Shamrock Rovers 2

Derry City 0

Football can be cruel sometimes as Derry City found out to their cost at Shamrock Rovers.

Peter Hutton’s men missed chance after chance as they dominated the first hour of the game in Dublin and were punished with two sucker punches as the hosts stole all three points after a thoroughly unconvincing display. But the three points were all that mattered for Rovers who secured their second victory over the Candy Stripes this season.

It was a night filled with regret for Derry who missed countless chances throughout, with a fine performance that was ruined with two lapses in defence.

The chances came early.

It took Stephen Dooley to spark Derry into life following an uninspiring start from both sides. The City winger took on and beat Luke Byrne seven minutes in, raced into the penalty area and pulled the ball back for Michael Duffy, who, off balance, could only side-foot the ball just wide of Barry Murphy’s goal.

Rory Patterson then set up Patrick McEleney in space 25 yards from Murphy’s goal and the midfielder guided a lob over the goalkeeper, only for Murphy to recover and just get a fingertip to the ball to push it behind for a corner.

The first time Rovers did try passing the ball on the ground, they opened Derry up and came very close to opening the scoring. Ronan Finn did the spadework in midfield and his ball down the right found Marty Waters, whose cross into the back post area was met by Dean Kelly whose downward header flashed just wide.

But Derry could and should have taken the lead five minutes before the break. McEleney played Patterson through on the Rovers goal, only for Murphy to parry the ball back into his path. Patterson kept the ball in play and picked out Michael Duffy in space, but the 20 year-old curled the resulting effort just wide with Murphy beaten.

Derry weathered a Rovers storm and began to get their foot on the ball again, and once they did, the chances came again. Barry McNamee and Timlin linked superbly to open up the Rovers defence on the left wing and the former’s first time cross fell to Duffy whose first time shot was straight at Murphy.

Duffy, with five goals in his last two games, was not havinga  good night in front of goal, as he passed up the best chance of the night just two minutes later. Dooley was again superb and his pass over the top put Duffy through on goal, but again he drilled the ball straight at Murphy and the chance was gone.

Derry and Duffy were made to pay for those misses when Rovers broke down the other end and opened the scoring with their first real attack of the game.

Luke Byrne was found in space down the left for the first time all night and his cross found Dean Kelly, whose header back across goal found Ronan Finn, who sent a header past Gerard Doherty from close range.

The lead was doubled when Rovers counter-attacked and this time Finn turned provider as he beat Barry and dinked a cross over Doherty to the back post where Kelly was unmarked to head in the second goal.

Derry City ran out of steam after that.  Pat Fenlon is up and running at Rovers, but even he will realise how lucky his team were here.

Teams

Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy, Luke Byrne, Simon Madden, Conor Kenna, Jason McGuinness, Shane Robinson, Ronan Finn (Robert Bayly 74’), Gary McCabe (Sean O’Connor 86’’), Dean Kelly, Ryan Brennan, Kieran Marty Waters (Karl Sheppard 66’).

Derry City: Gerard Doherty, Aaron Barry, Ryan McBride, Mark Timlin (Dean Jarvis 80’), Danny Ventre, Michael Duffy, Barry McNamee, Stephen Dooley, Philip Lowry, Patrick McEleney (Ryan Curran 75’), Rory Patterson (Josh Tracey 86’).

Referee: Dave McKeon.

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