Derry City 2
Sligo Rovers 1
Simon Collins reports from The Ryan McBride Brandywell
WILL PATCHING’s 94th-minute penalty against Sligo Rovers injected new life into Derry City’s title challenge as they moved to within four points of leaders Shamrock Rovers.
The Englishman came off the bench after a long injury lay-off and decided this action-packed match at Brandywell with a clinical spot kick into the corner after Cian Kavanagh was fouled by Nando Pijnaker.
Derry looked to have missed their chance to close in on Rovers who were held by Drogheda when Ben Doherty’s 82nd-minute penalty was saved by Luke McNicholas.
The Candystripes who had previously won just once in their last seven matches had taken a deserved lead on the half-hour mark as Jamie McGonigle finished superbly after a lovely pass from Brandon Kavanagh.
Sligo levelled four minutes from the interval through Derry man Danny Lafferty who fired into the corner.
Derry felt aggrieved when Doherty was brought crashing down on the edge of the penalty area by Pijnaker who was the last man but referee Neil Doyle flashed yellow.
Derry were pushing for the winner late in the second half and looked like they would have to settle for a point until Patching clinched a precious victory.
With Pat’s also slipping up drawing with Cork City at Richmond Park, it was the perfect night for Derry ahead of their European trip to the Faroe Islands next week.
Ruaidhri Higgins was spoiled for choice in terms of his team selection and he named a strong bench with skipper Patrick McEleney and Patching returning from long-term injuries.
Michael Duffy also was available again following an ankle injury, making his first start in four weeks to add some urgency to a misfiring frontline with Derry hoping to end a frustrating run of form.
Paul McMullan, fresh from his move from Dundee, was handed his debut on the right wing while fellow new signing Danny Mullen received his international clearance and started the game on the bench.
The 27-year-old Scottish player was one of three changes from the team which drew 1-1 with Shelbourne on their last outing at Tolka Park, replacing the suspended Adam O’Reilly while Duffy and Mark Connolly came in for Shane McEleney and Jordan McEneff.
Sligo, who ended a four-match losing streak with a victory over Bohemians last weekend, made just one change with Stefan Radosavlijevic replacing the suspended Kailin Barlow.
Radosavljevic fired wide of the post with a free kick from 25 yards early on while the in-form Ben Doherty narrowly missed the target with a shot from the edge of the area on eight minutes.
The lively Radosavljevic again did well on the left wing after a quick Sligo attack to cut inside and he curled a right-footed effort just past the far post on 22 minutes.
For the hosts, McMullan was proving a real threat on the right wing with his willingness to take his man. When he got past ex-Derry left-back Danny Lafferty on 28 minutes, he clipped a lovely ball towards the back post where McGonigle headed harmlessly over the bar.
The striker made amends on the half-hour mark when Brandon Kavanagh broke from midfield and picked out his run with a sublime through ball and McGonigle clinically found the net for his third goal of the season.
Derry had their tails up and when Duffy raced down the left wing, he drifted towards the near post and his powerful strike needed to be turned behind by the outstretched hand of Luke McNicholas.
Sligo were back on terms four minutes before the break after a beautiful turn and pass from Niall Morahan in the middle of the pitch which sent Lafferty scampering clear on the left wing unopposed. The ex-Candystripes man drove towards goal and fired a low strike to the right of Maher and into the corner for his second of the campaign.
There was controversy in first-half stoppage time when Sligo’s last defender, Pijnaker brought Doherty crashing to the ground on the edge of the box. Referee, Mr Doyle awarded the free-kick but brandished a yellow much to the dismay of the City players and an irate Higgins made his feelings clear to the fourth official.
Doherty stepped up to take the free-kick, which appeared destined for the top corner but McNicholas produced a neat save to turn it behind for a corner as the teams went into the break on level terms.
Derry introduced new boy Mullen from the bench just after the hour mark alongside Patching who returned after a lengthy lay-off with a knee injury. Skipper McEleney didn’t have long to follow as he returned after his Achilles issue in another attacking substitution from the home lot.
Patching came so close to restoring Derry’s lead on 71 minutes as he ran into space and tried his luck with a drilled effort from 25 yards which flashed past the post.
Three minutes later the ball fell to Patching to the right of the penalty box and he switched it onto his left foot before firing narrowly over.
Will Fitzgerald did brilliantly to throw his body in the way to block Doherty’s volley from 18 yards as Derry pressed for the winner.
Duffy laid the ball out to Doherty in space on the left and his first-time strike with the left foot struck the foot of the post.
There was further drama to come and Doherty was again in the thick of it as his strike was handled by Mahon on 82 minutes.
The referee pointed to the spot but Doherty’s spot-kick was saved well by McNicholas who guessed correctly, diving smartly to his left. The rebound fell to Doherty, who headed towards the corner, but again he was denied by the Sligo keeper.
Patching’s curling strike from 20 yards took a deflection and went wide of the far post as Sligo were camped in their own half.
Five minutes of added time were signalled and with 60 seconds remaining substitute Cian Kavanagh was brought down just inside the penalty area by a clumsy tackle from Pijnaker.
Once more Mr Doyle pointed to the spot and this time Patching dispatched it clinically into the corner to hand City three valuable points.
Derry City: Maher, Boyce, Connolly (S. McEleney 85), McJannet, Doherty; McMullan, Diallo (P. McEleney 68), Dummigan (C. Kavanagh 85), Kavanagh (Patching 64), Duffy; McGonigle (Mullen 64); Subs Not Used – Ryan, Coll, McEneff, Patton.
Sligo Rovers: McNicholas, Brannefalk, Radosavljevic (Campbell 93), Pijnaker, Lafferty (Cawley 67); Bolger (Browning 78), Morahan, Liivak; Mahon, Mata, Fitzgerald; Subs Not Used – Brush, Walsh, Kelly, Campbell, Reynolds, Elding, McElroy.
Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin).
Stopped reading after the first sentence
@my name: thanks for telling us
@Fab John: Thanks for saying, thanks for telling us.
Before this turns into the predictable and at this stage boring tirade of abuse aimed at LA, think about this. You have got your dream job, something you have worked incredibly hard for, say, eg, the top law firm in the country. You’re full of optimism and hope. You begin to notice work colleagues starting work when most people are in bed and leaving when it’s dark. They’re praised for their work by the boss, so gregarious and popular around colleagues, so confident at meetings and at parties with the opposite sex. They’re getting promotion after promotion. They’re successful. And you’re finding yourself stuck at the same desk. One night at a staff party, one of these successful colleagues tells you his secret, take this and you will have it all. That’s what happened to LA…a victim.
@Shane Kelly: oh please, let’s not call him a victim in this ffs. yes it was a culture within cycling, but nobody did it more brazen, more systematic and nobody bullied and abused his position within in his team and within the UCI than him.
@Shane Kelly: that gave me a laugh
@Shane Kelly: Ok, I accept yer points. Yes, to me his biggest crime was when he was outed, he continued to lie, lie and lie. It’s scandalous and unforgivable the way he treated the Andreus and Emily O Reilly. I accept that. Fine, hold him accountable for that. But do not take 7 TdF from him when every other rider in the tour, every winner, even your great Irish heroes were at it. That’s just childish when put into context with pro cycling in general. Childish.
@Shane Kelly: How are things going in the Monastery brother, continue to pray for the those who knew not what they did but please don’t put LA in that category.
@Gerry Ryan deG: Yes, LA goes in that category brother Gerry. LA wasn’t the monster he became when he began cycling. He was faced with a choice, dope or go back to Texas and to God knows what. You and I brother Gerry and any brother or sister out there would have done the same thing. Think of me in your prayers tonight brother.
@Shane Kelly: Ah stop with your anyone would have done the same thing??? or go back to texas??? Paul Kimmage didn’t and went back to Coolock.
@Shane Kelly: are you script writer for the new series of normal people? pure fantasy. the lad was the biggest bully in sport or in any industry, a repeated lier and cheat. Victim maybe if he made one mistake and made amends, what LA did was calculated and toxic throughout his long rain
@Ardmore02: Paul Kimmage has done the sport of cycling a huge service for obvious reasons. He was faced with the choice and made his decision. He will however, never know the elation of winning a stage of the tdf, winning a classic or even a grand tour. There’s a part of him I’m sure that thinks, ‘what if’. What if he’d done what every other rider was doing and continues to do? How far could he have gone? Green jersey? He’d be like Roche and Kelly, that’s what. Venerated!!! A hero!!! And no one would give two bloody hoots.
@Seagoat returns: Nah, I’m not into writing stuff like Lord of the rings or the harry potter. You need to read a few books related to LA and the American Post team. LA should be viewed in two different periods. LA, the hugely talented amateur in the USA and LA, the hugely successful pro cyclist in Europe. I’m not disagreeing with much of what you said, he became a bully and liar. That’s a fact. But why did he become a totally different person from the man who left Texas? He was backed into a corner, forced to dope or go home. A victim of the system. If you call that as good as writing about ‘my precious’, fair enough. But it’s the hard truth.
@Shane Kelly: go watch the clip on YouTube where he tries to publicly destroy Paul Kimmage for doing his job. Walsh and Kimmage as well as others were taken to court and came close to losing their jobs and careers. I’ve seen Armstrong described as a psychopaths I agree.
Armstrong is the picture perfect narcissist.
Even after admitting to cheating, he’s still in denial.
@Colm O’Sullivan: Most people are narcissists today, selfies?? Google LA and Oprah. I think it’s fairly clear he admitted everything way back then.
Armstrong would ride his granny if he thought it would give him an advantage.
@kieran lynch: Just LA? High achievers don’t reach the pinnacle of their profession by playing nice guys or gals. But I think they’d draw the line at their grandmother.
Cheats disrespect the very sport they participate in. Who even watches the cycling tours anymore. Not me anyway. As soon as I see cycling I automatically switch channel away from eurosport. Lance had a lot to do with this decision. Most rational people know its full of cheats and turn off. The same has happened in athletics. Very few watch any more with the same level of interest as most likely doping is going on. Most world records in Athletics should probably be removed from the record books post 1986. So cheats ruin it for everyone and I would have no respect for anyone that cheats and would avoid them at all costs. Cheating is one of the worst things about humanity but unfortunately its an epidemic in some sports.
@Imagine !: There is performance enhancing drugs used in every single sport and to deny that is irrational. So what are you going to do, go shopping in IKEA with the missus for the rest of your life? July won’t be the same without the TdF, the greatest spectator sport on Earth!! imho of course.
@Imagine !: not some sports! ALL SPORTS! Your seriously naive to think only a few sports have drug cheats! Its rampant worldwide in all sports! Don’t be using cycling as an example when every sports at it, and I’d be checking viewing figures about not many people watching it anymore, one of the most watched sports in the world now
@Shane Kelly: Totally agree with the tdf being the greatest spectator sport. amazing atmosphere when there are 1000′s of fans lining the roads millimetres from the riders.
Someone said decline in viewing numbers. Did you just pluck that one from the sky?. 3.5 billion ppeople tuned in to last year’s edition worldwide and 12 million lines the road.
Hardly a decrease in viewers now.
Anyone know where I could watch this?? Nwtdlix or Amazon?
@The Great Cornholio: Nwtdlix definitely won’t have it.