Drogs ⚽ Bohs ⚽ Job Done

Anthony McIntyre ⚽ It wasn't the easiest of challenges, so there were no grounds for feeling complacent ahead of the game.

Bohemians were coming to Drogheda on a run of form, having been the victors in six of their last seven games. Their tails were up, whereas the form of the home side had taken something of a nose dive with one victory from eight games.

On the drive over, Jay predicted 2-1 to the Drogs. He got the one goal margin right so nobody ribbed him over the wrong scoreline. The victory is what counts.

One of the best games we had attended with the Drogs was last year when they beat Bohs in Dalymount Park. Having gone a goal up the Drogs defended valiantly as the Bohs laid siege to their goal. It was the first away win in the league in a year and more or less confirmed that the Drogs had it in them to avoid the drop.

This season there are no relegations concerns. For a while Drogheda even managed to stay top of the table and are now lying second.

So, come the season's end if the Drogs finish in the top half their fans will be happy enough. Although the tension and excitement in the closing weeks of last season, particularly once the team had made it through to the final of the FAI Cup, will be missed. On a roller coaster then, this year's run-in, by contrast, should be something of a flat plain.

Upbeat for sure, but a sour note has been struck as fans are becoming alert to the possibility that they will not see their side play in the UEFA Conference League Qualifiers. It was taken as a given that the Drogs would play European football, courtesy of their FAI Cup win, but that has been placed in jeopardy due to ownership issues. Not that the owners have done anything wrong but as they are also owners of Danish club Silkeborg IF, fair play rules forbid a group of owners fielding two teams in the same European competition. It would be hugely disappointing if Drogheda is not represented in Europe so while discussions continue the fans can only wait with bated breath.

For some reason where the Bohs play there are flares. Their fans fired salvos of them onto the pitch during the 2023 FAI Cup final against Pat's. Last week they again demonstrated their pyrotechnic prowess although in a considerably reduced volume. Maybe they think the Drogs are not worthy of it. The outcome of the game may have caused them to think again. The Ultras had brought some of their own along for good measure just to fire the home support up.

Once visibility returned and the game got underway, twelve minutes in it didn't look as if the Drogs might salvage something. A Bohs strike cracked the bar as Dennison looked on helpless. A shudder went around the ground suggesting that this might be an omen of dark things to come. But the Claret and Blue, superbly marshalled at the back, were not in a generous mood, so remained determined to give nothing away. Aided by in-form Douglas James Taylor who shook off the Nunez factor and found the back of the net two thirds of the way through the clash, the three points were secured. Although his goal was from the penalty spot rather than through open play, the relief and confidence he will draw from it are substantial. According to RTE's surprising stat he had gone 265 days without a league goal, last season's flurry being in the cup games.

Yet the Drogs are far from being at their best. After the following game away to Waterford, Conor Keeley who scored a last gasp equaliser described the night as 'one of our worst performances of the season.' The Drogs have put on quite a few lacklustre performances this year so this must have been a piss poor one to draw that comment from Keeley. He added that “We shouldn’t be giving away goals like that and it’s disappointing because winning games and keeping clean sheets is something we pride ourselves on.' But this is not borne out by the statistics of two wins out of ten. Winning games is the exception rather than the rule.

With 19 games played and at the halfway point in the season, Drogheda are in second place six points behind the leaders, Shamrock Rovers. A remarkable turnaround from last season but which leaves a bad tastes in the mouth because it could have been so much better. Even a smidgen's improvement in performances would have been enough to have kept them in top slot. The games lost or drawn due to sloppiness have held the side back.

At the end of the month I'll head to Cork to watch them, and see a couple of friends at the same time. Hopefully by then they will find the cork with which to plug the defence Conor Keeley complained so bitterly about.

⏩Follow on Twitter @AnthonyMcIntyre.