St Patrick’s Athletic 0 Derry City 1
The FAI Cup final a decade ago between these two was named a while back as the best ever and really, after a couple of early season slip ups, it might have been expected that the home side would aim to generate the same sort of intensity they did that day.
Instead, St Patrick’s slipped to a third straight defeat as Derry beat another side from Dublin to go second in the table.
Barry McNamee got the goal on what was another decent night for Kenny Shiels and his men, although the manager has been quick to make clear that nobody is getting carried away.
The club came here eight points better off than at the same stage last season having averaged precisely two points a game since the start of the season, something even Shiels has suggested they cannot hope to sustain over the months ahead.
Slump
In the event, they did that bit better on this occasion but it was at just this stage of last season that the wheels came off Derry’s wagon with the club failing to win a league game between late April and late July.
While it is almost impossible to imagine this side suffering a slump on that scale, Shiels will not be taking anything for granted.
Neither team exactly set the world alight through the opening half but Derry showed enough in terms of organisation and attacking enterprise to suggest that their results to date are no flash in the pan.
St Patrick’s appeared to get into things a bit as the interval approached and the home support must have expected that they would push on as the night progressed. However, it was City who maintained their edge, especially up front where they consistently looked the more likely to score.
The home side paid close enough attention to Rory Patterson early on and the striker struggled to pose much of a threat, but behind him McNamee, Conor McCormack and Keith Ward all contributed as the visitors dominated midfield.
McCormack was especially impressive with the former St Patrick’s and Shamrock Rovers player excelling in the freedom he was afforded to direct things from the centre of the pitch.
And out wide, City’s full backs, Niclas Vemmelund and Patrick McClean, did their best to weigh in on the attacking side of things, something the latter did to particularly good effect at times despite having only been bumped up to the starting line-up in the lead up to kick-off after Dean Jarvis felt a bit of a twinge in the warm-up.
Less favoured foot
For the first 43 minutes, Shiels’s side pretty much had a monopoly on the chances created although the locals still managed the first that seemed to qualify as an actual miss when Conan Doyle stole a couple of yards on everyone but, unbalanced and forced to shoot with his less favoured foot, fired wide.
Moments later David Cawley did better with a long-range drive that at least hit the target but Ger Doherty saved without too much fuss to ensure his side went in level at the break.
Almost immediately after that they stepped things up a bit and Brendan Clarke was forced into his first real save of the night when Ward took a free short to Patterson, whose shot then took a bit of stopping at the foot of the right-hand post.
Shortly after that the hosts had their first of two big penalty claims ignored and there was still a sense of grievance lingering in the air as McNamee and Patterson passed their way around Hoare at the other end and the former finished well from 15 yards.
Higher gear
The hosts clearly needed to show some serious improvement in the half hour that remained if they were to salvage something from the game but it took them quite a while to find the higher gear they needed.
In the meantime, they should really have been two down with Clarke doing very well to save from Patterson, although he probably should never have been afforded the opportunity.
When Ger O’Brien, after a night of largely exemplary defending, was then taken down as he lent a hand to the search for an equaliser, the home support thought they had their spot kick. However, referee Tom Connolly reckoned the contact had been outside the box and only gave a free, which came to nothing.
With their backs up, Liam Buckley’s men finally started to step things up and either Dylan McGlade or Jamie McGrath might have nicked an equaliser late on. McNamee or Patterson might have nicked another goal too, though, and Derry will have left for home knowing that if they keep on going like this, containing those rising expectations could become the biggest challenge of all.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Clarke; O'Brien, Hoare, Dennehy, Bermingham; Kelly; Byrne (McGlade 76), Cawley (McEleney 86), Timlin, B Dennehy (Corcoran 78); McGrath.
DERRY CITY: Doherty; Vemmelund, McBride, Barry, McClean; Ward, McEneff, McCormack, Curtis (Boyle 89); McNamee; Patterson.
Referee: T Connolly (Dublin)
