Drogheda United win U20 Louth derby in Oriel Park thriller

DROGHEDA UTD 2

​BRIDEL Bosakani’s 86th-minute goal for Drogheda United was the decisive moment in the U20 Louth derby at Oriel Park on Saturday afternoon.

This result sees the young Drogs move to the top of Group A in the U20 League of Ireland after a fourth consecutive victory.

However it was fair from plain sailing. Dundalk brought a real intensity to proceedings and had the better chances early on, but Finn Moore was on hand to make some excellent saves and the Drogheda defence of Evan Haddock, Osaze Irhue, Ethan Maher and Ultan McLaughlin stood tall to deal with the early pressure.

The Drogs began to find their feet and showed glimpses of real quality, crafting a couple of chances through their wide players Harry O’Connor and Conall Cronin.

The opening goal of the game came in a manic two-minute period, Dundalk had a strong penalty claim in the 41st minute waved away by the referee and from there the Boynesiders broke quickly down their right side, with Maher and Cronin involved. Eventually the ball reached James Byrne and he was hacked down 25 yards from goal. With the clock now showing 43 minutes, Emre Topcu produced a moment of magic as he curled a fantastic free kick into the top left corner to send Drogheda in 1-0 up at half-time.

To nobody’s surprise this game was far from over, and it turned into an end-to-end affair at the beginning of the second half.

Dundalk found their equaliser in the 53rd minute when the ball was whipped in from the left and Eoin Kenny was on hand to power his header into the roof of the Drogheda net.

However, to their credit, the Drogs reacted well, with Callum Warren, Byrne and Topcu winning the midfield battle, which allowed the Boynesiders to create the better chances, most notably through Bosakani and Matthew McCarrick.

As the drama continued, Drogheda United were denied what they felt was a clear penalty kick in the 65th minute after Irhue went down in the penalty area.

As the Drogs appealed, it was Dundalk’s turn to break quickly. The breakaway saw Kenny bear down on goal and go around the Drogheda keeper, only to see his effort rebound off the post, before being swept away by the Drogheda defence.

The excitement continued right until the very end and the winner arrived in the 86th minute.

Byrne floated a beautiful ball into the back post area from a deep free kick, Irhue rose highest to cushion his header down and Bosakani fired home from close range to put the Drogs ahead.

Next up for Drogheda is a home fixture on Saturday against Derry City at Weavers Park, with kick-off scheduled for 2:30pm and all support welcome.

Drogheda UTD: F Moore, U McLaughlin (B Walsh 74), O Irhue, J Byrne, C Cronin (M McCarrick 62), C Warren, H O’Connor (A Guneyer), E Maher, E Haddock, B Bosakani, E Topcu (O Adeogun 82). Subs not used: R Maher, T Dunne, C Feehan.