Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures Behind the Lines Sportswriters discuss their careers and the work that inspires them. Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories The Pat's pre-game tifo.Ben Brady/INPHO FreeStalemate Mason Melia cameo not enough as Pat's frustrated at home by resilient Drogheda It finished 0-0 at Richmond Park. 9.45pm, 14 Feb 2025 Share options Gavin Cooney reports from Richmond Park St Patrick’s Athletic 0 Drogheda United 0 ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC fans tonight collided with the funny business of this game: you spend months waiting impatiently to get out of the house on a Friday night, all for the privilege of being driven demented. Pat’s dominated this opening-night clash with Drogheda: they hogged possession and created virtually all of the chances but simply could not score. The closest they came was when Joe Redmond rattled the crossbar from a corner routine in the first-half, but otherwise they could not break down the eternally doughty Drogheda, who remain the League of Ireland’s closest equivalent to a trip to the dentist. Pat’s showed plenty of slick passing but too often lacked end product: not even a 20-minute cameo from Mason Melia could unpick Drogheda’s triple-lock. Pat’s starting team made a virtue of continuity, with Barry Baggley the only new signing included in the starting line-up. Drogheda, meanwhile, would have wished for the same kind of consistency from their glorious end to last season, with Douglas James-Taylor and Cup final man of the match Elicha Ahui absent through injury. The theatre of the first 15 minutes was really in those primal cross-examinations denied to football fans across a long winter: the game was scrappy and physical and referee Neil Doyle was assailed from all sides, with the Pat’s bench furious when Barry Baggley was booked for a challenge that left Ryan Brennan writhing on the ground. That was the game Drogheda wanted, but Pat’s soon reshaped it. Stephen Kenny picked a classic 4-3-3, with Jake Mulraney and Zach Elbouzedi standing on the touchlines to stretch Drogheda’s back five, with Baggley and Brandon Kavanagh bringing a light passing touch in front of Jamie Lennon. Pat’s moved slickly and quickly, but Lennon was the rock upon which it was all built, consistently breaking up play and winning possession. He was, in other words, the physical and dominant midfielder denied to Kenny during his Ireland days. Advertisement Lennon’s use of the ball was good too, at one point winning possession on the halfway line and pinging a first-time, arcing pass in behind the Drogheda defence for Elbouzedi, who rifled his shot at goalkeeper Luke Dennison. Pat’s should have gone ahead two minutes earlier in more prosaic fashion: an Elbouzedi corner picked out Joe Redmond unmarked at the back post, but he side-footed a first-time effort against the crossbar. Pat’s had the Drogheda defence under considerable strain, so Dennison discovered a phantom strain of his own, plopping to the turf and signalling for treatment. He wasn’t hurt, but Drogheda used the stoppage for a tactical de-brief on the touchline, in front of Pat’s fans wise to the tactic. “Yer Lazarus now, ye shitebag”, roared a Pat’s fan when Dennison picked himself up. Luke Dennison.Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO The stoppage broke Pat’s rhythm, and Drogheda earned some breathing room, going on to cause minor consternation in the Pat’s box from a corner that was ultmately cleared. Kenny briefly swapped his wingers, and it allowed Jake Mulraney chase down a ball into the channel for which Brennan had a huge head start. It wasn’t a fair fight: Brennan did his best to foul Mulraney but couldn’t stop him. Dennison, however, leaped to his right to push away Mulraney’s curling, left-footed shot. Pat’s turned up the dial after half-time and left Drogheda clinging on. First Elbouzedi jinked inside and flashed a shot narrowly wide, while a minute later Dennison did just enough to push Elbouzedi wide when faced one-on-one. The Drogheda ‘keeper then blocked Baggley’s follow-up shot, and Keena blazed over. The Pat’s whirlwind kept blowing: another minute later, Elbouzedi thought he had scored when he nodded in Keena’s whipped, left-footed cross, but was denied by an offside flag. Drogheda did as Drogheda do best: survive. They didn’t even have to staunch the momentum this time around, as the game was then stopped because of a flare thrown onto the pitch by a Pat’s supporter. As news filtered through of the power cut at Tolka Park, this game got extra wattage when Kenny turned to Mason Melia with 20 minutes remaining. Melia started on the bench as he has been recovering from a back injury, and once he he perhaps got a taste of what can await him in his final year in Ireland before joining Spurs: he was fouled in each of his first two actions. Kevin Doherty loudly protested that the second was soft. Doherty was booked for later complaints, as the Drogheda b erupted in rage at the non-award of what they believed was a penalty, when James Bolger when down in the box claiming a tug of his arm by Anto Breslin. With the finishing in sight, Drogheda squatted deep and Pat’s – with Melia playing off the right of the front three – could not break them down. Mulraney was in one of his more erratic moods, constantly skewing crosses to harmless positions. The final minutes grew elastic: a Pat’s attack broke down and Drogheda all of a sudden had a three-on-one break, ultimately scuppered when substitute Thomas Oluwa dallied over his shot. Pat’s countered immediately, flighting a ball over the top that was softly cushioned by Melia and cut back into the six-yard box, where there were only defenders waiting. Five minutes of stoppage time didn’t yield a goal, with Pat’s fans shuffling out, muttering in complaint and furstration. Friday nights are back. St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang; Axel Sjoberg (Ryan McLaughlin, 85′), Joe Redmond (captain), Tom Grivosti, Anto Breslin; Jamie Lennon, Barry Baggley (Romal Palmer, 71′), Brandon Kananagh; Zach Elbouzedi (Mason Melia, 71′), Aidan Keena, Jake Mulraney (Jason McLelland, 90′) Drogheda United: Luke Dennison; Conor Keely; Owen Lambe; Andrew Quinn, Conor Keely, James Bolger (Frank George Cooper, 90′), Conor Kane; Ryan Brennan, Darragh Markey (Thomas Oluwa, 71′), Shane Farrell; Zishim Bawa (Luke Heeney, 71′), Josh Thomas (Warren Davis, 67′) Referee: Neil Doyle Attendance: 5,034 Gavin Cooney Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Mason Melia cameo not enough as Pat's frustrated at home by resilient Drogheda ”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Mason Melia cameo not enough as Pat's frustrated at home by resilient Drogheda ”. 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