Drogheda United 0-4 Sporting Fingal
Fingal netted four and kept a clean sheet on the way to a vital win at Drogheda United on Friday night.
The outcome was all but settled inside 35 minutes as first-half goals from Conan Byrne, Gary O'Neill and Colin Hawkins put Liam Buckley's men firmly in the driving seat.
Just 12 minutes were on the clock when the visitors scored off their very first attack, following some poor defending.
Glen Crowe's cross should have been cut out by centre-half Yael Haro, but instead the ball was allowed run through to the six-yard area where keeper Robert Duggan fumbled, and Byrne was on hand to tap into the unguarded net.
Drogheda, missing three players through suspension, looked desperately disorganised and it was no surprise when they fell further behind in the 20th minute, Colin Hawkins rising completely unchallenged to head Byrne's corner past Duggan.
Sporting, fielding a four-pronged attack in the shape of Byrne, Gary O'Neill, Glen Crowe and Ollie Cahill, kept their foot on the pedal and a Byrne cross deceived Duggan and bounced off the crossbar before the visitors extended their lead on 34 minutes.
A bounce of the ball on the right flank favoured Ger O'Brien and his cross picked out O'Neill whose mishit shot looped over Duggan and rolled into the Drogheda net.
The home side's only shot at goal in the first half was a sliced effort by Haro which nearly crept in at Darren Quigley's left-hand post, but the woodwork came to Drogheda's rescue again on 43 minutes when Ronan Finn's effort hit the bar.
Quigley was called into action just after the restart to keep out a Darragh McNamara half-volley, before tipping Peter McMahon's 30-yard piledriver over the crossbar.
But in between Duggan had to save with his legs after Finn was put clean through on goal.
Inevitably, the game petered out after that and Alan Kirby's 82nd-minute penalty - awarded for a questionable foul by Kevin Ross on Crowe - merely added to Drogheda's woes.
Drogheda United: 23 Robert Duggan; 10 Paul Crowley, 5 Alan McNally, 4 Yael Haro, 12 Eoghan Osborne; 14 Darren Meenan, 16 Michael Daly, 9 Peter McMahon (6 Kevin Ross 76), 8 Ronan McEnteggart (11 John Flood 67); 18 Glen Fitzpatrick (15 Jamie Harris 59), 13 Darragh McNamara. Subs not used: 17 Paul Matondon, 1 Paul Skinner.
Booked: McNamara (65min), Haro (84min), Ross (88min).
Sporting Fingal: 1 Darren Quigley; 2 Gerard O'Brien, 4 Kenny Browne, 5 Colin Hawkins, 3 Lorcan Fitzgerald (14 Keith Quinn 88); 8 Ronan Finn (15 Kevin Dawson 85), 10 Alan Kirby; 7 Conan Byrne, 9 Gary O'Neill, 11 Glen Crowe, 6 Ollie Cahill. Subs not used: Brian Gannon, Eamon Zayed, 16 Brendan Clarke.
Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork).