Derry City 1
Sligo Rovers 1
IT WAS IN their hands. It still is. But only just.
For Derry City to win the league and bridge the 27-year gap, they now need to win their three remaining games. Not impossible, but it has to be immensely frustrating as they failed to go top of the league tonight. Their two games in hand wasted with 1-1 draws with Bohemians on Friday, and Sligo Rovers here.
That away trip to St Pat’s now looks daunting.
Unlike almost every other team that come to the Brandywell, Sligo Rovers employed two strikers in Ellis Chapman and Luke Pearce up top. That was in contrast to the home side, who you sense would break out in a rash if they had anyone alongside Pat Hoban in attack.
Painfully aware, no doubt, of their catastrophic lack of first-half goals this season, Derry City kept the pace of the game high in the opening quarter. They might have had a penalty shout on 13 minutes when Ronan Boyce was given something between a nudge and a push by Simon Power but it was waved away.
The lack of chances meant virtually no efforts on goal in the first half hour. Indeed the only shot came from a Michael Duffy free kick after Paul McMullen was fouled, but it had so little venom it actually bounced before Edward McGinty comfortably gathered it in.
It could be argued that Sligo Rovers came close to opening the scoring on 24 minutes. A quick counterattack had the home defence stretched and when Power whipped in a cross it came off the shin of Andre Wisdom and followed a looping arc. Goalkeeper Brian Maher backpedalled and dealt with it comfortably, earning a resounding high five from a relieved Wisdom.
Soon after, the 2024 dread that has accompanied this season emerged for Derry City. After being the more industrious and hard-working, they failed to deal with a little pressure. The ball came to the edge of the box and Connor Malley teed it up before a right footed drive sailed beyond Maher and into the net. A goal of real artistry from the former Middlesbrough player.
Following a quick water break, manager Ruaidhrí Higgins took decisive action, replacing Pat Hoban with Danny Mullen. But the seconds were ticking away and Rovers realised they could sow seeds of the familiar and often-seen panic round these parts by slowing the game down and milking the stoppages in play.
It was a masterplan. Derry City became hesitant and ponderous, running out of ideas. Will Patching, whose fitness had been widely questioned by club legend Liam Coyle during Friday night’s draw with Bohemians, was continually caught in possession.
Paul McMullan, all effort and dashing here and there, just kept losing the ball after winning it back.
With the final couple of minutes, City were in constant possession. But every pass backwards was met with howls from the crowd. One ball in particular by the otherwise excellent Sadou Diallo provoking cries of despair.
At the half-time whistle, boos rang out across the Brandywell, with one fan in block G, just in front of the press tables, labelling it, ‘embarrassing’.
Again, Higgins acted. He took Adam O’Reilly, Patching and Wisdom off, bringing in Patrick McEleney, Colm Whelan and Jacob Davenport and reshuffling the team to get Ciaran Coll in his back three.
Eight minutes in and the change of tempo was noticeable. A counterattack brought a fizzing cross from McMullen and Reece Hutchinson tried to cut it out, only to deflect it into his own net with Colm Whelan following in just to be sure.
Unlike the Bohs game, this was an equaliser that came at a time with plenty to do.
Derry were shot through with adrenalin and had another good chance soon after, Diallo sending Boyce down the wing and his cut-back was met with a shot from Whelan that was well saved by McGinty.
A McMullan backheel gave Danny Mullen a chance – the two had previously played together at Dundee and have a noticeable playing relationship, but the shot was too meek.
On the break though, they were dicey. The pace of Will Fitzgerald on a few balls over the top was taking advantage of his speed differential over Davenport and Chapman should have done better from one cross on 65 minutes.
A run from Jack Henry-Francis took him beyond a desperate lunge from Mark Connolly and Chapman fired over. Almost immediately the Derry pressure caught Sligo at the back and McMullan dribbled delicately into space only for his shot to be miraculously stopped by McGinty.
A red card for Luke Pearse came on 84 minutes when he went in dangerously on City goalkeeper Brian Maher, earning a second yellow.
Soon after a mazy run from Simon Power brought a chance but his shot was harmlessly over Maher’s bar.
City kept pressing and Mullen forced a corner, which was worked short for Duffy’s shot to be blocked down as the last ten minutes yawned open.
With the game wide open, Power teed up Fitzgerald for another Sligo chance that again went over.
A Patrick McEleney control, jink and Crossfield pass found Duffy whose sumptuous touch brought him inside the cover only for him to not quite catch the ball right and drill wide.
A Duffy free was headed goalwards by Whelan only to be stopped by the commanding McGinty as the stadium announcer informed the boisterous crowd there would be six additional minutes.
Another Mark Connolly diagonal ball controlled by Duffy, the cross sent in to the unmarked Sean Robertson, and another wide in a game that had just exploded.
Derry couldn’t get the goal they so desperately craved. It might be the night the music died on the 2024 season round these parts.
Derry City: Brian Maher; Ronan Boyce, Mark Connolly, Andre Wisdom, Ciaran Coll; Paul McMullan (Jacob Davenport, HT), Will Patching (Patrick McEleney, HT), Adam O’Reilly (Colm Whelan, HT), Sadou Diallo (Sean Robertson, 85), Michael Duffy; Pat Hoban (Danny Mullen, 36)
Scorers: R Hutchinson (OG, 53)
Sligo Rovers: Edward McGinty; Oliver Denham, Niall Morohan, Reece Hutchinson; Will Fitzgerald, Jack Henry-Francis, Simon Power, Connor Malley; Ellis Chapman (Owen Elding, 73), Luke Pearse
Scorers: C Malley (33)
Referee: Paul Norton
