First stop the Windmill for a double whiskey to top up the house glass I had already imbibed at home before setting out for the game. It is as well Paddy has the patience of a saint as a bane to my aversion to the sobriety of a judge. The Drogheda prices are much better than Dublin. In one of the bars yesterday I forked out 9.5 yo yo for a shot of Black Bush. I took Powers at 2.50 cheaper the round after that. Even then, considerably pricier than Drogheda pubs.
It reveals a lot about our loss of confidence in this Drogheda side when the brace of us predicted a defeat going into the game. It's Sligo FFS but the performances from Drogheda throughout a string of matches has been so consistently poor that even the bottom team seems more than capable of walking away from Sullivan and Lamb Park three points to the good. Not a home win in the league in four months helps explain why the Drogs are facing yet another relegation battle and increasing disappointment on the terraces.
On the night our Jeremiah perspective of doom and gloom was subverted by a commanding performance from the claret and blue who emerged 2-0 winners, game wrapped up in the first half with strikes from Warren Davis and Edwin Agbaje. The latter had played magnificently from start to finish, delivering the killer blow at the most psychologically demoralising moment for Sligo - just before the ref called time on the first half.
Despite the weakness of the opposition the win should not be understated. Kevin Doherty was without seven of his first team regulars either due to injury or suspension. The Drogs allowed Sligo most of the possession, seemingly happy for them to pass the ball in areas they were never going to score from. Off the ball the Drogs put up a shield wall. On the ball they gave the Bit O' Red a bit o' lead. While the home exuded an uncharacteristic confidence, Sligo looked like a team that had lost all self belief, projecting a picture of dejection.
Still, ninth with 31 points, with a maximum of 18 to be taken from the remaining fixtures, it is a precarious time for Drogheda United. Jeremiah might have taken a back seat for the evening but it is not quite time for Pollyanna to take his place.
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