DERRY CITY will have breathed a sigh of relief having netted a fortuitous equaliser at the Brandywell against Drogheda United.

 

Indeed, the Candystripes required a fortunatea own goal four minutes from the end to save a point, their unbeaten record now stretched to 15 games, but the initiative may now have passed onto their challengers.

Drogheda having silenced the home crowd within three minutes of the kick-off when breaking the deadlock from a corner.

Lee Lynch floated the ball in towards the back post and the unmarked  Brian Gannon headed the ball into the net off the Derry crossbar.

Derry dominated the possession afterwards, but they were hit again before the break when the visitors doubled their lead, again from another corner in the 37th minute, again following a set-piece situation.

Lynch again floated in another corner from the left and as the home defence failed to adequately clear the danger, the ball broke to Gavin Brennan and his effort appeared to take a deflection off a defender before finding the net.

Drogheda, always content to sit back, defend in numbers and hit on the break was reaping dividends as Derry continued to huff and puff but failed miserably when in front of goal.

In the 68th minute Stewart Greacen got onto the end of a Barry Molly cross but the Scot directed his header straight at the body of keeper, Robert Duggan for what was an easy save.

However, Gareth McGlynn gave Derry City hope in the 73rd minute when he headed the ball home to make it 2-1 after Ruaidhri Higgins’ shot had been blocked by a defender.

In the 86th minute, Derry levelled matters thanks to an own goal, when keeper Duggan appeared to parry a corner off the body of defender Dave Rogers.

DERRY CITY: Doherty; Molloy, S. McEleney (McBride, 79), Greacen, Lafferty; McGlynn, Deery, Higgins, McLaughlin; P. McEleney (McDaid, 60), Zayed.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Duggan; Gaul, McNally, Rogers, Clarke; Brennan, McMahon, Gannon, Lynch, Hand (O’Brien, 78); White.

REFEREE: R. Winter (Dublin) 7.