Soccer

O’Brien inspires late Drogheda comeback

Visitors take full advantage as struggling Shelbourne implode

Declan O’Brien scored twice for Drogheda. Photograph: Inpho
Declan O’Brien scored twice for Drogheda. Photograph: Inpho
Paul Buttner
Fri Apr 12 2013 - 23:00

Shelbourne 1 Drogheda United 3: Two late goals from substitute Declan O'Brien and a third from Gary O'Neill turned this game on its head as Shelbourne slumped to another defeat.

Full value for the lead at the interval thanks to Brian Shortall’s goal, Alan Mathews’s side self-destructed late on.

O’Brien came off the bench on 71 minutes to head Drogheda level from Ryan Brennan’s sublime cross from the left.

Shortall then got himself booked for a rash challenge on O’Neill on 85 minutes. O’Neill skipped across into the box to head home David Cassidy’s resulting free-kick.

READ MORE

O’Brien then added a third in the 90th minute from a spot kick after Jack Memery had fouled substitute Michael Daly.

With three changes from their defeat in Sligo last week, Shelbourne started with more purpose as they chased their first win of the campaign. And they wasted the game’s first real chance on 10 minutes.

Philly Hughes threaded a perfect ball through for the run of strike partner Dean Kelly who blazed high over the top.

Kelly had another sniff of goal six minutes later when he curled a free-kick narrowly wide. But Gabriel Sava showed his worth with an acrobatic one-armed save on 26 minutes from Sean Brennan's well-struck free-kick.

The hard-working Brennan was there for Shelbourne on 37 minutes, ending a move he started when hooking over the bar from Kelly’s knock down.

Though scarcely in the game, Drogheda almost snatched the lead in a rare foray forward on 43 minutes. Memery’s clearing header dropped perfectly for Brian Gannon and the full-back’s first time volley came back off a post.

But Shelbourne duly reaped the rewards of their first-half endeavours with the lead in the first minute of added time.

Hughes won a corner which Brennan floated over for Shortall to head home.

SHELBOURNE : Hanley; Flynn, Shortall (Leech, 88 mins), Gartland, Memery; Cornwall (Hanlon, 23 mins), Hurley, Crowley, Brennan (Bayly, 88 mins); Kelly, Hughes.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Sava; Gannon, Byrne, Prendergast, Grimes; Rusk (O'Brien 71 mins), Cassidy, O'Conor, R Brennan, G Brennan; O'Neill (Daly, 89 mins).

Attendance : 1,047.
Referee: Rob Rogers (Dublin).