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St Patrick’s Athletic 2 Bohemians 2
Substitute Kevin Devaney scored a stoppage-time equaliser as Bohemians came from 2-0 down against 10-man St Patrick’s Athletic to salvage a point from a rip-roaring Dublin derby at Richmond Park.
St Patrick’s started with purpose in the bright sunshine and were rewarded with the lead goal three minutes in.
Dean Clarke whipped a cross in from left and Jake Keegan lost his marker with a run to the near post to flick the ball home.
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A little uncertain at the back, Bohemians were stretched again six minutes later, even if Clarke’s header from a Simon Madden cross scarcely troubled goalkeeper Shane Supple.
Bohemians responded only to waste a promising opening within a minute.
Keith Ward’s ball to Dinny Corcoran was laid off to JJ Lunney by the big striker, but his midfield team-mate scuffed his shot tamely wide.
From being close to equalising, Bohs had skipper Supple to thank for not being two goals down eight minutes later.
A stray pass from Gypsies left back Darragh Leahy was well read by Saints’ Darragh Markey who put Keegan in on goal with a perfectly weighted through ball. Supple was off his line promptly to make a big save with his feet.
St Pat’s began the second half as they did the first, doubling their lead two minutes after the restart.
Conan Byrne flighted a corner to the back post where central defender Kevin Toner met the ball with a powerful downward header to see it deflected to the net off Keegan.
Bohemians were thrown a lifeline five minutes later when St Pat’s were controversially reduced to 10 men.
Ryan Brennan appeared to have been bundled over by Byrne in the area with St Pat’s appealing for a penalty.
But to the home side’s consternation, referee Tomás Connolly deemed Brennan to have dived and gave him a second yellow card and promptly a red.
Dinny Corcoran got Bohs right back into the game when tapping home on 71 minutes after goalkeeper Barry Murphy spilled Byrne’s shot.
After Eoghan Stokes missed a sitter, fellow substitute Devaney made no mistake in the fourth minute of stoppage time, tapping home from Leahy’s cross to the delight of the Bohemians faithful behind the goal.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Murphy; Madden, Toner, Desmond, Bermingham; Lennon; Markey, R Brennan; C Byrne (Kelly, 90+4 mins), Keegan (T Byrne, 78 mins), Clarke.
BOHEMIANS: Supple; Buckley, Cornwall, Morris, Leahy; Byrne (Brennan, 77 mins); Kavanagh (Devaney, 70 mins), Lunney (Stokes, h/t), Watts, Ward; Corcoran.
Referee: Tomás Connolly (Dublin).
Attendance: 2,429
Derry City 0 Shamrock Rovers 0
Shamrock Rovers hitman Danny Carr could have netted a hat-trick on another night, however he failed to find the target at a packed Brandywell Stadium.
Having recorded a 6-1 hammering of Derry in their opening fixture, the home side will be happy with this result given Rovers’ dominance of the play in the second half.
Missing suspended centre back Gavin Peers, Derry were on the back foot after the break but the rub of the green and Rovers’ failure in the final third kept them at bay.
In a tense opening period clear-cut scoring chances in the first half were at a premium.
Derry striker Rory Patterson failed to direct a low cross from Conor McDermott on to the target after 15 minutes as the home side broke on the right.
And Derry’s cause was not helped five minutes later when they lost the services of lively Irish under-21 international Ronan Curtis due to concussion following a head injury.
Indeed the left winger, who had staples inserted in his head in the dugout, lasted just a few minutes when he re-entered the play.
Rovers’ only chance in the first half proved to be the more clear-cut, but they failed to take advantage in the 45th minute. Graham Burke broke clear but in a one-on-one situation with Derry goalkeeper Ger Doherty but his attempted lob failed to hit the target.
Following the change of ends, Rovers hitman Carr outwitted Darren Cole before his cross-cum-shot shaved the Derry City crossbar.
In the 54th minute Rovers could have broke the deadlock but Ronan Finn headed a Burke corner over the crossbar when he really should have done better.
And two minutes later the visitors went close again when Aaron Bolger broke from midfield but failed to get his shot on target from 18 yards.
Derry breathed another sigh of relief in the 67th minute when a shot from Burke appeared to crash off the upright before Seán Kavanagh’s effort with the rebound was blocked and hacked clear.
Carr squandered another glorious chance in the 76th minute, sending his shot wide after the home side had lost possession in a dangerous position.
DERRY CITY: Doherty; McDermott, Cole, Toal, Doyle; McDonagh (Boyle, 66 mins), Rory Hale, Low, Curtis (Doherty, 31 mins); McEneff; Patterson.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Horgan; Boyle, O'Brien, Lopes, Grace; A. Bolger, G. Bolger; Kavanagh, Burke (Miele, 86) Finn (McAllister, 88); Carr (Shaw, 90).
Referee: D Tomney (Dublin)
Waterford United 1 Sligo Rovers 1
Raffaele Cretaro’s equaliser prevented Waterford maintaining their perfect home form while securing a vital point for strugglers Sligo Rovers.
With the Blues leading through an early own-goal by Kyle Callan-McFadden, they looked well on their way to a seventh straight league victory at the RSC.
That was until 36-year-old Cretaro – in his 17th season at the club – nodded in the equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
Waterford didn’t have long to wait or much to do for their eight-minute opener.
When Courtney Duffus won the game’s first corner, Paul Keegan’s looped delivery was misdirected into his own net off the back of Callan-McFadden.
Waterford failed to build on that lead despite their midfield dominance, allowing Sligo grow into the game.
Brazilian Eduardo Pincelli signalled their intent by firing an overhead kick straight at Lawrence Vigouroux before substitute Adam Wixted shot narrowly wide.
Sligo then grabbed their deserved equaliser when Cretaro planted his bullet-header home from Pincelli’s right-wing corner.
Third-placed Waterford only fashioned one chance of note to regain the lead in the second half but John Mahon scampered back to clear a shot by Duffus off the line.
However, Referee Rob Harvey was kept busy. He compounded a miserable night for Callan-McFadden by dishing out a second booking for a foul on Gavan Holohan after 71 minutes. Three minutes later, Waterford’s David Webster got a straight red for an alleged elbow on Jack Keaney from a corner.
WATERFORD: Vigouroux; Comerford, Webster, Browne, Daly; Keegan; Aborah (Feely, 85 mins), Héry, Kasmi (Holohan, 63 mins); Akinade (O'Halloran, 85 mins), Duffus
SLIGO ROVERS: Beeney; McFadden, Mahon, McClean (Donelon, 46 mins), Waters; Keaney, Boylan (Wixted, 38 mins); McCabe, Pincelli, Cretaro (McAleer, 68 mins); Moorhouse.
Ref eree: Rob Harvey (Dublin)
Attendance: 2, 173.
Bray Wanderers 0 Limerick 1
It was tale of two captain’s as Shane Duggan was Limerick’s hero and Gary McCabe was Bray’s villain in the basement battle.
Without a win in nine top-flight games since beating Wanderers back in March at the Market’s Field, the Blues left the Carlisle Grounds with all three points courtesy of their skipper’s first goal of the campaign as McCabe missed a first-half penalty with the tie still scoreless.
The Seagulls had the opportunity to hit the front five minutes before the interval as Cory Galvin was brought down inside the box by Billy Dennehy’s challenge.
Having had a penalty saved by Brendan Clarke back in September 2017 at the same venue – home skipper McCabe blazed the dead-ball high and wide.
Wanderers went close again just 90 seconds later. This time, Kevin Lynch’s 20-yard free was tipped onto the bar by Clarke but no corner was given.
The Wicklow side paid dearly for those misses as the visitors hit the front on 50 minutes.
A long Will Fitzgerald throw from the left flank was helped and dropped to Duggan who dug the ball from under his feet to curl low to the net from 12 yards.
The woodwork came again came to Limerick’s rescue in the 88th minute. McCabe’s corner was palmed down by Clarke. The ball dropped to Lynch 14 yards out but his drive crashed off the bar and over.
BRAY WANDERERS: Dillon; McKenna, Douglas, Kenna, Lynch; O'Conor, Gorman (Pender, 63 mins); Daniel Kelly (Heaney, 88 mins), McCabe, Galvin; Coughlan.
LIMERICK: Clarke; Shaun Kelly (Whitehead, h/t), Brouder, Cantwell, Tracy (Walsh-O'Loghlen, 71 mins); Dennehy, Wearen, Cassidy, Clifford (Maguire, 80 mins), Fitzgerald; Morrissey.
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Donegal).
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