Shelbourne are in a different class

UNFORTUNATELY for Drogheda this was one of those occasions when all Shelbourne's multi talented parts clicked together nicely for last night's second round FAI Harp Cup tie. Different class.

The samba band maintained a nice atmospheric beat, but it was Shelbourne who were playing with all the rhythm. Crucially, they silenced the 4,000 United Park crowd with two early goals from Stephen Geoghegan and Anthony Sheridan after only 27 minutes.

No two players emphasised the class divide more than they. What's more it could have been a much higher scoreline, so slickly did Shelbourne carve Drogheda's defence in their awesomely composed start.

Shelbourne, who showed that they had rediscovered their best form last week when John O'Rourke came off the substitutes' bench after a five game absence in the win over Derry, suddenly looked fluent again.

O'Rourke gives them a runner from midfield, and last night Sheridan drifted inside and forward menacingly. Drogheda could never pick him up. And with Stephen Geoghegan reminding the locals that he is the league's best striker in the making, it all gave Gary Howlett's radar ample targets to hit.

Behind them, Brian Flood swept up in front of a defence that has now gone six games without conceding a goal.

By contrast, it was just a matter of time before the visitors scored at the other end. Drogheda were given a surprising reprieve within two minutes of the start when the ex Drogheda Geoghegan brothers combined. The elder Declan playing in the predatory Stephen but he clipped the ball wide of both John Grace and the upright.

Noel Reid gave the home side another reprieve in the fifth minute when he covered across to deny O'Rourke after he was played in by Sheridan.

Twice Shelbourne were vulnerable to near post corners; Paul McLaughlin's header clearing the bar after six minutes and with that went their best, indeed only chance of making a game of it. The inevitable breakthrough came five minutes later.

From the moment Sheridan broke from defence Drogheda were stretched. He picked out Stephen Geoghegan's typically intelligent run to the right flank and he rolled the ball back inside for Sheridan to take it on and clip it over Grace.

There had to be a goal in it, too, for the league's leading marksman. Sure enough, after 27 minutes from his own half, Howlett picked out Stephen Geoghegan's perfectly timed run. Though Grace's desperate advance outside his area forced Geoghegan very wide, he drilled his angled shot past the recovering defence from wide outside the area.

Given Shelbourne had by now gone over 500 minutes without being breached, that was pretty much that. John Ryan's near post header from another corner had Shelbourne's defence briefly looking at each other curiously.

However, at the other end a goal line clearance by Reid denied Geoghegan another.