Champions edge past Finn Harps

Drogheda Utd 1 Finn Harps 0:THREE POINTS for Drogheda,but they'll be disappointed they didn't find the net on a few more occasions against a struggling Finn Harps side.

The visitors did set their stall out from early on - defending in substantial numbers - but Drogheda should have killed the game off by half-time; they squandered a number of good opportunities before they struck just before the break for what proved to be the only goal.

With 11 minutes gone Drogheda unlocked a massed Harps defence for what would not be the last time when Shane Robinson's corner made its way to Aidan O'Keeffe, who saw his shot hacked from the line by a defender.

Just beyond the quarter-hour Ollie Cahill worked his magic out on the left before sending a lovely ball into Eamon Zayed, whose shot was brilliantly turned away by the outstretched hand of goalkeeper James Gallagher.

A well-crafted four-man move saw United go close once more approaching half-time when O'Keeffe, Cahill and Joe Kendrick combined to set up Richie Baker, who sent his header into the arms of Gallagher.

A couple of minutes from the break the home side at long last broke the deadlock when O'Keeffe went on a mazy run down the left before rolling the ball into the path of Adam Hughes, who drove a powerful shot past Gallagher to the bottom corner of the net for his first Drogheda goal.

Harps came forward a little more in the second half and went close to pulling a goal back six minutes in when Conor Gethins latched onto a Shaun Holmes corner but drove the ball wide.

With 62 minutes gone Gallagher was called into action twice in quick succession when first he stopped Zayed's closerange effort and then turned O'Keeffe's shot out for a corner.

Eight minutes from the end Jason Gavin rose highest to meet a Shane Robinson corner from the right, but he directed his header wide as Drogheda failed to get a second goal.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Ewings, Kendrick, Gavin, Gartland, Robinson, Hughes, Baker, (Keegan 81), Byrne, Zayed (O'Brien 68), O'Keeffe, Cahill.
FINN HARPS: Gallagher J, Roddy, Holmes, Labonte, Malcolm, Boyle, Funston, (Gallagher C 88), McGowan, Ramsey (Gill 64), Gethins, Brolly (Shields 84). Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin).