Drogheda United beat Sligo Rovers 2:0 in the Premier Division's thirty-first round on Friday evening. The result keeps the hosts in ninth place while the visitors drop further adrift at tenth. Three points from a match that could have gone either way.
Warren Davis opened the scoring in the thirty-eighth minute, and the visitors were left exposed by the response. Sligo had not won since August, and this added to a run that saw them lose three of their last four before the draw with Waterford. The home side had not been this sharp for a while.
Edwin Agbaje doubled the advantage just before half-time, a goal that came at forty-five minutes and three seconds. By then the visitors had been chasing shadow for most of the opening period. Their keeper made five saves, but most of them were routine after the first effort. The clean-sheet run came to an end for Sligo.
We had called for the home side to win, with fifty-one percent confidence. It was not a shout for a rout — just an acknowledgment that Drogheda had been the more consistent side across the season. The visitors had not scored in three of their last five, and that price had gone.
Statistics tell a story that matches the scoreline. Drogheda registered seven shots on target against one for Sligo, with an accuracy of forty-seven percent compared to nine. Possession sat at forty percent for the hosts, but they did not need more. The away side moved the ball into the opposition half 279 times without creating a single big chance.
The gap between ninth and tenth now stands at eight points. Sligo must win their remaining games and hope for slips elsewhere. Drogheda, meanwhile, know they can still climb — if they keep things this tight.
