The sides couldn't be separated as Drogheda United and St Patrick’s Athletic played out a scoreless, but hardly a bore, draw to leave both sides towards the foot of the table.
Almost exactly two years to the day since the last draw between the sides – eight league meetings ago – there wasn’t to be a goal to settle the match at Weavers Park.
This stalemate doesn’t do much for either sides early season predicament. It was reasonable to wonder what kind of impact St Pat’s St Patrick’s weekend jaunt to the United States would do for them.
Perhaps, it would provide a much-needed tonic following a run of four defeats in their opening six games.
A Stateside trip isn’t something Kevin Doherty can likely envisage his part-time outfit enjoying any time soon and his team will feel, as was the case against Sligo Rovers two weeks ago, that they left points behind once again.
Lincoln City loanee Oisin Gallagher headed wide from Evan Weir’s early free kick and Adam Foley met Darragh Markey’s cross but his header was off target.
It wasn’t until five minutes before the break that Pat’s when close. Jamie Lennon played in Chris Forrester but teen goalkeeper Andrew Wogan’s outstretched left leg denied him a 13th career goal against the Drogs.
The Saints will have rued their inability to even test the young Drogheda shotstopper when they broke away moments before the break.
Jake Mulraney stole the ball from Gary Deegan high up field and sped away. He evaded Luke Heeney’s challenge and found Brandon Kavanagh. But before he could transfer the ball to the available Kian Leavy, he was smothered out.
Leavy was Pat’s standout player in the opening 45 minutes. He dribbled with the ball from the edge of his one penalty area to the other, sidestepping multiple Drogheda players en route. Nothing came of it though as his team’s threat was lacking.
The hosts went close to taking the lead when Warren Davis cut in from the left and curled an effort goalwards. His shot would have nestled inside the post where it not for the intervention of Forrester, who headed off the line. Foley slashed at the rebound when composure was called for.
Davis was denied again when Danny Rogers made a point blank save from his header in the six-yard box. And Pat’s went close when Evan Weir cleared off the line from sub Alex Nolan.
There was still time for newly capped Haitian international Frantz Pierrot to make an impact, but not a goalscoring one. He saw two efforts saved by Rogers late in the game as the home side pressed hard for a winner.
Drogheda United: Andrew Wogan; Luke Heeney, Hayden Cann, Jack Keaney, Evan Weir (Conor Kane, 90+1); Gary Deegan, Oisin Gallagher; Adam Foley (Killian Cailloce, 81), Darragh Markey, Warren Davis (Frantz Pierrot, 78); Zishim Bawa.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Danny Rogers; Kieran Freeman (Axel Sjoberg, 53 (Romal Palmer, 83), Joe Redmond, Luke Turner, Anto Breslin; Chris Forrester, Jamie Lennon; Brandon Kavanagh, Kian Leavy, Jake Mulraney (Alex Nolan, 69); Ruairi Keating (Cian Kavanagh, 69).
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan
