Drogheda earn vital win over Bohemians in Dalymount Park

Drogheda earned a big win over relegation rivals Bohemians on Friday night.

Bohemians 0-1 Drogheda

Sometimes you can teach an old Drog new tricks.

Take Ryan Brennan. At 32, he’s fast approaching the winter of his career yet he has no intention of disappearing with a whimper, hoping to achieve a double of keeping Drogheda in the top-flight and challenging for a place in the FAI Cup final.

And on this performance they can comfortably do both. A year ago this was the sort of game they would have lost. But now they have the intelligence to see it out, guided in no small way by the veteran in their midfield. Once upon a time in his career, he was the creative spark. Now he shuts teams out.

And that’s what he did here, along with the outstanding Luke Dennison, who produced save after save to deny Bohs a point their second half display deserved.

For them, the biggest regret will be their docile performance at the start when their lack of intensity allowed Drogheda to turn a 3-5-2 system into a 5-3-2 whenever Bohs fell into the trap of passing with no great pace to their attacks.

Sensing an opportunity, Drogheda grew in confidence and began to create a few chances of their own - Frantz Pierrot having a goalbound shot blocked by Leigh Kavanagh, before he took the next opportunity that came his way, when teed up by Andrew Quinn.

That was on 29 minutes, Pierrot nearly doubling their advantage when he held off the attentions of Cian Byrne to burst away from the young defender prior to guiding his shot beyond Kacper Chorazka, only for the post to deny him a second.

There and then there was only one team in it. But Bohs gradually began to find a way into it and should have been level before the break, James Clarke seeing one shot veer narrowly wide; later a header of his was misdirected off target.

Liam Smith had a heading opportunity which was misguided and as the new half began and Bohs reappeared with a fresh sense of urgency, you felt that an equaliser would in turn lead to them getting all three points.

But Drogheda had an agenda of their own. Dennison, the former Bohs No2, was exceptional, saving well from a Dayle Rooney free kick, a low Dawson Devoy shot, while watching happily as Alex Grieve, the Bohs sub, somehow skied his shot over the crossbar from just six yards out.

On they went. Devoy kept probing, boss Alan Reynolds continued to tweak with his personnel by sending on subs, and the pressure mounted as the half wore on.

But credit has to go to Drogheda for their resilience. Brennan, Dave Webster, Quinn and Elicha Ahui had brilliant games. They helped close the deal and also close the gap between these teams in eighth and ninth from eight points to five.

Bohs

Chorazka; Smith, Kavanagh (Mills 33), Byrne, Flores (McDaid 71); Devoy; Tierney, Meekison (Akintunde 71), Rooney, Grant (Kirk 71); Clarke (Grieve 66)

Drogheda

Dennison; Ahui, Webster, Quinn, Bolger, Kane; Brennan, Farrell (Deegan 88), Markey; Pierrot, Taylor

Ref: R Harvey

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