League Preview: Drogheda United -v- Shamrock Rovers

DROGHEDA UNITED

The Boynesiders welcome Shamrock Rovers to Weavers Park on Friday night for their first home game of the league campaign (kick-off 7.45pm). Last week United commenced their league season with a scoreless draw away to Shelbourne, having beaten Athlone Town the week previously 2-0 in the Leinster Senior Cup with Darragh Markey scoring both goals.

Adding in their 6-5 penalty shoot-out win in the traditional Louth season Malone Cup curtain raiser against Dundalk after the game finished 0-0 after 90 minutes, it shows a good defensive start to the year.

“It was another clean sheet, we’d a clean sheet against Athlone and another against Dundalk before that so we have to try and build a base off that,” said manager Kevin Doherty after last week’s game in Tolka Park. “We were very disciplined in our shape, kept our shape really well.”

In the league last year, the results were evenly split with the Hoops winning in Tallaght 3-1 in February while the Boynesiders won at home 1-0 in May thanks to Ryan Brennan’s headed goal. The other two Premier Division fixtures ended in 1-1 draws.

“Rovers are champions three years in a row for a reason,” said Doherty who led his team to eighth in the league last year. “You only have to look at the substitutions that they made last week against Sligo [bringing on Liam Burt, Johnny Kenny, Gary O’Neill and Darragh Nugent]. They held out for a long time with ten men and looked like they were going to win the game [before conceding in injury time].

“They are certainly the benchmark for all of us in the league and have been for the last few years. We know anything we get against them is going to have to be really hard earned, and that will be no different on Friday.

“We’re looking forward to playing our first league game in our ground. The lads, at training, can’t wait for it.  We know what the atmosphere is going to be like, and we know it’s going to be a difficult task but it’s something we’re really looking forward to.”

The Drogs boss will have to manage without loanee Michael Leddy who played against Shelbourne last week in Tolka Park but who is unavailable on Friday as he can’t line out against his parent club. Doherty does have one new option having brought in Matthew O’Brien ahead of the transfer window closing mid-week.

The midfielder joins the club after spending the last three seasons with Longford Town. “Matthew’s a really exciting young player, and has good experience, and played plenty of games already in the league. It is his local club and that can add that little bit extra for players and the supporters.”

SHAMROCK ROVERS

It is another game on the road for Rovers having started their season with a 1-1 draw in Sligo last Saturday night. They came close to taking all three points from the Showgrounds but conceded late on as the 10 man Hoops team couldn’t quite shut out Sligo.

Graham Burke opened the scoring for Shamrock Rovers and Hoops Head Coach Stephen Bradley was delighted to see the Republic of Ireland international get his goal scoring going so early in the season, on the back of good play from Trevor Clarke, and hopes it is a sign of things to come.

“It was a fantastic strike,” said Bradley. “That’s Graham’s ability and I’m delighted that Graham is off and running early. Trevor did very well to win the ball back, run in behind and create the space. Once Graham starts scoring, he can go on a run.”

The Hoops boss though was unhappy with the red card shown to Pico Lopes and the fact that the match officials missed what Bradley felt  was sending off for Sligo.

“When watched it back immediately after that game, it was an embarrassing decision and if that’s the road we’re going down, it’s becoming a joke. The players tell me that the referee had his hand on the yellow card initially, but gets caught up in the emotion of it and gives the red.

“And how the linesman doesn’t see the Liam Burt one, he was on that side. It’s quite clear that Liam is running away and is caught with an elbow.

“It was frustrating as usually we can see those games out even with 10 men,” said Bradley. “When we watched it back though a draw was a fair result as both sides had chances, we'll take the point and move on.

“I thought we were just OK in all aspects, we gave up more chances than we should have, and Alan [Mannus] made good saves, he was called on more than we’d like.”

With Lopes suspended and both Sean Gannon and Sean Hoare struggling this week, Bradley may deploy Gary O’Neill as an auxiliary defender in his back-three alongside Dan Cleary and Lee Grace.

Referee: Sean Grant

MATCH STATS

Drogheda’s win over Rovers last May was United’s first league win over the Hoops since April 2017 (although they had knocked the Hoops out of the cup in July 2018).

In the FAI Cup last year, the Hoops defeated the Drogs 2-1 after extra-time in Louth with Sean Gannon and Andy Lyons on the scoresheet for the visitors.

Alan Mannus is still looking for one more clean sheet to equal Shamrock Rovers’ all-time all-competition clean sheet record of 120 currently held by Alan O’Neill.

PREDICTION

2-0 away win

Drogheda United

Injured: Darragh Markey.

Unavailable: Michael Leddy (as on loan from Shamrock Rovers)

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Shamrock Rovers

Injured: Ronan Finn

Doubtful: Sean Gannon, Sean Kavanagh, Sean Hoare

Suspended: Pico Lopes

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