Drogheda United secured a vital 2-1 victory over Shelbourne to move off the bottom of the Premier Division table. Warren Davis and Leo Burney scored the goals that turned the game after Daniel Kelly had put Shelbourne ahead early on.
The match took place on 2026-09-14 at 18:45 UTC as part of matchday 30 of the Premier Division Regular Season. Shelbourne took the lead in the 22nd minute when Daniel Kelly scored from an assist by Sean Moore. Drogheda United responded before half-time, with Warren Davis equalising in the 40th minute following a pass from Ethan O'Brien.
Leo Burney then gave Drogheda United the lead in the 57th minute, finishing off an assist from Brandon Kavanagh. The goal proved decisive as Shelbourne failed to find an equaliser despite dominating possession with 66% and recording 21 shots, five of which were on target.
Drogheda United, despite having only 34% possession and 10 shots with four on target, defended resolutely and made three saves to secure the win. Shelbourne committed 12 fouls to Drogheda United's 11, while the visitors had just one corner compared to Shelbourne's seven.
Yellow cards were shown to Kerr McInroy of Shelbourne in the 44th minute, Alfie Bates of Drogheda United in the 68th minute, Alistair Coote of Shelbourne in the 80th minute, and Will Jarvis of Shelbourne in the 83rd minute. Substitutions saw Shelbourne bring on Rodrigo Costa Freitas, Alistair Coote, Ademipo Odubeko and Will Jarvis, while Drogheda United introduced Shane Farrell, Mark Doyle, Ryan Markey and Ryan Brennan.
The win leaves Drogheda United with 31 points from 30 games, sitting 9th in the Premier Division, 25 points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers. Warren Davis now has six goals this season in 34 appearances, and the team are on a two-game winning run after defeating Sligo Rovers 2-0 on 2026-09-11.
Drogheda United will next face Bohemians away on 2026-09-18 as they look to build on this result and continue their climb away from the relegation zone. For more on their upcoming fixtures, see the fixtures page, and to review the full squad involved in this match, visit the squad section.
