Derry City twice came from behind at Morton Stadium yesterday to finish their campaign on a high. The home side were hoping to end a sequence of seven games without a win in the league, and they dominated in the first half.

Defender, Terry Palmer, had hit the crossbar after 13 minutes with a glancing header from Marc Kenny's free on the right, but a subsequent effort fell well wide of the target.

Derry continued to ride their luck, but finally fell behind just two minutes before the break when Palmer made sure this time when heading home a Kenny corner.

The visitors began the second half brightly and came desperately close to an equaliser, but Tony O'Dowd dived low to his right to tip Sean Hargan's header off the line. Darren Kelly followed up but again Rovers cleared.

But Derry finally drew level on 52 minutes when Hargan chested the ball down for Liam Coyle, who gave O'Dowd no chance with a firm drive from inside the box. There then came two goals in as many minutes with Tony Grant putting Rovers back in front with a header from Thomas Dunne's cross on 71 minutes. But Derry were then awarded a penalty when Gareth McGlynn was felled in the penalty area, and Darren McCready duly converted.

With five minutes remaining, the Candystripes wrapped up the game when Peter Hutton smashed the ball home after Darren Kelly had laid the ball off from inside the box.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Kavanagh (Cousins 87 mins), Palmer, Cronin, Dunne; Kenny, Colwell, Tracey, Woods (Robinson 79 mins); Grant, Byrne.

DERRY CITY: Payne (Ramsey 46 mins); McCallion, McLaughlin, Kelly, Harkin; Mc Cready, Hegarty, Hutton, Mc Glynn; Coyle (Devlin 81), Hargan.

Referee: H Byrne (Dublin).