me clamber over the chairs as we moved up a tier. Our intention was to put as much distance between ourselves and the Ultras. The Drogs Ultras are great but my ears are no longer young enough to absorb their din at close quarters.

Even a row removed from the field of play it was a close yet as I had got to the pitch. Facing us was a veritable forest of trees which met the skyline and hugged the stadium. My wife, I thought, would love it, given her passion for trees and her local advocacy for tree-lined streets. To her, a neighbour is a friend until they cut a tree in their garden down!

One very sour note was the racist abuse hurled at Douglas James Taylor from an element of the Pat's support. The game was brought to a halt for two minutes while an announcement was made over the public address system that racism would not be tolerated. Red cards are never a welcome sight at a soccer game but they should be brandished in the face of racists at every turn. As the Drogs gaffer stated:

It’s horrendous, absolutely horrendous. It’s a situation I haven’t dealt with before. You always hear ‘there’s no place in football for this’, but there’s no place anywhere for that.

DJT's answer to the racists was to place the ball in the back of the net from his spot kick.

At the end Kevin Doherty led his players across to exchange applause with the fans who had made the journey. There was a sense of disappointment but not of despair. This current Drogs side looks too good to be playing lower division soccer. As the quip goes: when being chased by a hungry lion it is not crucial to run super fast, just faster than the guy behind. Stay ahead of Dundalk, whose home defeat by Shels on Friday leaves the Drogs a point clear but a game less to play.  When the lion feeds let it be the bones of the Lily Whites we hear crunching.

⏩Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.