League of Ireland Premier Division: Dundalk 1 (Arubi 29) Drogheda United 2 (Farrell 73, 85)
While Louth for Sam is all the talk in the northeast this weekend, it was Shane who was the toast of the county on Friday night. Shane Farrell, that is, Drogheda United’s two-goal match-winner.
His goals in the 73rd and 85th minute turned this game on its head and is just the tonic Drogheda’s disappointing campaign needed. This was their first win in nine league matches. For Dundalk, it is another home lead thrown away with not even a point to show for it.
These sets of fans will be in unison supporting Louth against Mayo tonight, but on Louth derby day, hostility tends to win the day.
Just as he did the last time these met back in May, Gbemi Arubi opened the derby scoring. Keith Buckley’s pass towards the in-demand young striker took deflections off Daryl Horgan and United defender Leo Burney en route before Arubi found himself with just the goalkeeper to beat. The 22-year-old obliged to net his seventh goal of the season.
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Struggling Drogheda were desperate for a victory but it hardly looked like arriving on the evidence of their first-half display. As they trailed and Waterford’s resurgence was showing no signs of slowing 250km south at the RSC, Drogheda were dropping perilously.
Things can change quickly, however, and they did so in Drogheda’s favour.
Tyreke Wilson almost conjured a spectacular goal before the interval. His shot from 20 yards was swerving away from the seemingly wrong-footed Luke Dennison, but the goalkeeper got a strong hand to save nonetheless.
Having hardly threatened in the opening 45 minutes, Drogheda had the most presentable opportunities in the early second-half exchanges. Both were breakaway moves and fell to Thomas Oluwa. But Farrell struck with a brilliant free-kick, from the edge of the area, before lashing a first-time effort beyond Enda Minogue for the winner.
Dundalk: Minogue; Animasahun (Groome 80), Cornwall, Burns; JR Wilson (Clarke 63), Buckley (Tracey 63), Dervin, T Wilson (McDaid 63); Horgan, Teahan, Arubi.
Drogheda United: Dennison; Agbaje, Keeley, Burney (Bolger 46); Bucknor, Farrell, Brennan, Kane; Kavanagh (Godden 70); Oluwa, Doyle (Markey 76).
Referee: Robert Harvey.
