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Derry City 7 UCD 1
The difference in class between the top and basement sides in the Premier Division was clearly evidenced at a packed Brandywell Stadium last night, Derry City overpowering lowly UCD, the game ended as a contest by the half-time interval.
Valuable lessons will have been learned by the frustrated students who failed to deal with Derry’s high tempo approach, the Candystripes passing the ball around the park with great accuracy and determination.
In fact, after disappointing results against Shelbourne and Drogheda recently the Foyleside club put those wobbles behind them, this win consolidating their lead in the table.
Keen to impress in perfect conditions, Derry opened in determined fashion when moving into the driving seat in the 14th minute.
Midfield playmaker Patrick McEleney delivered an incisive pass into the danger area and the well-placed Will Patching was on hand to take possession and drill the ball low into the corner giving Lorcan Healy no chance.
The Candystripes put the students to the sword with a further two goals in the space of a minute.
Cameron Dummigan floated a high ball out to the left flank, the advancing Jamie McGonigle taking the ball in his stride before guiding the ball home from close quarters.
Within 60 seconds Derry were back pressurising the UCD defence. Another route one approach was again controlled by McGonigle who gleefully found the net with his second and Derry’s third strike.
Clearly in trouble, the students remained on the back foot as the home side made it 4-0 in the 34th minute.
Mattie Smith broke on the left and his centre found Cameron McJannet whose downward header from close range bounced into the net.
And on the stroke of half-time, Derry really twisted the knife when Dummigan let fly from 35 yards, UCD’s young keeper, failing to block the shot as the ball squirmed into the net through his attempted grip.
Accepting defeat at the break, UCD boss Andy Myler made four changes.
Ten minutes into the second half, young Ronan Boyce got his name on the scoresheet when he rose to head home Patching’s cross.
McGonigle deservedly netted his hat-trick on the hour, Patrick McEleney providing the ammunition.
UCD substitute Alex Nolan netted a consolation goal in the 65th minute following a goalmouth scramble.
Derry City: Maher; McJannett, Toal (Coll, 57), S. McEleney; Boyce (McCallion, 69), Kavanagh; Dummigan, Patching (McLaughlin, 57); P. McEleney (Thomson, h/t); Smith, McGonigle.
UCD: Healy; Gallagher, Boore (Farrell, h/t), Todd, Osam; Kerrigan, Higgins (Ryan, h/t), Dignam (Verdon, h/t), Duffy (Nolan, h/t); Caffrey (Lennon, 76); Whelan.
Referee: B. Connolly (Dublin)
St Patrick’s Athletic 2 Finn Harps 0
Eoin Doyle scored twice as St Patrick’s Athletic made it a double over Finn Harps this season with a deserved win at Richmond Park.
Back-to-back victories keeps Tim Clancy’s Saints third in the table. Harps, without a win now in six, languish second bottom.
Poor finishing and good goalkeeping from Mark McGinley looked like leaving St Pat’s with nothing to show at the interval for utterly dominating the ball.
That changed on 38 minutes when Billy King’s dinked cross picked out Doyle, whose downward header found the bottom corner to finally beat McGinley.
The Harps keeper had earlier made fine saves from Ben McCormack and Doyle while in receipt of a piece of good fortune when Darragh Burns’ cross struck him to rebound back to him off a post.
Harps worked the first chance of the second half. Tenacity from Filip Mihaljeciv found substitute Mark Timlin whose shot was parried by Joseph Anang.
St Pat’s soon rediscovered their first half groove, though, McCormack bringing a fine save from McGinley before they doubled their lead on 58 minutes.
Ethan Boyle pulled Joe Redmond to the ground at the back post from Burns’ corner with referee Adriano Reale pointing to the spot.
Doyle, who had a penalty saved at UCD on Monday, made no mistake here, sending McGinley the wrong way from 12 yards to make it four goals for the season.
Harps didn’t lie down and rallied late on putting the home side under their first real spell of pressure in the game.
Anang was forced into a good save from Yoyo Mahdy while the substitute then shot over the crossbar when he might have found the target.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Abankwah (Scott, h-t), Redmond, Grivosti (Bermingham, 81), Breslin; O’Reilly, Forrester; Burns (McClelland, 76), McCormack (Coughlan, 68), King (M. Doyle, 76); E. Doyle.
Finn Harps: McGinley; Carrillo (Devers, 66), Boyle, Slevin, Donelon; Hery (Timlin, 49), N’Zeyi; McWoods (Mahdy, 66), McNamee (Rudden, 82), Rainey; Mihaljevic.
Referee: Adriano Reale (Kildare).
Dundalk 2 Shelbourne 1
A stunning header from John Martin with his first touch five minutes from time saw Dundalk claim the spoils against Shelbourne at Oriel Park last night in a game in which both sides finished with 10 men.
After a dull opening 45 minutes the game exploded into life in first-half stoppage time when Shane Griffin was sent-off for a second bookable offence following a foul on Steven Bradley.
His manager Damien Duff would be booked for his reaction but was then shown red for a follow-up reaction by referee Paul McLaughlin.
By the time Bradley was dismissed for kicking out at Shane Farrell following a foul on 57 minutes, the game had more red cards than shots on target.
Dundalk would find the breakthrough on 64 minutes though when Daniel Kelly turned in a superb left-wing cross from Paul Doyle at the back post.
He would then go from hero to villain when he was harshly adjudged to have fouled JR Wilson in the box nine minutes from the end with Farrell stepping up to equalise from the spot.
Dundalk were not to be denied though with Martin popped up four minutes later to head a stunning Keith Ward cross past Brendan Clarke for his first goal for the club.
Dundalk: Shepperd; Macari (Martin 84), Connolly, Boyle, Leahy; Sloggett, Doyle (Bone 74); Bradley, Adams, Kelly; Hoban (McMillan 84).
Shelbourne: Clarke; Wilson, O’Driscoll, Byrne, Griffin, Kane (Boyd 70); Dervin (McEneff 78), Coyle, Farrell; Carr (Ledwidge HT), Moylan.
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Monaghan).