SOCCER/National League Premier Division/Drogheda Utd - 2 Shelbourne - 5: A second-half blitz by defending champions Shelbourne in which they scored three times in six minutes edged the Reds closer to their second successive premier division title.
For Drogheda it rounded off a miserable week in which they were knocked out of the cup by Longford Town and saw their league aspirations disappear entirely last night.
Shelbourne stunned Drogheda after just three minutes of play when Owen Heary sent Wes Hoolahan away on the right, and he crossed for Alan Moore to slide in and force the ball home from six yards.
Barely three minutes later Moore turned provider from the left for Jamie Harris to rise unchallenged and head the ball narrowly over.
The home side failed to produce a shot on goal for the entire first half and had a half-hearted penalty claim waved away with 20 minutes gone when Declan O'Brien went down in the box under a challenge from Dave Rogers.
The visitors also huffed and puffed for the greater part of the opening 45 minutes and, with three minutes left in the first half, a Heary header was blocked on its route to goal.
That was the best Shelbourne could muster.
Drogheda equalised five minutes into the second half with a free kick after Hoolahan handled on the edge of the box.
Andy Myler stepped up to curl the ball around the wall, giving Shelbourne goalkeeper Steve Williams no chance.
The home side enjoyed a short spell of dominance and should have made it 2-1 when Gary Cronin's shot was cleared from the goal line by Dave Rodgers.
This was as close as United got to taking the points as the Dublin side went on the rampage, scoring on three occasions from the 63rd to the 69th minute.
Steve Gray and goalkeeper Gary Rogers got their wires crossed as the ball fell to Stuart Byrne, who found a free path to the Drogheda net.
Hoolahan then turned Jermaine Sandvliet inside out as he pumped the ball to the bottom corner of the goal.
Finally, in this spell of supreme domination, the visitors struck again as Jason Byrne headed home a Hoolahan free kick.
Shelbourne scored goal number five with three minutes remaining when two substitutes, Alan Cawley and Glen Fitzpatrick, combined for the latter to head home.
In added time Mark Rooney volleyed home a consolation goal for the home side from 17 yards.
DROGHEDA: Rogers; Sullivan, Sandvliet, O'Connor, Gray, McClare (Freeman, 80), Whelan, Molloy, O'Brien (Rooney, 80), Myler, Cronin (Cronin, 70).
SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary, Crawley, Rodgers, Harris, Crawford, Cahill, S Byrne, Moore (Cawley 86), J Byrne (Rowe, 89), Hoolahan (Fitzpatrick, 86).
Referee: P McKeon (Dublin).
