Derry City v Drogheda United: Match Preview

Derry City v. Drogheda United, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 27, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, 13 August 2023, 6.30pm kick-off

 

            Derry City face Drogheda United for their first league game in over a month, sandwiched between two crucial UECL Third Round ties to FC Tobol Kostanay. The Candystripes fell to a 1-0 defeat in Kazakhstan but will be hoping to bounce back at home on Sunday.

 

            The last time Drogheda visited the Brandywell they earned a 1-0 win, despite the early sending off of Emmanuel Adegboyega. The second half dismissal of Cameron McJannet meant that both teams had ten men on the field going into the latter stages, and it was the visitors who capitalised. Elicha Ahui scored from close range following a Gary Deegan free kick to give his side the win in a frustrating game from a Derry point of view. That was Drogheda’s first win in the Brandywell since a 2-0 victory in September 2015, with Patrick McEleney the only member of that Derry team currently at the club.

 

            Derry claimed revenge in the form of their own 1-0 victory in the most recent encounter between the sides. Adam O’Reilly netted his first goal for City that evening with a low drive just eleven minutes in. Some Brian Maher heroics were needed to ensure that all three points came back up the road, denying Freddie Draper from close range late on. The Lincoln City loanee also struck the woodwork in the first half.

 

            Freddie Draper and Elicha Ahui are two players who Derry will not have to worry about this time round. Draper, despite reported interest from the Candystripes, returned to Lincoln in July following the expiration of his loan. He was swiftly loaned to Walsall, ending speculation of a move to the Brandywell. Ahui, too, was a loanee from Lincoln City. The 19 year old right back recently agreed a move to Ayr United in order to further his development. Emmanuel Adegboyega is another young talent who has left Drogheda for pastures new this summer, signing for Championship side Norwich City for an undisclosed fee.

 

            Draper was a key part of Drogheda’s attack in the first half of the season. At the age of just 18, the English striker was entrusted with leading the Drogs’ frontline. He thoroughly impressed too, scoring eight goals and recording three assists in twenty-one appearances. It’s no wonder why Ruaidhrí Higgins wanted him to bolster his own attacking options. Ahui made twenty appearances for Drogheda before his return to Lincoln. His only goal was the aforementioned winner against Derry, but the young defender looked comfortable playing at League of Ireland level. Adegboyega started in twenty one games this term, keeping three clean sheets. Standing at 6'3", the 19 year old was a physical presence in the Drogheda defence, and will join a strong Irish contingent at The Canaries. 

 

            Drogheda have scored ten goals in six league and cup games since losing Draper earlier in the summer, winning just two in that period. His last appearance came on the 23^rd of June, when he was shown a straight red card, thus missing the final match of his loan spell. Since that date, Drogheda have won one league game, a 3-1 win away to UCD. A 2-1 win in the FAI Cup against Sligo Rovers followed, setting up a favourable second round tie away to Kerry FC. Despite a solid 0-0 draw against Shamrock Rovers, a team whom they are undefeated against in league action since February 2022, Drogheda fumbled a 2-0 lead to draw with Sligo Rovers three weeks later. Moreover, despite equalising twice in Dalymount against Bohemian last week, Drogheda would eventually slump to a 4-2 defeat.

 

They currently sit in 8^th position in the table and will look to distance themselves from a relegation scrap come the Autumn. United are currently five points clear of Cork City, who tried to lure manager Kevin Doherty away from Weavers Park just last week. The Drogheda faithful will have been glad to hear of Danu Kinsella-Bishop’s equaliser against for UCD against Cork on Friday, as a win for the Rebels would’ve cut the gap to the Drogs to just three points.

 

            United’s main attacking threats come in the presence of Darragh Markey and Dayle Rooney in the midfield. St. Pat’s academy graduate Markey has racked up six assists and a goal this term, whilst Rooney has eight assists and three goals to his name. The former Shelbourne winger is also the only member of the side to have featured in all twenty-six league games this season. League of Ireland stalwarts Ryan Brennan and Adam Foley can’t be written off either, having scored nine goals and earned two assists this season between them.

            With the sending off of Evan Weir last week, it is likely that on-loan Shelbourne defender Conor Kane will start in that left full back position. With just two league appearances this season, he’ll be out to prove a point. Derry, however, may look to play to his lack of match sharpness and focus attacking play down his side. 17 year old Andrew Wogan has also been preferred to usual netminder Colin McCabe since early June, and will likely start on Sunday. He kept Drogheda’s fourth clean sheet of the season against Shamrock Rovers on July 7^th.

 

Aside from the long-term injuries to Colm Whelan and Ciaron Harkin, Derry have a mostly clean bill of health going into the game against Drogheda. Patrick McEleney, who was replaced by Sadou Diallo after just half an hour against KuPS last week, made a twenty-five minute cameo in Kostanay on Thursday. Cameron Dummigan also came off injured in Finland and was an unused substitute against Tobol. Don’t be shocked to see the likes of Jordan McEneff and Brandon Kavanagh start on Sunday following substitute appearances in Europe either. 

Ruaidhrí Higgins may not want to risk key players like Will Patching and Michael Duffy from the start in order to have as strong a squad as possible for the return leg against FC Tobol in Dublin next week. In saying that, he also knows how hard Drogheda can be to break down and will not take the game lightly. It is important that Derry do not treat this game as merely a distraction to their UECL qualifiers, as they now sit eight points off Shamrock Rovers on top, four from St. Pat’s in second, and three for Bohemian in third.

 

The Candystripes have just eleven league games remaining to mount a serious title charge and overtake the three Dublin clubs above them. A late Shelbourne equaliser against Shamrock Rovers saw the champions drop points, whilst St. Pat’s and Bohemian played out a 0-0 draw on Friday. Both results will be good news to Derry supporters, knowing that a win against Drogheda on Sunday will narrow the gap to the summit to five points. City also have two games in hand on the three teams above them but must be cautious not to waste such an opportunity.

 

Pól O’Hare – 11 August 2023