Galway United completed a stunning comeback to end the Easter weekend on a high as substitutes Kris Twardek and Axel Piesold tuned the game on its head at Sullivan and Lambe Park.
Following on from Friday night’s victory over Derry City, John Caulfield will have barely believed what he witnessed in the opening 45 minutes as the Tribesmen trailed in Drogheda’s wake in every department.
It might take the journey back west to fully wrap his head around what occurred after the break too. Rarely in his long managerial career will a double substitution have proved quite so effective.
Caulfield had made six changes to the side that began Friday night’s victory against beleaguered Derry, while Drogheda didn’t make any from their scoreless draw against Bohemians.
However, it was the hosts who looked fresher and more energised throughout the opening half.
Frantz Pierrot was making his first start on Irish soil since scoring a brace to keep Drogheda United up in November 2024. With spells in Bosnia and Israel under his belt, he returned to the club who he helped fire to both Premier Division safety and the FAI Cup.
Pierrot had scored an injury-time winner in Galway’s dramatic 4-3 win over Waterford last month and the winning goal against Derry on Friday too. He is no stranger to late clinchers at the Windmill Road venue either, but there was no such late interjections this time. In fact, the Haitian striker’s afternoon ended at the break, as he was replaced by Stephen Walsh.
Axel Piesold had an impactful cameo for Galway
Drogheda needed an injury-time goal to break the deadlock on the opening day of the season at Eamonn Deacy Park, but they raced out of the traps in this return fixture. Mark Doyle’s opener arrived with just two and a half minutes played and Kevin Doherty’s side were two goals up inside 18 minutes through Jago Godden.
Both goals came from Brandon Kavanagh corner deliveries which were won in the area by Drogheda players, much to the chagrin of Caulfield.
Galway did get back into it courtesy of a Francely Lomboto strike that appeared to take everyone in Sullivan & Lambe Park by surprise.
An attempted one-two between Lomboto and Pierrot was intercepted, but it fell kindly for the striker who lashed a shot low beyond Luke Dennison.
That goal masked the fact that the visitors were struggling to lay a glove on Drogheda, however, as the home side stroked the ball around at ease in parts.
Drogheda did lose midfielder Ethan O’Brien when he pulled up badly in the first half but overall it was a very positive opening 45 minutes for the hosts.
The second half played out in extraordinary fashion. Drogheda were sloppy and careless, and the Tribesmen were ready to capitalise.
Caulfield made a double change at the break and the two more he made on the hour mark made the difference.
Twardek and Piesold entered the fray on 60 minutes. By the 61st, Canadian winger Twardek had lobbed Dennison with his first very first touch to level matters.
Seven minutes later, Piesold struck the decisive blow. From Twardek’s low centre, the English midfielder had time to steady himself before firing a low shot across the goalkeeper and into the far bottom corner to complete the comeback for Galway.
Drogheda United: Luke Dennison; James Bolger, Conor Keeley, Andrew Quinn (Kieran Cruise, 75); Edwin Agbaje (Jason Bucknor, 58), Jago Godden, Ethan O’Brien (Ryan Brennan, 26), Conor Kane; Brandon Kavanagh; Mark Doyle (Thomas Oluwa, 75), Warren Davis.
Galway United: Evan Watts; Wasiri Williams, Killian Brouder, Gianfranco Facchineri; Edward McCarthy (Kris Twardek, 60), David Hurley, Cian Barratt (Conor McCormack, 82), Matthew Wolfe, Al-Amin Kazeem (Lee Devitt, 46); Francely Lomboto (Axel Piesold, 60), Frantz Pierrot (Stephen Walsh, 46).
Referee: Oliver Moran.
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