Sport

Draw stems losing streak

Drogheda U 1 Sporting Fingal 1: DROGHEDA ENDED a seven-game losing streak with this deserved draw against the high-flying visitors…

Sat May 08 2010 - 01:00

Drogheda U 1 Sporting Fingal 1:DROGHEDA ENDED a seven-game losing streak with this deserved draw against the high-flying visitors. However, based on their second-half performance they'll be disappointed they didn't take all three points with a storming finish.

As early as the third minute Eamon Zayed should have given Fingal the lead but he pulled his shot across goal and wide.

Drogheda then had a couple of chances as Jamie Harris saw his header saved by Darren Quigley and Paul Crowley sent his headed effort narrowly over.

With 11 minutes gone the most porous defence in the league imploded again. Alan McNally failed to deal with Glen Crowe’s cross and Ronan Finn all too easily brushed past Damien Brennan to pick his spot in the bottom corner.

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As the half wore on the home side created a couple of chances. Gareth O’Connor’s snap shot wasn’t far away and a wicked deflection off Ger O’Brien from Crowley’s strike sailed just wide.

Just before the break the visitors went within a whisker when Crowe laid the ball off to Alan Kirby, who, spotting Paul Skinner off his line, executed what looked like a perfect chip that bounced off the bar and out for a goal kick.

Early in the second half Drogheda had a shout for a penalty turned down by referee Ken Halliday when Colm Smith went down in the box as Quigley dived at his feet to push the ball away.

United’s persistence finally paid dividends in the 69th minute when a poor clearance fell to the outstanding Gareth O’Connor who drove a screamer to the net from all of 35 yards.

Minutes later the home side were denied a lead goal by the timber as O’Connor and Harris combined in similar fashion to a little earlier only for the latter’s header to come back off the post.

With the home side now rampant Quigley twice more came to the rescue of Fingal before the finish as he saved brilliantly from Brendan McGill and O’Connor.

DROGHEDA UTD: Skinner, Treacy, McNally, B McGill, Crowley, O’Connor, Harris, Daly (E McGill 66), King, Fitzpatrick, Smith (Duffy 76).

SPORTING FINGAL: Quigley, O’Brien, Fitzgerald, Williams, Dawson, McFaul, Byrne, Finn, Crowe, Kerbey (James 88), Zayed (Quinn 83).

Referee: K Halliday (Belfast)