Drogheda United dispatched College Corinthians 3-0 in the FAI Cup Round of 16 on 15 August. Ancelin opened the scoring within the first minute and added a second before the break. Doyle struck early too, putting the visitors ahead by thirteen minutes. It was a performance that settled the tie before half-time.
And here's the thing about that opening goal — Ancelin found the net almost immediately. Drogheda didn't hesitate, doubling their advantage through Doyle at the thirteen-minute mark. College Corinthians looked flat-footed from the start, unable to find any rhythm against a side that knew exactly what it wanted.
By then Ancelin was on a hat-trick of sorts, netting his second at forty-three minutes to make it 3-0. The hosts had no response, and Drogheda bundled in what would be the final scoreline before the interval. Substitutions came quickly — both Bucknor and Agbaje were off at half-time, replaced by Davis and Farrell.
Yellow cards peppered the first half. A card at twenty-three minutes, then Agbaje and Bucknor each picked up cautions at twenty-seven and forty-one minutes respectively. Ancelin came off at sixty-nine minutes, completing his night's work. Drogheda controlled the tempo without needing to chase the game.
The statistics tell the story plainly. Drogheda held 58 per cent possession and registered eight shots on target compared to College Corinthians' two. The visitors also won nine corners to four, while the hosts managed only 92 attacks against 115 for the away side. College Corinthians had the shots off target — five to eight — but the difference in quality showed.
Drogheda advance to the quarter-finals with authority. College Corinthians' recent results — a 5-4 thriller against Bangor Celtic and a 2-1 win over Kilrest Doncaster — meant little against this opposition. The visitors had drawn twice in a row before this, but now they're closing in on a deeper run in Cup football has its own rules, and Drogheda understood that better than anyone.