Drogheda United 1 Longford Town 1:In the context of league leaders St Patrick's Athletics' loss, Drogheda will look on this as two points squandered as they were held to a draw by bottom-of-the-table Longford. Drogheda struggled to find any real momentum and played second fiddle to the visitors in the first half.
Though improved after the break they lacked ideas in front of goal. Longford silenced the home crowd in the seventh minute when Dave Mooney slotted home a penalty kick after he was taken down in the box by Brian Shelley.
Longford thought they'd gone two up after 20 minutes when Dave Freeman headed home but the assistant referee's flag signalled for offside.
Drogheda forced a corner in the 23rd minute when Ollie Cahill crossed for Eamon Zayed who saw his header tipped out for a corner by Mick Dempsey. From the resulting kick the ball broke to Cahill who knocked the ball to the unmarked Stuart Byrne who volleyed home from six yards.
Longford looked the more likely side to regain the lead for the remainder of the half as Mark Rutherford drove narrowly wide and Mooney forced Mikko Vilmunen to save at full stretch.
Drogheda were better in the second half and 10 minutes in went close when Byrne's glancing header fell only just the wrong side of the post. A couple of minutes later Cahill pulled a shot across the face of goal.
Fourteen minutes from time Shane Robinson picked out Cahill, on the edge of the box, but he drove his shot over the bar.
With just four minutes remaining Paul Keegan should have won it for Drogheda when he blazed over from six yards with the goal at his mercy.
DROGHEDA UNITED: Vilmunen, Lynch, Webb (Gray Half-time), Gartland, Robinson, Grant (Whelan, 69 mins), Shelley, Byrne, Zayed, Keegan (Bradley, 87 mins), Cahill.
LONGFORD TOWN: Dempsey, Sullivan, Prunty, Deegan, Doherty, Brennan, Baker, Doyle, Mooney (Wexler, 87 mins), Freeman, Rutherford.
Referee: P Tuite (Dublin).
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