Derry City 0
Sligo Rovers 2
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH, Raff Cretaro marked his 450th club appearance with a fine goal as Sligo Rovers brought Derry City’s nine-game unbeaten run came to an end at Brandywell.
Cretaro netted for the second consecutive week in the first half and Jimmy Keohane put the game beyond the home side midway into the second period.
The visitors had started on the front foot and Doherty twice had to come to his side’s rescue with two excellent saves in the opening stages.
John Russell played Liam Martin in behind the Derry defence after five minutes but the striker’s close-range shot was saved brilliantly by the outstretched leg of Doherty.
Mick Leahy was gifted a chance from Russell’s corner two minutes later but he somehow sent his header at the near post wide of the mark.
Cretaro was next to try his luck when he turned Conor McDermott 12 yards from the goal but his weak shot was saved by Doherty,
The Derry keeper had to be alert on 24 minutes when the lively Cretaro was sent through on goal by Jimmy Keohane and the Tubbercurry man’s shot was beaten away by Doherty.
Rory Patterson had Derry’s first shot on target on 24 minutes but his low strike from 20 yards was saved comfortably by Micheal Schlingermann.
Finally, Sligo got their reward two minutes later from Craig Rodden’s free kick to the back post where Cretaro peeled away from Patrick McClean and headed into the bottom corner.
Kenny Shiels replaced Nathan Boyle with Ronan Curtis at the break and the Candystripes made a promising start to the second period.
Keith Ward had a shot saved by Schlingermann and McNamee screwed his shot wide. But Cretaro forced a good save from Doherty with his powerful long-range effort as the goalkeeper punched clear.
Derry’s best chance arrived on 62 minutes, when McDermott’s inswinging cross fell to substitute Ronan Curtis at the back post, but he sent his shot agonisingly across the face of goal and wide.
Martin smashed his shot off the post three minutes later and Jimmy Keohane struck the underside of the crossbar with the rebound as Sligo hit back.
And the Bit O’Red added a second on 68 minutes when Aaron McEneff got on the ball inside his own half and Keohane nipped in and poked the ball past Doherty.
Sligo then held on comfortably to their two-goal cushion as Derry’s unbeaten run came to an abrupt end.
Derry City: G. Doherty; N. Vemmelund, R. McBride, P. McClean, C. McDermott; C. McCormack (J. Daniels 73), A. McEneff; K. Ward (D. Jarvis 57), B. McNamee, N. Boyle (R. Curtis h-t); R. Patterson; Subs Not Used – S. Patton, J. Allen, R. Doherty, A. Barry.
Sligo Rovers: M. Schlingermann; T. Adebayo-Rowling, M. Leahy, G. Boylan, R. Donelon; J. Richards, J. Russell (P. Roberts 90), C. Rodden, J. Keohane; R. Cretaro (R. Sadlier 90); L. Martin; Subs Not Used – C. Lyons, K. Sadlier, C. Nugent, G. Armstrong, M. Place, J. Gordon.
Referee - Robert Rogers.
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Won’t impact them really. Those are not huge losses. Munster v Wasps– now that was a squad decimated by COVID.
Serious chance here lads
@whoowhat?: you mean there’s a chance……
@whoowhat?: Eden Park, that would be historic altogether.
@Keith McCarthy: in llyod christmas’s world maybe
@daveyt: so you’re telling me there’s a chance ?
@Sean McCarthy: too right mate, put a few shrimp on the barbie ;)
What do people make of those billboards they’ve put up anywhere the Irish team are due to go? Stinks of desperation if you ask me. Are the NZ team embarrassed by them or are they lacking confidence that they take solice in them? If anything they’re going to fuel the fire in the Irish camp, probably exactly what we need after Ulster and Leinster feeling a bit dejected after the URC exits.
@SPQH: billboards?
@SPQH: take it as a compliment and a laugh, Irish bookmakers have done same, but much witter and better. Its really a non story
@SPQH: A Kiwi gambling company TAB NZ behind this.
Good luck to them provoking Paddy Power’s social media team!
@Paul Kennedy: wittier*
@SPQH: i don’t think they matter much, if it generates a bit of rivalry and sells more tickets fair play, maybe is a compliment that NZ fans are taking Ireland seriously.
@Paul Kennedy: OK fair enough, didn’t realise it was a bookmakers that was behind it.
@Doug Storms: Yeah, 3 outside Missouri.
Ireland can give back the players they robbed from new Zealand
@Tony Mcgrath: and then New Zealand can give back all the players they robbed from Tonga, somoa etc it works both ways
@Sole Trader: Australia & Scotland too.
@Tony Mcgrath: Ah c’mon. You can be more creative than “robbed”. Put some effort in man.
@Tony Mcgrath: robbed? Like what they did to Isa?
Getting Joe Schmidt on board reeks of desperation from Foster I think .
@Macus Mc Mahon: more like Feeks
All Blacks obviously taking a leaf out of the Tyrone playbook. Ireland beware .