Finn Harps 2
Drogheda United 2
Alan Foley reports from Finn Park
SAM LONG SOMEHOW kept out a Yoyo Mahdy shot in the 94th minute to deny Finn Harps the three points against Drogheda United in Ballybofey.
Kevin Doherty’s visitors had just scraped themselves back on terms when Ryan Brennan’s strike on 85 minutes seemed to take a clip off Ryan Rainey on its way just inside the post to make it 2-2. Harps only thought their luck was out at that stage.
After the equaliser, Long made an unbelievable point-blank save from Mahdy from Bastien Hery’s cross 20 seconds from the end of injury time. Drogheda somehow had escaped with a point. It’s enough to keep them ahead of Harps.
Drogheda went in front from their first meaningful attack on five minutes. James Clarke came from the second rung of the attack and stretched to prod the ball past Gavin Mulreany, Harps’ debutant goalkeeper, who was in for the suspended Mark Anthony McGinley.
It might’ve taken the hosts a little while to get going in the miserable conditions but they were level on 22 minutes through Eric McWoods, who swept home an equaliser after Long in the Drogheda goal had made a fine save from Mahdy.
A minute before the break, the hosts made it 2-1 with Mahdy on hand to tuck home his first goal for the club, putting the finishing touches on a move that saw Filip Mihaljevic perfectly cushion down an assisting header from McWoods’ deep cross.
Chances weren’t as frequent in the second period, with Long making saves from a Mahdy free and then a Ryan Connolly piledriver on 71 minutes. Andrew Quinn was only on the field a matter of seconds when he headed clear off his own line from Mahdy and kept Drogheda in the fight, minutes before Brennan’s leveller.
Finn Harps: Gavin Mulreany; Ryan Rainey, Ethan Boyle, Conor Tourish, Rob Slevin; Elie Nzeyi, Ryan Connolly; Eric McWoods, Barry McNamee (Mark Timlin 90), Filip Mihaljevic (Bastien Hery 75); Yoyo Mahdy.
Drogheda United: Sam Long; Georgie Poynton, Keith Cowan, Dane Massey, Evan Weir (Andrew Quinn 79); Darragh Nugent (Luke Heeney 70), Gary Deegan, James Clarke; Dayle Rooney, Dean Williams (Chris Lyons 60), Dylan Grimes (Ryan Brennan 60).
Referee: Oliver Moran.
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