Anthony McIntyre ⚽I wasn't expecting much from this one.
While not at the top just yet, Shamrock Rovers have by far been the best team in the League of Ireland for quite a few seasons. Drogheda United have been nowhere near the best, struggling two seasons ago to avoid the drop despite winning the FAI Cup a week before they eased their neck out of the relegation noose. Resolve took them to the final game of the campaign, a play off, the survival instinct saving them in the end.
I felt the Drogs would lose for the fourth game on the trot whereas Jay called the outcome correct, a draw, although he did think it would be one apiece. Not an unreasonable forecast given that both teams had scored in all their games prior to coming up against each other.
In the end neither side managed to get on the score sheet. Yet despite having home advantage and emerging with only one point, it would be churlish to complain. The claret and blue put up a gutsy fight and were well worth the solitary point they squeezed out of it. There is a steeliness to the side even if it can go AWOL all too often. The following game against Derry City up at the Brandywell saw them recover a two goal deficit.
Two draws in a row rather than having a dispiriting effect might just boost a flagging confidence throughout the side, allowing the players to start believing in themselves once more following a run of three consecutive defeats.
A Monday evening, the day preceding Patrick's, we arrived an hour before the game. The Public Order Unit were present if unobtrusive. They are as regular at games as the Dublin sides. With season tickets secured for the Windmill Road end the seating arrangements are preferable to those on the other side of the stadium. The view as well. Paddy picked a row where we could virtually watch the entire field of play unhindered by roof supporting beams or the kids who persistently block the view across the way while the stewards appear helpless, reduced to playing Whac-A-Mole. As soon as they move one group of youngsters on, another appears.
A Monday evening, the day preceding Patrick's, we arrived an hour before the game. The Public Order Unit were present if unobtrusive. They are as regular at games as the Dublin sides. With season tickets secured for the Windmill Road end the seating arrangements are preferable to those on the other side of the stadium. The view as well. Paddy picked a row where we could virtually watch the entire field of play unhindered by roof supporting beams or the kids who persistently block the view across the way while the stewards appear helpless, reduced to playing Whac-A-Mole. As soon as they move one group of youngsters on, another appears.
In an opening half that the Drogs marginally edged on balance, both sides probed each other for that fatal chink without either coming close to finding an opener. All ariel assaults on the Drogheda area were firmly dealt with by the centre backs. As the half drew to a close anxiety seeped into the home crowd aware that the Hoops were finding their way and probably finished the half the stronger of the two. But with nothing conceded on the half time whistle the mood grew more relaxed.
The second half didn't offer much in terms of outright chances, a comfortable save by Luke Dennison to keep out a shot from outside the box probably the closest either side came to scoring. Substitutions for or both teams made no appreciable difference.
A scoreless game but hardly a dull one on a night where goals throughout the Premier division were scarce. It left the Drogs fans reasonably happy as they departed the ground. While this is the first game of the season that saw the Drogs fail to find the net reassurance is to be found in maintaining a clean sheet in the wake of a 4-1 thrashing at St Pat's. The contended mood was such that even the referee was spared the accusatory howls of bias that were hurled the way of the senior match official in the previous home game against Shels. Full credit to the Ultras. Again, not a flare came out of their number.
The top four positions in the league are all held by the Dublin clubs, reinforcing the capital's dominance on the local soccer scene. The Drogs now lie in the bottom half of the table on equal points with Derry. What will hurt most of all is that Dundalk are two points ahead, occupying a spot just inside the top half. Now, if that doesn't make us angry . . .
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