Soccer

LOI wrap: Daniel Kelly’s goal moves Dundalk up to second in the table

Finn Harps denied by late Derry City strike at the Brandywell

Dundalk's Daniel Kelly and Sam Curtis of St. Patrick's Athletic challenge for the ball Dundalk's Daniel Kelly and Sam Curtis of St Patrick's Athletic challenge for the ball during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match at Oriel Park. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
Fri May 27 2022 - 22:20

Dundalk 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 0

Daniel Kelly’s goal proved the difference at Oriel Park on Friday night as Dundalk got the better of St Patrick’s Athletic to move up to second place in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table.

The victory for Stephen O’Donnell over his old club means that the Co Louth side are now the main challengers to table-toppers Shamrock Rovers, who they trail by eight points — albeit with a game in hand.

Dundalk bossed the first half and deservedly found the breakthrough on 24 minutes in what was a bit of a horror show at the back for Pat’s.

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After Patrick Hoban went to play Kelly in it looked as though the danger had been snuffed out when Sam Curtis came across the winger, but Ian Bermingham’s decision to step in and try to head back to Joseph Anang backfired with Kelly picking up possession to round the goalkeeper and slot home his fifth of the season.

Tim Clancy’s side will feel they should have had a penalty two minutes before the break when Darragh Leahy’s attempted clearance saw him catch Tunde Owolabi in the box, but despite the Belgian striker’s appeals referee Ray Matthews failed to point to the spot.

The visitors pushed hard for an equaliser late on but could find no way past Nathan Shepperd. Billy King stung the palms of the Welsh goalkeeper from a tight angle on 77 minutes before he denied Mark Doyle when he clawed away his downward header from the left.

Shepperd then did even better moments later when he touched Darragh Burns’s effort over after his initial shot had been blocked by Andy Boyle to ensure the win for his side.

DUNDALK: Shepperd; Macari, Connolly, Boyle, Leahy (Bone, 89 mins); Sloggett, Benson (Martin, 79 mins); Bradley (Ward, 59 mins), Adams (Doyle, 59 mins), Kelly; Hoban (McMillan, 79 mins).

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Anang; Grivosti, Redmond, Bermingham (King, 57 mins); Curtis, O’Reilly, Forrester, McClelland (Doyle, 57 mins), Breslin; Owolabi (Burns, 57 mins), Doyle.

Referee: Ray Matthews (Westmeath).

Derry City 2 Finn Harps 2

Finn Harps were denied what would have been a deserved three points in their north west derby at the Brandywell, Derry City’s Eoin Toal playing a captain’s role when restoring equality in the 93rd minute.

That goal will have broken hearts in Donegal after Harps had taken the lead on two occasions

Toal sent the big crowd home happy when his looping header dropped into the net following Will Patching’s corner.

Harps opted to press Derry on to the back foot from the outset and they gained an early reward for those positive tactics after just eight minutes.

Ryan Rainey produced a cushioned pass into the path of Filip Mihaljevic and the striker gleefully flashed his shot across the face of goal and into the far corner of Brian Maher’s net to break the deadlock.

Harps remained on the offensive when going close to doubling their advantage in the 14th minute.

Mihaljevic was impeded on the edge of the penalty area and Regan Donelon smashed the free-kick off the Derry crossbar.

Much to the delight of their supporters, Derry equalised in the 22nd minute with a superb goal.

Having won a free-kick on the left, Patching brought the Brandywell to life with a sublime strike when he curled the ball into the Harps net from 35 yards, the ball sailing home over the head of a startled goalkeeper Mark McGinley

Happy to adopt defensive tactics after the break and hit on the counterattack, Harps were rewarded for a second time.

On this occasion Eric McWoods broke clear and having successfully turned inside Toal, the striker bundled the ball over the line from close range.

In fact, the visitors could have increased their lead three minutes later but Conor Tourish failed to get his head to an inviting cross from close range.

Derry went so close to securing a point in the 85th minute when Ronan Boyce was denied thanks to a superb save by McGinty while Patching let fly with another screamer minutes later which failed to hit the target.

Substitute Danny Lafferty failed to get a low shot on target in the 88th minute as Harps clung on to what could prove a significant win.

Derry pressure finally paid off in the 93rd minute when Toal headed home a Patching corner, much to the delight of the large support.

DERRY CITY: Maher; Boyce, Toal, McEleney, McJannet; Thomson (Akintunde, 61), Smith; Malone (Lafferty, 70), Patching, Kavanagh (McLaughlin, 61); McGonigle.

FINN HARPS: McGinley; Carrillo, Tourish, Slevin, Donelon (Alkan, 75); Boyle, Connolly, Hery (Devers, 94, Rainey; McWoods (Rudden, 77); Mihaljevic.

Referee: A Reale

UCD 1 Sligo Rovers 1

The sides swapped headed goals in settling for a point apiece at the UCD Bowl in a game marred by a nasty injury to referee David Dunne.

A slow burner of a game didn’t ignite until half-time approached, the first corner of the night seeing Sligo’s Aidan Keena’s flick from Adam McDonnell’s delivery well watched by Kian Moore in the UCD goal.

A minute later a mistake by Shane Blaney might have gifted College the lead but Ed McGinty came to his defender’s rescue, racing off his line to make himself big before saving Dylan Duffy’s shot with his feet.

Moore did well to hold a stinging drive from the menacing Keena before the Sligo striker produced the moment of the half, gliding skilfully past two defenders, before his powerful shot was tenaciously blocked by UCD skipper Jack Keaney.

As in the first, Sligo started the second half on the front foot. And this time they found a way to goal.

Again Keena was central, turning past Evan Osam inside the area.

And though his powerful drive was deflected up into the air by Moore, midfielder Karl O’Sullivan nodded the dropping ball into the net.

The game was then held up for some six minutes while Dublin referee Dunne was taken off on a stretcher to be treated in an ambulance having been accidentally struck in the face by the ball.

Sam Todd got his body in the way of another Keena effort while substitute Lewis Banks worked Moore as UCD hung on before equalising on 68 minutes.

Evan Caffrey’s cross picked out Duffy who scored with a firm header.

Moore earned UCD their point with the save of the game on 86 minutes, acrobatically tipping over McDonnell’s drive from distance which appeared destined for the top corner.

UCD: Moore; Gallagher, Yoro, Todd, Osam; Keaney, Keane (Higgins, 75 mins); Kerrigan (Lonergan, 75 mins; Farrell, 82 mins), Caffrey, Dignam (Nolan, 75 mins); Duffy.

SLIGO ROVERS: McGinty; Horgan (Banks, 57 mins), Buckley, Blaney, Kirk; Bolger, Morahan; O’Sullivan (Keogh, 82 mins), McDonnell, Fitzgerald (Heaney, 88 mins), Keena.

Referee: David Dunne (Dublin) — Replaced by Derek Tomney (Dublin) on 62 mins

Bohemians 1 Drogheda United 1

Dean Williams bagged an 84th-minute goal at Dalymount Park last night to earn Drogheda United a share of the spoils with Bohemians.

Despite their contrasting fortunes in last Monday’s round of fixtures — Bohs suffered defeat to St Patrick’s Athletic, while Drogheda recorded a shock win over champions Shamrock Rovers — it was the hosts who had much the better of the opening period.

Dawson Devoy and Ali Coote both fired marginally off target, before the Gypsies eventually claimed a breakthrough goal on the stroke of 45 minutes. Following excellent link-up play between Coote and Junior Ogedi-Ukozwe, Jordan Flores found himself in space and drilled a superb shot to the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

Although Drogheda had offered precious little in attack during the first half, they served notice of their potential when Darragh Nugent and Seán Roughan forced fine saves out of Bohs netminder James Talbot either side of the third-quarter mark.

The Gypsies had a number of opportunities to extend their lead at the opposite end and were left to rue these missed chances when Drogheda substitute Williams lifted the ball over the advancing Talbot for a dramatic equaliser six minutes from time.

BOHEMIANS: Talbot; Murphy, Doherty, Kelly, Wilson (Feely, 26 mins; Finnerty, 59 mins); Flores, Levingston; Coote (Mallon, 89 mins), Devoy, Burt; Ogedi-Ukozwe (Omochere, 59 mins).

DROGHEDA UNITED: Long; Heeney, Cowan (Poynton, 46 mins), Roughan, Weir; Clarke (Markey, 75 mins), Deegan; Grimes (Brennan, 67 mins), Nugent (Foley, 67 mins), Rooney; Lyons (Williams, 57 mins).

Referee: S Grant (Wexford).