Derry City dominate Waterford with three first half goals at the Brandywell

Derry City 3

Waterford 0

A bad injury to Patrick McEleney took the shine from a dominant Derry City display against Waterford at the Brandywell. 

The City captain collapsed to the ground in pain on the hour mark with what looked like a bad arm injury and required eight minutes of treatment before being carried off on a stretcher. Making only his second start of the season, McEleney had been instrumental in his team dominating Waterford, as Derry City got back to winning ways after a recent poor run. 

There was a lively start to the game with both teams having chances in the first few minutes; Paul McMullan’s cross was attacked by Will Patching whose glancing header went over, before Shane McEleney’s mis-control at the other end gave Padraig Amond a chance, but the in-form striker didn’t catch it properly with Brian Maher off his line, and the goalkeeper was able to save.

Derry City have not made a habit of scoring first half goals this season, but they did so here as they found the net after just 11 minutes. Will Patching sent Ben Doherty racing down the left, and his pace inside was taken in his stride by Michael Duffy, who lashed the ball powerfully past Sam Sargeant and into the net for his fifth goal of the season.

The second goal soon followed as Waterford, momentarily down to 10 men due to a head injury to Amond, were pulled apart again. City retained possession despite a poor corner from Ben Doherty and Duffy found Patching, whose cross picked out an unmarked Mark Connolly, who glanced in only his second goal for the club.

It was sheer dominance from Derry City, who made it 3-0 after half an hour when McMullan latched onto a loose pass in midfield and immediately played it through to Pat Hoban, who drilled in his first goal in seven games.

It was a miserable first half for Waterford, but they very nearly pulled a goal back in spectacular fashion as Connor Parsons curled a brilliant effort past Maher but it struck the post and stayed out.

That was a rare Waterford attack in a one-sided first half and Hoban almost added a second when he met Dummigan’s inviting cross with a bullet header but it whistled just past the upright.

Waterford had their work cut out for them in the second half, but they almost pulled one back when Dummigan lost possession just outside his own penalty area, and Amond tried to find the bottom corner, but Maher touched it around the post for a corner which came to nothing.

The game drifted out uneventfully after McEleney's injury, and although Grant Horton forced Maher into a save with a good effort from distance late on, this was over as a contest long before the final whistle.

Teams

Derry City: Maher, Doherty, Connolly, S McEleney, Dummigan, O’Reilly, Patching (Kelly 71’), Duffy (Coll 91’), P McEleney (Diallo 71’), McMullan, Hoban (Mullen 91’).

Waterford: Sargeant, Power, Leahy, Burke, O’Keefe (McCourt 79’), Horton, McDonald (Skwierczynski 84’) , McCormack (McManamy 79’), Parsons (Arubi HT’), Pattisson (Radkowski HT’), Amond.

Referee: Paul McLaughlin.