Substitute John Sullivan was the Drogheda United hero as his 93rd-minute strike sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory over Dundalk in a pulsating Louth derby.
The Lilywhites looked to be heading for a shock victory when Mark Griffin profited from poor defensive work to strike in the fifth and 25th minutes, but Peter Hynes then rifled a curling shot beyond Peter Cherrie just after the half-hour to give the Drogs a lifeline.
That’s the way it stayed until the 87th minute when Hynes netted with a header, and in the final seconds of stoppage time Sullivan emerged as the Boynesiders’ hero with a superb volleyed winner.
Dundalk had got off to a dream start with the lead goal inside five minutes, Griffin profiting from some slack defending on the right side of Drogheda’s back four before lashing a rising shot past keeper Gabriel Sava.
Dundalk immediately went in search of a second goal, sensing their rivals were in some disarray, but despite forcing three corners in quick succession it was the Boynesiders who created the next chance, Hynes slicing badly wide after being set up by Tiarnan Mulvenna.
Griffin gave another warning of his threat with a glancing header from a Mark O’Brien cross that drifted straight into the arms of Sava, but Drogheda seemed to be gaining the upper hand when they were hit with a sucker punch on 25 minutes.
Griffin was allowed to run unchallenged up the left flank, and although his cross was cut out by Alan Byrne, the Dundalk sharpshooter was onto the rebound in a flash to send the ball beyond Sava.
Out of nothing the Drogs grabbed a lifeline just after the half-hour when Hynes collected a throw-in and stroked a brilliant curling left-foot shot beyond Cherrie from just outside the box.
Coming up to half-time the Boynesiders looked the better side, but after a fine one-touch passing move in the 40th minute Mulvenna shot straight at Cherrie.
Straight after the restart Mulvenna had a shot saved on the line by Chris Shields, before Hynes pulled another good chance wide, but the Lilywhites survived that early onslaught before coming under severe pressure in the closing stages.
Cherrie fisted away a Philip Hand free-kick and Mulvenna had a close-range shot scrambled off the line, but the Dundalk defence was finally breached on 87 minutes when Hynes popped up at the back post to head home Derek Prendergast’s long, diagonal cross.
And deep into stoppage time substitute John Sullivan stunned the visiting support by sending a superb volley beyond Cherrie from Hand’s deep cross.
DROGHEDA UNITED: Gabriel Sava; Brian Gannon, Alan Byrne, Derek Prendergast, Philip Hand; Tiarnan Mulvenna, Paul Crowley, Eric Foley (John Sullivan 72), Ryan Brennan (Cathal Brady 72); Peter Hynes, Declan O’Brien (Sean Brennan 80).
DUNDALK: Peter Cherrie; John Mountney, Derek Foran, Chris Shields, Eoghan Osborne; Lorcan Shannon, Stephen Maher, Mark O’Brien, Gary Shanahan; Michael Rafter, Mark Griffin.
Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork).
