Derry City 2 Bohemians 1
Derry City completed a miracle, according to boss Kenny Sheils, to secured a Europa League spot with this deserved victory over Bohemians at the Brandywell.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing as the visitors stunned the home lot when taking an early lead, Derry having to display character and tenacity in battling back to secure what eventually proved a comfortable win.
Bohs lone striker Kurtis Byrne beat Derry goalkeeper Ger Doherty in a race for possession and from the edge of the penalty area his shot found the net despite efforts by Conor McDermott and Max Castells to clear the danger.
Within the space of 60 seconds, Rory Patterson was sent scampering clear when Josh Daniels played him in and while the striker had rounded Delany, Derek Prendergast got back to clear the goalbound shot to safety.
In the 28th minute an Aaron McEneff’s shot crashed off the butt of the post with Delany beaten while the Bohs keeper did well one minute later to turn a Patterson shot wide of his goal at the expense of a corner.
In the 35th minute Delany did well again when turning a close range effort from Keith Ward wide of his post while a Lucas Vemmelund header scraped the outside of the upright following a Derry corner minutes later.
The home side were denied again in the 38th minute when a Josh Daniels low centre was drilled home by Dean Jarvis but the referee’s assistant raised his flag for offside and the goal was disalllowed.
And on the stroke of half-time, Derry’s frustrations in front of goal were compounded when Daniels did well to lay the ball back into the path of Patterson whose powerful shot crashed off the crossbar with Delany well beaten.
Derry’s luck, however, changed after the break when they were awarded what appeared a dubious penalty kick in the 50th minute. Full-back, Derek Pender was adjudged to have impeded Jarvis in the area with referee Derek Tomney pointing to the spot.
Up stepped McEneff who gave Delany no chance with his sixth strike of the season – all from the spot.
The home side then began to push for the win which would secure a Europa League place next season. Both Patterson and Ronan Curtis squandered decent chances as Derry continued to dominate the play.
And that determination finally paid off in the 63rd minute when the Brandywell side moved into the driving seat.
McEneff had a shot cleared off the goal-line by a Bohs defender after he had rounded Delaney and while Jarvis had his shot blocked, Rory Patterson slid in at the back post to force the loose ball home.
Derry City: Doherty; McDermott, Castells (Karner, 90), Vemmelund; Daniels, Monaghan, McEneff (McCormack, 76), Ward (Holden, 76), Jarvis; Curtis, Patterson.
Bohemians: Delany; Pender (O'Halloran, 61), Prendergast, Morris, Fitzgerald; Kavanagh, Hayes, Wearnen (Quigley, 79), Kelly (D. Byrne, 61); K. Byrne.
Referee: D. Tomney (Dublin).
Sligo Rovers 1 Longford Town 0
Longford Town have slipped closer to the First Division following a 1-0 defeat to Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds.
Kieran Sadlier got the only goal of the game, as Longford failed to find an equaliser despite a fighting second half display.
The home side made three changes to the team that beat Dundalk with Gavin Peers, Phil Roberts and Sadlier all returning, and it took the latter just 13 minutes to open the scoring.
Tobi Adebayo-Rowling’s slide-rule pass released the winger and his low shot deceived goalkeeper Ryan Coulter and crept inside the post.
Longford were much improved in the second half and Phillip Gannon forced a good low save from Nugent, but the keeper stood firm and went on to claim his fifth successive clean sheet as Rovers ground out the win.
Sligo: Nugent, Adebayo-Rowling, Peers, Leahy, Boylan, McCann, Roddan, Keohane, Sadlier (Kearns 67), Cretaro, Roberts.
Longford: Coulter, Mulhall, Flynn, Haverty (Gorman 63), Powell, O'Connor, McGlynn, Simon (D'Sane 65), Gannon (Dillon 83), O'Sullivan, Cowan.
Referee: R Harvey.
Bray Wanderers 2 St Patrick’s Athletic 1
Bray did their first ever Premier clean sweep over St. Pat’s to keep their bid for fifth place alive.
Trailing 1-0 at half time last night at a rain-swept Carlisle Grounds, the Seagulls’ netted from two corners to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches and climb above their opponents in the charts.
Having already beaten the Richmond Park outfit twice this season, Wanderers equalised in the 57th minute.
Kevin Lynch’s corner was flicked on by ex-Saint Conor Kenna with Ger Pender wheeling away as to claim the final touch close in. But the ball seemed to go in off an away player.
Alan McNally’s first goal of the 2016 campaign then left the visitors Europa League hoes hanging by a thread.
He connected with Lynch’s 70 minute corner. The effort was blocked on the line but the veteran defender headed in the rebound.
Jamie McGrath’s first top-flight goal since last May put the Dubliner’s ahead.
In a 12th minute move started by left-back Ian Bermingham, the ball was played cross-field with Ger Brien finding Conan Byrne. He got to the right by-line and hung up a cross which was met by Jamie McGrath. Peter Cherrie looked at have the header covered but could only parry the ball over his line.
The visitors almost doubled that lead just before half time. In a 42nd minute break, Billy Dennehy squared inside to the unmarked Christy Fagan.
The striker managed to force the ball past the on-rushing Cherrie but Dylan Connolly got back to clear the ball.
Bray Wanderers: Cherrie; Douglas, Kenna, McNally, Lynch; Marks (McDonagh 90 +3), Sullivan, Noone, Connolly (Kehoe 83); Pender (Dean Kelly 78).
St. Patrick's Athletic: Clarke; O'Brien, Darren Dennehy, Barker, Bermingham; Byrne, Desmond, Graham Kelly (Cawley 80), Billy Dennehy (Kinsella 82); McGrath (Corcoran 86), Fagan.
Referee: David McKeon (Dublin).
Wexford Youths 5 Galway United 4
Wexford Youths just about survived an amazing Galway comeback from 5-0 down to all but secure the relegation play-off place in a madcap game at Ferycarrig Park.
Clinically punishing shocking Galway defending, Youths built on a third minute lead to troop off 3-0 at half-time.
Aidan Keenan held off defender Kilian Cantwell to turn and shoot low to provide the home side with the perfect start.
Substitute Danny Furlong pounced on a dreadful mistake to double Youths’ lead on 39 minutes, slotting home Kevin Devaney’s short back pass.
A further defensive blunder, this time by Stephen Walsh, within a minute gifted Conor Whittle possession on the edge of the Galway area and the winger ran in to shoot past Kevin Horgan.
Horgan was again helpless to prevent Youths’ fourth goal five minutes into the second half.
Chin headed down Craig McCabe’s long throw for Andrew O’Connor to side-foot home.
Three minutes later Galway’s Walsh inexplicably passed straight to Furlong who drilled a shot to the net from the edge of the area.
Devaney began the Galway revival on 61 minutes with a cracking shot to the roof of the net.
Seven minutes later Youths defender Aidan Friel turned a Gary Shanahan cross into his own goal.
That gave Galway real impetus with Devaney getting his second of the game four minutes later from Vinny Faherty’s assist.
Substitute Conor Melody kept the fun going on 74 minutes when shooting home Galway’s fourth, but Youths held out for victory.
Wexford Youths: Doyle; Friel, Grace, Kenny (Higgins, 69), McCabe; Whittle (Dempsey, 81), Chin, Bonner, O'Connor; Murphy, Keenan (Furlong, 27).
Galway United: K. Horgan; C. Horgan, Cantwell, Walsh (Folan, 55), Ludden; Shanahan, Sinnott, Byrne, Devaney; Curran (Melody, 45+4), Faherty (Cunningham, 79).
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).
