Anthony McIntyre We were back to our quartet last night for the drive over to the match, Ronan joining the perennial trio that invariably make it to the games and frequently to the away fixtures.


Inside, our square didn't hold in place too long. With J's departure to hang out with his buddies we became a triangle - myself, Paddy and Ronan. Before J headed off I asked him for a prediction. He mulled it over before sharing his answer: 1-0 to the home side.

I wasn't so sure. I took the view that come what may Drogheda would still be in the play-offs, and with Dundalk's relegation, that has since been confirmed. As I am so confident that this side will be staying up for next season, I didn't want to see any over-exertions against Shamrock Rovers resulting in injuries that might rule players out of the cup final in three week's time. 


On the way in, I stopped for a chat with Anthony the steward who is quite knowledgeable when it comes to the Drogs. He asked me how I thought it would end up. I told him I was not confident as the Hoops had more to play for than the Weavers men. He took a different view, pointing out that if the Drogs win followed by a defeat for Bohs this evening against Sligo things would take on a radically different shape. With one point then separating Weavers and Dalymount, overtaking Bohs was not such a remote possibility. I told him I was more inclined towards the view expressed by Ryan Brennan that it would be foolish to think that Bohs could be caught, but he had served up food for thought which I chewed over in my mind as I continued onward to my seat, discussing it with Paddy once we sat down.

This was the first time since the start of the season that we set out for the ground in the dark. There is something alluring about a floodlit soccer stadium on a wintry evening, the rain made all the more visible against the backdrop of the floodlights illuminating the capacity crowd that had turned up, made up in part by a sizeable travelling contingent.


It was a close enough and hard fought contest, with the visitors edging it. The Drogs never really posed a serious threat up front. Apart from a great free kick from Shane Farrell and a howler of a miss by Douglas James Taylor in the 34th minute the forward line was AWOL. Shortly after that missed opportunity there was mayhem and a melee in the Drogheda six yard area before they cleared their lines. With half time approaching Paddy observed that despite it being goalless it was still a thrilling encounter. 

Luke Dennison, a fine shot stopper, still has not mastered the knack of kick outs from his hands. They are either too high or too long. In the 77th minute a hospital pass from a Drogheda defender almost caught him out. Our hearts first missed a beat then raced once he had it in his hands. 


If a team is going to lose then no better goal to concede than that by Dylan Watts in the 85th minute just as we had reconciled ourselves, contentedly enough, to a second successive scoreless draw.. A screamer, hit with such power and precision, it was easy to imagine the whistling sound it made as it hurtled its way past Luke Dennison, ensuring the visitors took all three points with them back to Dublin.

The Hoops' victory puts them two points behind league leaders Shelbourne with three games to go. It will be some achievement if the Tallaght side retain their title but on current form it would be a risky venture to bet against them. They are confident while the other contenders, Shelbourne and Derry battle to keep their bottle.

We left, philosophical rather than disconsolate, still talking about the uncharacteristic miss by Douglas James Taylor.  Of course we wanted to see a home victory but with Dundalk losing the result seemed academic. 

Shelbourne next Friday, our last foray to the capital ahead of the biggie - the Aviva. 

Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.

Drogs ⚽ Hoops ⚽ Screamer

Anthony McIntyre We were back to our quartet last night for the drive over to the match, Ronan joining the perennial trio that invariably make it to the games and frequently to the away fixtures.


Inside, our square didn't hold in place too long. With J's departure to hang out with his buddies we became a triangle - myself, Paddy and Ronan. Before J headed off I asked him for a prediction. He mulled it over before sharing his answer: 1-0 to the home side.

I wasn't so sure. I took the view that come what may Drogheda would still be in the play-offs, and with Dundalk's relegation, that has since been confirmed. As I am so confident that this side will be staying up for next season, I didn't want to see any over-exertions against Shamrock Rovers resulting in injuries that might rule players out of the cup final in three week's time. 


On the way in, I stopped for a chat with Anthony the steward who is quite knowledgeable when it comes to the Drogs. He asked me how I thought it would end up. I told him I was not confident as the Hoops had more to play for than the Weavers men. He took a different view, pointing out that if the Drogs win followed by a defeat for Bohs this evening against Sligo things would take on a radically different shape. With one point then separating Weavers and Dalymount, overtaking Bohs was not such a remote possibility. I told him I was more inclined towards the view expressed by Ryan Brennan that it would be foolish to think that Bohs could be caught, but he had served up food for thought which I chewed over in my mind as I continued onward to my seat, discussing it with Paddy once we sat down.

This was the first time since the start of the season that we set out for the ground in the dark. There is something alluring about a floodlit soccer stadium on a wintry evening, the rain made all the more visible against the backdrop of the floodlights illuminating the capacity crowd that had turned up, made up in part by a sizeable travelling contingent.


It was a close enough and hard fought contest, with the visitors edging it. The Drogs never really posed a serious threat up front. Apart from a great free kick from Shane Farrell and a howler of a miss by Douglas James Taylor in the 34th minute the forward line was AWOL. Shortly after that missed opportunity there was mayhem and a melee in the Drogheda six yard area before they cleared their lines. With half time approaching Paddy observed that despite it being goalless it was still a thrilling encounter. 

Luke Dennison, a fine shot stopper, still has not mastered the knack of kick outs from his hands. They are either too high or too long. In the 77th minute a hospital pass from a Drogheda defender almost caught him out. Our hearts first missed a beat then raced once he had it in his hands. 


If a team is going to lose then no better goal to concede than that by Dylan Watts in the 85th minute just as we had reconciled ourselves, contentedly enough, to a second successive scoreless draw.. A screamer, hit with such power and precision, it was easy to imagine the whistling sound it made as it hurtled its way past Luke Dennison, ensuring the visitors took all three points with them back to Dublin.

The Hoops' victory puts them two points behind league leaders Shelbourne with three games to go. It will be some achievement if the Tallaght side retain their title but on current form it would be a risky venture to bet against them. They are confident while the other contenders, Shelbourne and Derry battle to keep their bottle.

We left, philosophical rather than disconsolate, still talking about the uncharacteristic miss by Douglas James Taylor.  Of course we wanted to see a home victory but with Dundalk losing the result seemed academic. 

Shelbourne next Friday, our last foray to the capital ahead of the biggie - the Aviva. 

Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.

3 comments:

  1. Big win for the Reds V Chelsea ; next stop The Emirates . City's last second winner shouldn't of stood . At least the L O I has a multi team title race ( unlike most / all of the big leagues ) .

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  2. Oh Ron. I thought you knew about these things. Seems I was wrong. Bernardo was not interfering with play. You can't be offside from a corner. When Stones heads it, Bernardo is well out of the line of sight of the keeper. As for interfering with the keeper, Arsenal's goal at the Etihad stood even though Eddy was being jostled a lot more than Sa. Glad to see City have got under your skin. I hope to see a draw next week at the Emirates!

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  3. Good game and I was glad to see our young players give Pool a run for their money. More optimistic this season being a Chelsea man. This season has started a lot more entertaining than the previous few as well.

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