Louth’s deadly rivals will meet again on Tuesday for an FAI Cup quarter-final place after 10-man Drogheda held out for a draw at Hunky Dorys Park.
Dundalk looked to be in the driving seat when Mark Quigley cancelled out Dave Rogers’ early strike on the stroke of half-time with a penalty which saw the Boynesiders’ Stephen Quigley sent off.
But they couldn’t break down a solid home defence in the second 45 minutes and so the sides will meet for the fifth time this season at Oriel.
As they did in the league meeting two weeks ago, Dundalk made the brighter start and Robert Duggan, preferred in the Drogheda goal to Stephen Trimble, was forced into an early save from Colin Hawkins when a corner broke in the defender’s favour.
But the Boynesiders stunned their neighbours by breaking the deadlock inside five minutes after Peter Cherrie had parried a Gavin Brennan shot around the post.
Drogheda caught the opposition defence off guard from the resulting corner, and although Cherrie managed to half-clear towards the edge of the box, Rogers was perfectly placed 20-yards out to fire back past the keeper.
The visitors were on the rack for the next couple of minutes and Mark O’Brien had a shot saved by Cherrie before being given another sight of goal by Tiarnan Mulvenna, only for Greg Bolger to make a crucial block.
Dundalk survived that mini hurricane and forced a free kick, from which Mark Quigley’s 30-yard strike was blocked by the defensive wall.
Duggan then made a straightforward save from Mark Griffin, before Dundalk went agonisingly close to drawing level. Daniel Kearns was the provider, drilling in a low cross, and when Alan McNally made an untimely slip, Mark Quigley was onto the loose ball in a flash and rapped it off the underside of the bar.
From Dundalk’s next attack, Quigley just failed to get on the end of Ross Gaynor’s centre, but Drogheda then got back on top and Dinny Corcoran swapped passes with Brian Gannon before forcing Cherrie into another save, this time with his feet.
The Boynesiders had a couple of other half-chances as the visitors’ defence continued to struggle, but right at the end of the half the Lilywhites turned the tie on its head.
Quigley exposed a square-looking home defence when he put Griffin clean through on goal and the striker had his legs taken by Stephen Quigley as he shaped to shoot.
The Drogheda right-back was sent off and Mark Quigley coolly rolled the resulting spot kick past Duggan as the clock ticked into first-half injury time.
Inevitably it was the visitors who took control in the second half as the Boynesiders worked overtime to prevent scoring opportunities.
Drogheda’s efforts worked initially, as their neighbours failed to muster a shot at goal until the 71st minute, when Simon Madden dragged a poor shot wide of the target from long range.
Typical of the home side’s endeavour was Gannon’s superb challenge to deny Kearns a shot as the winger played a great one-two with Quigley on the edge of the box.
Duggan was finally tested on 79 minutes when he held a firm header by Dundalk centre-half Carl McHugh, but Dundalk lacked any conviction in the final third and in the end Drogheda’s ten men held out quite comfortably for a draw.
DROGHEDA UNITED: 1 Robert Duggan; 2 Stephen Quigley, 4 Alan McNally, 5 Dave Rogers, 3 Philip Hand; 7 Mark O’Brien, 8 Brian Gannon, 6 Lee Lynch, 11 Gavin Brennan; 10 Tiarnan Mulvenna, 9 Dinny Corcoran (12 Jordan White 81).
Subs not used: 13 Stephen Trimble.
Booked: McNally (54min).
DUNDALK: 1 Peter Cherrie; 2 Simon Madden, 5 Colin Hawkins, 6 Carl McHugh, 13 Nathan Murphy; 7 Daniel Kearns, 14 Greg Bolger, 4 Dean Bennett (17 Keith Ward 67), 11 Ross Gaynor; 18 Mark Griffin (10 Jason Byrne 66), 9 Mark Quigley.
Subs not used: 20 Cian Byrne.
Booked: Bolger (62min), Murphy (83min).
Referee: Damien Hancock (Dublin).
