Anthony McIntyre ⚽ Monday night's journey to Sullivan and Lambe was different.
Paddy and Jay were tied up in GAA and would need to leave straight after their activity for the stadium. I got a lift from my considerate neighbour who was going to the game with his young son. I kept a seat for Paddy who made it just minutes before kickoff. The benefit of being seated between Paddy and my neighbour is that both have a good tactical understanding of the game which allowed me to get informed opinion from both sides. I invariably enjoy hearing commentary on the impact of team formation and the permutations that might arise if this position or that were to be tweaked: whether playing with five across the back, or an additional striker is a good thing, enabling or restrictive.
Our routine not being its normal, Jay forgot all about his pre-match predication. I felt it would be a draw, there have been so many of them including last Friday's game at Sligo. The cup clash with Shamrock Rovers also ended in a draw, Rovers making it through to the semis on penalties.
A dry Louth evening we didn't much mind not having the roof over us, although for tonight's match against Derry we will leave for the ground in time to arrive an hour before kick-off. That should allow us to get seats about the halfway line, well tucked in under the cover of a roof - hopefully the part that doesn't leak.
For a a Monday night match there was a great turn out by both sets of fans. As Shelbourne hail from Dublin, the Public Order Unit was on duty. Perhaps An Garda thinks the unit's presence works as a preventative measure: there is never any trouble at the games between the fans. The Drogs contingent leave the ground first but even if some mingling takes place the atmosphere is not one laden with menace. No need for the odd straggler to be fearful. It is the Windmill Road, not Talbot Street.
The biggest threat to safety is not crowd violence but the flares that continuously keep displaying their incandescent wares. I fear that a child some evening, drawn like a moth to the flame and looking on innocently, will suffer an eye injury. The flares do nothing for the game, and the leading lights of the ultras should consider policing their own a bit more stringently before the accident occurs.
The match was well worth the watching and did not end in the customary Drogheda draw. The home side emerged 2-1 winners, giving the Shels new Coach his first taste of league defeat. Despite having to cope with some early Shels pressure reminiscent of last years championship winning side, the Drogs settled in and took the lead through a brilliant strike from Dara Kareem. When the pass seemed on he opted instead to curl it past the Shels keeper. It was a goal Mo Salah would have been happy to claim. The technical ability required to execute the finish is not often seen in Irish league soccer. At half time the claret and blue walked off the pitch, their lead intact because of a fine stop at point blank range by Luke Dennison.
After the restart the Drogs doubled their lead with a well taken close range effort by Andrew Quinn, which went down officially as an own goal by Evan Caffrey. By now they were cruising and should have glided their way to the final whistle in comfort. That journey was upended when confusion reigned in the six yard area, with the Drogs defence failing to clear its lines, allowing a poke home from a Shels boot. At first it seemed the ref had awarded a free kick but the upbeat mood among the Drogs fans quickly descended once the players positioned themselves in the centre circle to restart the game. The remainder of the match was watched with fingernails replacing chips as the fans sat edgily in their seats willing the shrill blast of the final whistle. When it came the mood was more one of relief than celebration.
After the restart the Drogs doubled their lead with a well taken close range effort by Andrew Quinn, which went down officially as an own goal by Evan Caffrey. By now they were cruising and should have glided their way to the final whistle in comfort. That journey was upended when confusion reigned in the six yard area, with the Drogs defence failing to clear its lines, allowing a poke home from a Shels boot. At first it seemed the ref had awarded a free kick but the upbeat mood among the Drogs fans quickly descended once the players positioned themselves in the centre circle to restart the game. The remainder of the match was watched with fingernails replacing chips as the fans sat edgily in their seats willing the shrill blast of the final whistle. When it came the mood was more one of relief than celebration.
For the first time in a while I had brought a hip flask, brimming with Tequila. It had a Xanax like effect as the seven minutes of time added on - the fourth official managing the impossible, substituting minutes for loaves and fishes - seemed to move glacially. Like a bad dream the Drogs were trying to escape the pitch with three points intact while some force was doing its best to pull them back to the field of play.
An importance victory had been secured, a beachhead from which to make a bid for European football in 2026, an opportunity so harshly denied the Drogs this season due to officialdom's bureaucracy. Much will depend on the outcome of tonight's match against Derry. If the Drogs win they will be a point off the European qualifying slots. I have a huge identification with Derry 'wans' having spent many years alongside them in the trenches, but when it comes to soccer, tonight they are the enemy. Bill Shankly said it best, football is not a matter of life and death - it is much more serious than that.
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