GARY TWIGG's injury-time winner secured a crucial victory for Shamrock Rovers to condemn Drogheda United to their cruelest loss of the campaign.

Drogheda fans felt this result will go down as one of the great injustices of the season as Rovers broke United hearts with a Twigg winner five minutes into stoppage time at the end of a pulsating contest where the home side could have taken at least a point if not all three.

Rovers appeared to show no ill effects from their midweek European exertions early on as Dean Kelly’s shot brought the best out of United keeper Steven Trimble and Gary O’Neill only just missed a touch on a cross that would have sent the ball to the net.

However, Drogheda with their first move into opposition territory should have taken the lead when stand in net minder Ryan Thompson spilled a cross to Dinny Corcoran who picked his spot only for Craig Sives to somehow get down and head the ball from the line.

Gavin Brennan’s cross then picked out Corcoran at the back post as Thompson made amends for his earlier faux pas with a fine stop.  With twelve minutes gone United had a solid shout for a penalty turned down by referee Neil Doyle after Pat Flynn tumbled Brennan in the box.

Drogheda continued to dominate to the interval as Thompson saved the day for the Hoops again when he stopped Mark O’Brien’s shot.  A fine move followed involving Brennan, Tiernan Mulvenna and ultimately Corcoran who raced clear only to fire tamely at Thompson.

And before the break Corcoran again didn’t work the keeper and Brennan drove over as the home side failed to get the goal their efforts fully deserved.
Drogheda went at Rovers right from the off in the second half and came within inches of taking the lead eight minutes in from a Peter McMahon strike that sailed only just past the post.

The champions then made a double substitution introducing talisman striker Gary Twigg and Billy Dennehy in an effort to turn the tide in their favour, however, despite raising the intensity of their play the home side coped comfortably with anything the visitors had to offer.

Twigg did go close to breaking the deadlock on 73 minutes but Trimble saved superbly to maintain parity.  With the four allotted added minutes up, Rovers Billy Dennehy flicked the ball into the path of Twigg who drove home for the most undeserving of winners.

DROGHEDA UNITED:  Trimble, Quigley, Hand, McNally, Gannon, Lynch, O’Brien, McMahon (Thompson 86), Corcoran, Mulvenna (Thompson 90), Brennan. 

SHAMROCK ROVERS:  Thompson, Flynn, Sives, Murray, Stevens, McCormack (Dennehy 57), Rice, O’Donnell (Finn h/t), McCabe, Kelly, O’Neill (Twigg 57). 

REFEREE: N. Doyle (Dublin)