SETANTA SPORTS CUP Derry City 3  Linfiled 0:DERRY City cruised into unchartered waters at the Brandywell last night; they dominated this game with Mark Farren hammering home a hat-trick.

In the 16th minute Damien Curran brought the best out of Derry's Gerard Doherty with a snap-shot from the edge of the area, the goalkeeper alert when turning the ball around his post.

Farren broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when his back-flick fooled the Linfield defence and the ball trickled over the line from close range.

Linfield goalkeeper Alan Mannus pulled off a top-drawer save to deny Billy Dennehy after Farren had pulled the ball back into his path in the 42nd minute.

The home side should have killed the game off in the 52nd minute when Kevin Deery fed Dennehy but the winger blasted the ball recklessly wide.

However, the pressure finally reaped dividends in the 63rd minute when, breaking from his own half, Niall McGinn sent Sammy Morrow scampering clear and his deep cross towards the back post was clinically volleyed home by Farren from the angle.

Farren had the last say six minutes from the end when Morrow again fed the ball through before the striker brought it under control and drove it back across the face of goal from an acute angle.

DERRY CITY:Doherty; McGlynn (Callaghan, 78), Delaney (Hargan, 89), McChrystal, Gray; McGinn, Molloy (Higgins, 86), Deery, Dennehy; Morrow, Farren.

LINFIELD:Mannus; Hagan (Lindsay, 70), Bailie, Murphy, Harkness; Garrett (Miskimmin, 58), Gault, Curran, O'Kane (McAreavey; 49) Ferguson, Munster.

Referee:A Buttimer (Cork).