Drogheda boss Kevin Doherty reckons Pat Hoban's winner should've been ruled out

​The Drogheda boss was adamant Jordan McEneff handled the ball inside the penalty box before laying it into the path of Will Patching whose strike was parried by Andrew Wogan and Hoban pounced from eight yards for his debut goal just after the hour mark.

That strike made it 2-0 to the home side but Evan Weir's deflected free-kick made it an uncomfortable final 20 minutes for Ruaidhri Higgins' troops. Ryan Brennan had his penalty kick saved by Brian Maher and Doherty felt the Boynesiders deserved more.

"I thought we matched Derry," said the Drogs boss. "I thought we were excellent. I know we won up here last year but I thought that was a way better performance. I thought the new players settled in well and our shape worked well. We had the best chance in the first half and limited Derry to everything that we wanted to.

"The first goal was an individual mistake and you learn from that, that just happens at times. We got the penalty and missed it. It's not like Ryan. You would put your house on Ryan or any of the Brennans, they never missed penalties. Unfortunately they did tonight and Brian Maher as he always seems to do against us, pulls off a really really good save.

"But the second goal, it's a handball in the box. I don't want to make it about individuals because it's a team out there looking at that. I still think after that (the handball) we should deal with it better but the play should've been stopped - it's a handball. It's disappointing from our end because we've come up here and given a really good account of ourselves. We're playing against one of the very best teams in the country who are trying to push on and win the league. They're an excellent side and I thought we matched them and feel really hard done by."

Drogheda have clearly recruited well with Zishim Bawa from Swedish side Bodens BK and ex-Athlone Town striker Franzt Pierrot causing no end of problems for the Derry defence in the first half.

Pierrot was walking a tightrope after his yellow card for a foul on Maher in the first half and after a collision with Ben Doherty, the Drogheda manager made sure he didn't come back out for the second half 'for his own protection'.

"I thought the two of them [Pierrot and Bawa] were excellent. I took [Pierrot] off to protect him because I don't think he was being protected. He probably caught Brian Maher a little but it's probably not a yellow card. Every time he went for the ball there were three men all over him. He's a big lad. When he knocks into you you're probably going to hit the deck. I just felt it was coming because sometimes when you're at home and every foul there's a scream and sometimes it does influence but in fairness Damien [McGraith] was strong enough."

Despite the loss Doherty remains positive about the season ahead.

"I'm incredibly positive after that. I don't take defeats well generally. I just said to the lads there. If we had got a point we would've been dancing around here coming out but let's not cry over a point. We can't lose the message and how well we played. If we got an equaliser we would've been bouncing out of here but we would just have one point more. We'll make that up during the season.

"Whatever time you come up here it's going to be tough. They'll beat teams three or four nil up here but they know they were in a right game today so they will be delighted with the win and to get off to that start but you just have to look across the league tonight and I think it's going to be very competitive this year. I don't think there will be a lot between many teams but I'm really positive. "