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05 Sept 2025
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05 Sept 2025
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Michael Duffy celebrates his goal against Finn Harps. Pic by Ramsey Cardy/ Sportsfile
Derry City 3
Finn Harps 0
Derry City closed the gap on Shamrock Rovers to two points yet again with a comfortable win over Finn Harps at Brandywell, making it six successive league wins in the process.
Goals from Michael Duffy, Brandon Kavanagh and Jamie McGonigle helped the Candystripes to a comfortable win to keep the pressure on Rovers who play Shelbourne on Sunday.
The opening goal came on 19 minutes when Kavanagh picked out the run of Duffy in behind the Harps defence, and the winger kept his calm before placing the ball past McKeown to make it 1-0.
Harps finally came out and almost equalised within five minutes when former City favourite Barry McNamee connected well from 20 yards, but Brian Maher sprang across his goal to push the ball away.
The hosts should have had their second goal on 53 minutes when Ronan Boyce scuffed his shot from the edge of the area, but it turned into the perfect pass for Akintunde, who seemed certain to score from six yards out, but McKeown somehow smothered the ball and Harps survived again.
Harps couldn’t hold on amidst increasing pressure from Derry who made it 2-0 on the hour. Cameron McJannett drilled a low ball in towards the near post where Akintunde was lurking, and the ball fell for Brandon Kavanagh who couldn’t miss from two yards.
The game should have been wrapped up on 74 minutes when Derry City were awarded a penalty. Brian Maher’s punt upfield saw substitute Jamie McGonigle get in behind Conor Tourish who blatantly pulled the City forward down. McGonigle himself stepped up to take the kick and tried to place it in the bottom right corner, but McKeown guessed right and saved well.
The Derry City striker had the last laugh however and made no mistake in added time, volleying past a stranded McKeown for his 13th goal of the season.
DERRY CITY: Maher, Boyce, S McEleney, Connolly, McJannet; Dummigan, Diallo, Patching (Glass 90’), Duffy, Kavanagh (Thomson 80’), Akintunde (McGonigle 66’).
FINN HARPS: McKeown, Tourish, Donelon, Carrillo (Siaj 59’), Slevin, Connolly, Duncan, Boylan, McNamee (Timlin 85’), Rainey, Mihaljevic (Jones 59’).
Referee: Sean Grant.
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