Drogheda U 2 Sligo R 1:A LAST-MINUTE wonder strike from Brian Gannon saw 10-man Drogheda defeat newly-crowned champions Sligo as the Boynesiders secured European football next term to add to their recent League Cup success.

Dominant Drogheda only went in a goal to the good at the break but when they were pegged back and had a man sent off at the start of the second half it looked an uphill struggle for them.

However, they withstood anything the champions had to offer before deservedly winning the contest late on.

Both sides had chances in a lively opening half but Drogheda took the lead after 31 minutes with the simplest of goals. Eric Foley sent over a corner and Alan McNally stooped to head into the bottom corner of the net.

The home side then laid siege to the Sligo goal but as a succession of chances came and went Rovers didn’t concede again.

Seconds after the interval, Drogheda paid the price for their earlier wastefulness when Liam Buchanan first cracked his shot off the post before Raffaele Cretaro sent the ball back to Buchanan, who duly fired home.

Drogheda were dealt a second blow when they were reduced to 10 men after Declan O’Brien received a second yellow card.

But the 10 men defended stoutly, restricting Rovers to very few clear-cut chances, the best of which fell to Ryan Connolly.

Drogheda keeper Gabriel Sava then somehow pushed John Dillon’s powerful point-blank effort over for a corner.

Then with time almost up, Brain Gannon picked up possession just outside the penalty area before curling the sweetest of shots in to the top corner of the net for a wonderful winner.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Sava; Quigley, McNally, Hand, Gannon; Foley (Sullivan 73), Byrne, R Brennan, S Brennan (Marks 82), O’Brien, Hynes (Mulvenna 66).

SLIGO ROVERS: Brush; Peers, McGuinness, Henderson (Owen 78), Gaynor; Ndo, Lynch, Connolly, Cawley (Dillon 66); Cretaro, Buchanan (Millien 78).

Referee: Tom Connolly (Dublin).