Friendly Report: Drogheda United 5 - 1 Cabinteely

A brace each for Mark Doyle and Joe Efford helped Drogheda United to a comfortable 5-1 victory over Cabinteely in a pre-season friendly at United Park on Wednesday evening.

Gareth McCaffrey sealed the emphatic win late on with a spectacular long-range finish.

It was Cabinteely who started the brighter of the two sides as Jack Hudson hit an effort from range narrowly wide of the Drogheda goal.

Drogheda began to grow into the game following that chance with Gareth McCaffrey seeing his free kick skip just wide of Michael Kelly’s far post before Joe Efford forced the Cabinteely shot stopper into the first save of the game just five minutes later.

With a quarter of an hour gone, Efford was played through on goal and rounded Kelly only for his shot to be cleared off the by Mark Hanlon.

However, it didn’t take long for the Boynesiders’ to take the lead as Mark Doyle headed home from a corner just five minutes later.

That lead lasted just short of ten minutes as Cabinteely were awarded a penalty, which Joe Doyle converted, sending Jamie Hickey the wrong way in the Drogheda goal.

Drogheda regained the lead on the stroke of half time as the influential Efford was again put through on goal by McCaffrey. He again rounded Michael Kelly, this time finding the bottom corner to make it 2-1 to Drogheda.

Drogheda began the second half on the front foot with McCaffrey hitting the post following a brilliant team move.

The home side then extended their lead just two minutes later as Mark Doyle tapped home at the back post to net his second of the game.

Man of the match Joe Efford then completed his brace on 63 minutes with a brilliant finish into the bottom corner from 20 yards.

Drogheda were not finished there and the goal of the game was still to come as Gareth McCaffrey played a neat one-two with Nathan Seery before unleashing a stunning shot into the top corner of the Cabinteely net with the outside of his right foot.

Drogheda United: Jamie Hickey (Dylan Sweeney 46); Eoghan Dempsey (Emmett Carolan 56), Lloyd Buckley, Kevin Farragher, Stephen Dunne; Jamie Hollywood (Nathan Seery 46), Richie Purdy, Thomas Byrne (James Carroll 69); Gareth McCaffrey, Joe Efford (Stephen Meaney 78), Mark Doyle (Marc Griffin 60).

Cabinteely: Michael Kelly (Dean Mahon 69); Karl Byrne (Adam Maher 69), Victor Ekanem, Darragh McConville, Mark Hanlon; Robert Duggan (Andrew McGovern 58), Daire Doyle, (Jason Byrne 69), Paul Fox; Jack Watson (Cian Lynch 69), Joe Doyle, Jack Hudson (Christian Lotefa 58).

Attendance:100 (estimate).

Extratime.ie Player of the Match: Joe Efford (Drogheda United).