Soccer

League of Ireland round-up: Colm Whelan seals Derry City win as they close gap on Bohemians

Johnny Kenny helps Shamrock Rovers secure win over former side; Shelbourne flying high in fourth; Dundalk take Louth derby

Derry City's’s Colm Whelan celebrates scoring a goal during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match against St Patrick's Athletic at Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium. Photograph: Lorcan Doherty/Inpho
Derry City's’s Colm Whelan celebrates scoring a goal during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match against St Patrick's Athletic at Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium. Photograph: Lorcan Doherty/Inpho
Fri Apr 28 2023 - 22:29

Derry City 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 0

Colm Whelan announced his presence to an adoring Brandywell faithful when he put this game to bed with his second goal in two games against a frustrated St Patrick’s Athletic.

Whelan, a former UCD striker, has got his Derry career off to a superb start which has given the Foyleside club a significant boost as they moved three points behind league leaders Bohemians as they prepare to welcome Shamrock Rovers to the Brandywell on Monday.

Derry fielded the same side which was successful at Turner’s Cross and the home side enjoyed the better of the exchanges having upped the ante after the break.

[ Premier Division table ]

Indeed, it was the home side who dominated the clearcut scoring chances having enjoyed so much success on the left flank with Michael Duffy and Ben Doherty causing St Pat’s no shortage of problems.

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In the 10th minute Ollie O’Neill went close to breaking the deadlock. Duffy rolled the ball into the midfielder’s path but his scuffed shot crashed off the butt of the upright before the ball was hacked clear by a defender.

At the other end the well travelled Eoin Doyle worked hard but for all his good work in playing colleagues into scoring positions, they failed to seriously trouble Derry goalkeeper Brian Maher.

However, the highlight of the opening period saw the home side produce a superb team move in the 28th minute which was denied by Pat’s goalkeeper keeper Dean Lyness.

Duffy carried ball into the danger area to find O’Neill in space and when he found Doherty perfectly placed, the left back was denied by Lyness thanks to a superb diving save. And when the ball was worked back in Lyness did well to turn O’Neill’s effort around his post.

Duffy was heavily involved again in the 36th minute when Sadou Diallo sent Ryan Graydon scampering clear on the left and as his perfect centre was dropping into Duffy’s path the winger seemed to struggle on the header or shot but failed to hit the target and a glorious chance was lost.

Pat’s best efforts of the first half were fashioned by Doyle, but on each occasion Thijs Timmermans and Jake Mulraney failed to take advantage.

Derry fished the half on the front foot and really should have moved into the driving seat  in the 43rd minute when Duffy flashed the ball across the face of goal but Graydon failed to get the telling touch and another chance was lost.

Following the change of ends Graydon hammered the ball over the St Pat’s crossbar as Derry continued to place the Dubliners under pressure.

Derry’s effort was rewarded in the 70th minute when they were awarded a penalty by referee Paul McLaughlin.

Graydon burst forward and as he entered the danger area he appeared to be brought down to earth by Noah Lewis and Doherty hammered the ball to the net from 12 yards.

The goal raised the atmosphere at the Brandywell as St Pat’s effort to contain the home side had been breached.

And Derry doubled their lead in the 78th minute following a Doherty corner, Whelan rising majestically to head powerfully home, his second goal in successive starts, a great boost for Ruaidhrí Higgins’s side.

DERRY CITY: Maher, Boyce, S McEleney, McJannet, Doherty; Diallo (McEneff, 66), O’Reilly, O’Neill; Graydon, Kavanagh (Whelan, 64), Duffy (Coll, 85).

ST PAT’S ATHLETIC: Lyness, Lewis, Breslin, Lennon, Forrester, Doyle (Lonergan, 75), Mulraney, Sjoberg, Curtis, Timmermans (Murphy, 75).

Referee: P McLaughlin (Donegal).

Shamrock Rovers 2 Sligo Rovers 1

Johnny Kenny came back to haunt his former side at Tallaght Stadium as his opening-half goal helped champions Shamrock Rovers to squeeze past the challenge of Sligo Rovers.

While his hometown club threatened in the early stages, Riverstown native Kenny got the hosts up and running on 19 minutes. From a ball over the top by his fellow loanee Markus Poom, the Republic of Ireland under-21 international fired past Sligo netminder Luke McNicholas.

Although the visitors twice went close to grabbing an equaliser through New Zealand centre- forward Max Mata, Kenny’s smooth finish separated the teams at the interval.

Sligo continued to show plenty of endeavour on the resumption, but their more clinical opponents ultimately doubled the advantage in the 64th minute. After the subtle vision of Jack Byrne set him free on the left flank, Trevor Clarke buried the ball beyond the reach of McNicholas.

Sligo midfielder Greg Bolger became the second player to score against his old club with a deflected goal just inside the final quarter. This offered renewed hope to his current outfit, but the third-placed Hoops held firm to move within four points of league leaders Bohemians.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Lopes, Cleary, Grace; Farrugia, O’Neill, Poom (Towell, 57), Clarke; Byrne, Burke (Nugent, 83); Kenny (Greene, 72).

SLIGO ROVERS: McNicholas; Brannefalk (Cawley, 78), Clancy (Lafferty, 66), Pijnaker, Hutchinson; Morahan, Bolger (Browning, 78); Liivak, Barlow (Radosavljevic, 59), Fitzgerald; Mata.

Referee: D MacGraith (Mayo).

Shelbourne 2 Cork City 1

A classy Matty Smith goal – his third in four games – helped Shelbourne to a double over Cork City in a game of two halves at Tolka Park.

Jack Moylan added a poacher’s second as Shelbourne, unbeaten now in five games, move up to fourth in the table, their highest placing since manager Damien Duff took charge.

A third successive defeat sees second-bottom Cork remain four points from safety in the relegation playoff place.

Cork manager Colin Healy gave a debut in goal to 18-year-old Daniel Moynihan as Cork came to play, troubling injury and suspension hit Shelbourne inside two minutes.

A sloppy Paddy Barrett back pass ran for the alert Ruairí Keating whose drive Conor Kearns pushed out for a corner.

And the Shelbourne goalkeeper remained the busier goalkeeper in the first half with a terrific double save on 36 minutes.

First Kearns got down smartly to tip away a glancing header by Keating from Darragh Crowley’s fine cross before saving Ally Gilchrist’s follow-up with his legs.

The lively Keating was in again four minutes later when outfoxing Kameron Ledwidge to force a tip over save.

Having posed little threat in the first half, Shelbourne were inspired from the restart and were ahead within two minutes.

An attack appeared to have broken down, but the ball ran for Smith on the left. He skilfully cut back inside City skipper Cian Coleman to find the far top corner with a stunning finish.

Midfielder Moylan added Shelbourne’s second on 82 minutes, pouncing on a mistake by Aaron Bolger to run clear and slide the ball past Moynihan.

Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh got what proved Cork’s consolation five minutes later, blasting to the net from fellow substitute Cian Murphy’s pass.

SHELBOURNE: Kearns; Barrett, Byrne, Ledwidge; Toure (JR Wilson, 57), Caffrey, Lunney, T Wilson; Hakiki (McManus, 78), Moylan (Robinson, 85), Smith.

CORK CITY: Moynihan; Coleman, Gilchrist, Honohan; Crowley, Healy (O’Brien-Whitmarsh, 78), Bolger, Coffey, Varian; Keating, Owolabi (Murphy, 64).

Referee: Ray Matthews (Midlands).

Dundalk 3 Drogheda 2

John Martin popped up with a 91st-minute winner to spare Dundalk’s blushes against 10 man Drogheda Utd at Oriel Park.

Stephen O’Donnell’s side looked to be in the driving seat when they led by two goals after just 28 minutes.

Patrick Hoban set up the first on 23 minutes by releasing Ryan O’Kane to slot past Colin McCabe before adding the second five minutes later by volleying home after Johannes Yli-Kokko had been denied.

Drogheda’s task of mounting a revival became all the more difficult when Gary Deegan was sent off for a second bookable offence on 51 minutes, but just three minutes later Dayle Rooney latched on to Freddie Draper’s flick on to pull a goal back.

Draper then levelled matters on 72 minutes when he dispossessed Hayden Muller to race through and slot past Nathan Shepperd.

It looked as though the sides would have to settle for a point apiece until Martin scrambled home from close range to ensure a first win for Dundalk in seven attempts since also beating Kevin Doherty’s side 44 days ago on March 16th.

DUNDALK: Shepperd; Davies, Muller, Leahy, Benson; Malley, Yli-Kokko (Martin, 76); O’Kane (Lewis, 69), Ward (Doyle, 93), Tulloch; Hoban.

DROGHEDA UNITED: McCabe; Ahui (Leddy, 92), Adegboyega, Keeley, Weir (Heeney, 25); Deegan, Brennan; Grimes, Markey, Rooney; Draper (Foley, 89).

Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin).