Drogheda United 2 (O'Brien 57, Cronin 60) Bohemians 0
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Bohemians surrendered their Premier Division crown tonight at a sodden 02 Park, as Paul Doolin masterminded a 2-0 win for Drogheda United, steering them clear of relegation this season and handing his former employers Shelbourne the league title.
An incredible seventh meeting between the sides, and a fourth in the League, saw United look the better side for much of the encounter with striker Declan O’Brien and midfielder Gary Cronin scoring their seventh and third goals of the season respectively for their biggest win of the season.
A half-fit Glen Crowe, injured in Monday’s fixture with Longford, started up front with Robbie Doyle for Bohs, and right back Damien Lynch assumed a centre field partnership with Stephen Caffrey, with both Kevin Hunt (suspended) and Thomas Heary (hip injury) unavailable.
Drogheda should have had the lead in the twelfth minute when a Cronin corner saw them press and a Mark Quinless shot from the edge of the Bohemians area, was hoofed clear by Ken Oman.
Stephen Kenny’s reigning champions were listless up front with midfielder Dave Morrison’s free header on 37 minutes when he managed to find some space at the back post on the end of a Bobby Ryan cross, their only real chance of the opening half.
Drogheda striker Andy Myler curled a free kick close to the Bohs’ top right corner on 24 minutes, but Bohs ‘keeper Seamus Kelly rescued his side, tipping the effort over. And he repeated his heroics, palming an earlier effort away from O’Brien and also proving to be at his best four minutes after the break, when an O’Brien slide rule ball saw Quinless open up again and thump a 20-yard shot at the Bohs’ goal, but Kelly again touched it to safety.
The result turned in Drogheda’s favour short of the hour mark, when O’Brien hit his second goal in four games from a Myler off load, swivelling and turning away from the Bohs cover and guiding a brilliant shot from the edge of the area past Kelly for the lead.
Just three minutes later, Cronin doubled that lead and looked to have secured Drogheda’s passage towards top-flight football again next season as he hit home from close range.
Bohemians tried desperately to raise their game nearing the finish and ensured a scramble to the finish, but a damning statistic is that they’ve failed to score in their previous two games and it proved to be the case again, as substitute Paul Keegan had their best chance, heading wide, under pressure from ‘keeper Gary Rogers.
A second loss in three games for Bohemians saw Drogheda deservedly celebrate at the final whistle.