Conditions make for mediocre contest

Dundalk 1 Drogheda Utd 1:HONOURS EVEN at the end of 90 minutes which were full of endeavour but distinctly lacking in class.

Yes, the underfoot conditions at United Park were atrocious, but neither side made much of a fist of coping with the sodden pitch that to be fair wasn’t conducive to flowing football.

The opening half hour was devoid of any clear-cut opportunities and it took the intervention of referee Dave McKeown to breathe life into the match.

With 34 minutes on the watch he awarded Dundalk a penalty and booked United’s Paul Shiels in the process for hauling Ger Rowe to the ground.

Chris Turner duly stepped up and drove the ball powerfully past goalkeeper Steve Williams to hand the visitors the lead.

Ten minutes later Turner went from hero to villain when he was shown a second yellow card in the space of four minutes and sent off by McKeown.

Dundalk paid a heavy price for their numerical disadvantage almost immediately when their neighbours equalised in first-half stoppage time.

Robbie Clarke’s free was flicked on by Alan McNally to his fellow centre half Conor Kenna who slid the ball to the net.

In the early minutes of the second half Ian Ryan’s back-header almost gifted Dundalk the lead when his error forced Williams to claw the ball out for a corner.

Despite having the extra man Drogheda didn’t ever really threaten the visitors, whose defence held out comfortably for their point.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Williams, Ryan (O’Connor 79 mins), Clarke, Kenna, McNally, Shiels, Whelan, Chambers, Duffy, Martin, King (Barrett 63 mins).

DUNDALK: Bennion, Kelly, Heary, Mulvenna, Turner, Mansaram, Coburn, Daly, Rowe, Synott, Kelly.

Referee: D McKeon (Dublin).