Derry City 2 Liffeys Pearse 0: DERRY CITY made hard work of ending the challenge of Leinster Senior League Division One side Liffeys Pearse at a quiet Brandywell last night.

But full credit to Dublin juniors who battled to frustrate the home side before Derry netted a second goal.

Derry enjoyed a superb start when breaking the deadlock in their first attack, but thereafter they struggled in the final third and Stephen Kenny's men only made the game safe eight minutes from the end.

Derry moved into the driving seat after 58 seconds when Conor Sammon cut the ball back into the path of Kevin Deery and the midfielder's low shot found the net. The Dublin juniors side had a great opportunity to level matters in the 44th minute. Winger, Aidan Roche played in his namesake Lee, but the former Shamrock Rovers player blazed the ball over.

Liffeys Pearse continued to defend after the break but the closest Derry came to adding a second was a Barry Molloy header which was pushed onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Brian Whelan.

Derry, however, had the final say and in the 82nd minute when a Ciarán Martyn break through the centre of the park saw him find substitute Mark Farren, and his shot on the turn found the net.

DERRY CITY: Doherty; McCallion, Hutton (Molloy, 46 mins), McChrystal, Callaghan; McGlynn, Martyn, Deery, McGinn; Sammon (Farren, 61 mins), McHugh.

LIFFEYS PEARSE: Whelan; D O'Connor, A O'Connor, K Roche, Andrews; A Roche (O'Callaghan, 80 mins), Murphy (A O'Connor, 75 mins), Doyle (D Murphy, 87 mins), Doolin; L Roche, Bradshaw.

Referee: H Whoriskey (Meath).