Derry City 1 Waterford Utd 1:Derry City spurned a glorious opportunity to climb back up the Premier Division table following this share of the spoils at Brandywell last night.
This will prove a very disappointing result for Derry as new caretaker manager Peter Hutton continues to search for his first victory since taking charge at the Brandywell last week.
The home team can have few complaints despite their late dominance and it was not until Gary Beckett came on as a second-half substitute that they seriously threatened in what was a very scrappy encounter.
The first half proved particularly disappointing but it was Derry who opened the scoring in the 10th minute following a flowing move from defence involving no less than five City players.
When Killian Brennan swung the ball into the danger area, striker Peter Hynes drove it home with his first touch to record his first Derry goal since joining from Newry City.
In fact, the same player should have doubled Derry's lead nine minutes later when another teasing Brennan cross found Hynes in space but the striker failed to get his free header on target.
Waterford pounced from a set-piece situation and, from a Derry point of view, it was a soft goal to concede.
Shane Harte delivered a free from the left into the danger area and the alert Robert Brosnan got the faintest of headers to divert the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Pat Jennings.
After the break, the home side certainly dominated possession but struggled in the final third, Gareth McGlynn flashed an effort wide of the target in the 48th minute while the post came to Waterford's rescue in the 69th minute when Ken Oman went close.
With 15 minutes remaining Derry's Kevin McHugh unleashed a vicious shot which goalkeeper Dean Delaney did well to touch wide of the upright as Derry continued to press.
DERRY CITY:Jennings; McCallion, Kelly, Oman, Rogers; McGlynn, (Farren, 75 mins.), Molloy, Higgins, Brennan; Hynes (Beckett, 64 mins.) McHugh.
WATERFORD UTD:Delaney; Scully (Keely, 88 mins), Breen, Browne, Hedderman; Harte (Mulcahy, 68 mins), Warren, McCarthy, Kavanagh; Sullivan, Brosnan.
Referee:R Winter (Wicklow)
