Liam Boyce hits a hat trick as Derry City destroy Waterford at the Brandywell

Derry City 7

Waterford 2

Derry City hit seven goals in a league game for the first time in three years as they hammered Waterford at the Brandywell. 

Liam Boyce and Michael Duffy combined to destroy the Blues as the Candystripes made in four wins in succession in spectacular style.

Boyce hit a hat trick while Duffy chipped in with one goal and four assists as Tiernan Lynch watched his team chalk up the biggest win under his management. 

City got off to the perfect start by finding the net within the first five minutes. Mark Conolly picked out the run of Ronan Boyce down the right wing and the defender raced into the area before pulling it back for Gavin Whyte, who in turn laid it off into the path of Liam Boyce who slammed it high into the net for his sixth goal of the season.

City scored twice in three minutes against Drogheda last week and they almost repeated the trick here as Michael Duffy’s corner found Mark Connolly, whose looping header beat Bradley Wade but hit the top of the crossbar.

Waterford shook off that early blitz and might have equalised on 13 minutes when Padraig Amond got the better of Kevin Holt to open up a shooting chance, but the striker’s effort was too close to Brian Maher.

But it was all Derry City in the early stages, and they punished Waterford a second time midway through the half when Michael Duffy won the ball high on the left wing and raced into the area before picking out Boyce, who fired home his second goal from 10 yards.

It just got worse for Waterford from there who were blasted out of the game completely by an outrageous finish from Sadou Diallo, who beat Wade from 25 yards with a sensational effort which crashed off the underside of the bar on its way in.

The visitors desperately needed half-time, but they suffered again three minutes before the break when Duffy’s corner found Connolly at the near post and the captain guided a header into the net to seal the three points with the second half still to play.

Waterford to their credit, showed some fight and they pulled a goal back just four minutes into the second half when Padraig Amond went through to pace the ball past Maher. It was the first goal that Derry had conceded from open play in six games.

The home side did not feel sorry for themselves however as they went straight back the other end and scored again, Whyte’s superb pass sending Duffy into the area and he easily sidestepped Darragh Leahy before slotting the ball past Wade for 5-1.

Waterford could do nothing with the movement of the City attack and Boyce completed his hat trick on 57 minutes when he slid to turn in Whyte’s pinpoint cross from the right, becoming the first City player since Pat Hoban to score a treble.

Whyte had his three goals, but it was Duffy running the show for Derry City and he produced his fourth assist of the night when he set up Whyte to curl in from 20 yards to make it 7-1 with no end in sight to City’s hunger and Waterford’s pain.

One Waterford player refusing to give up was Amond, and he pulled another back on 79 minutes, producing another composed finish to the annoyance of Brian Maher.

Teams

Derry City: Maher, Cann, Connolly, Holt (Ferguson 75’); R Boyce, Winchester (Frizzell 77’), Diallo, Whyte (O’Reilly 75’), Duffy (Benson 77’), Todd; L Boyce (Mullen 63’).

Waterford: Wade, McDonald (McMenemy 77’), Boyle, Leahy; Horton, Glenfield (Mansfield 62’), Noonan, Olayinka (White 62’), Burke (Dempsey 62’); Amond, Lonergan (Coyle 62’).

Referee: Ben McMaster (Belfast).